The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

GR2 focus methodology question

R

ronniestern

Guest
How are you supposed to Read/Use the Focus scale on the GR2?
When I spot focus at a subject 8.5 to 9 feet away, and then switch to manuel focus, the focus scale shows the line at 1m? I would expect it to be at 3m? I want to be able to use the GR2 for quick family candid shooting.I would have thought, that I would using spot focus ... set the focus by pointing the camera at the subject, shutter button half way down ,beep switch to manuel focus with the function button shoot secretly at the proper distance! But I am not sure if I should trust the Autofocus, or my distance estimation with the manuel scale? Any help, experience, or thoughts would be Great!
 
R

ronniestern

Guest
It doesn't always focus on 1m... Tried a second GR2 and it seems to focus differently. When there is low light ... it doesn't focus properly... but in good light it seems to focus properly and when I switch to manuel focus it is on a number that makes sense. When this second camera is in low light many times the manuel focus is on Infinity, which doesn't make sense to me.
I guess I will send the 1st camera in for repair.
How is everyone else finding the autofocus to manuel focus matching up?
 

clay stewart

New member
Mine seems to switch back and fourth pretty well, for the most part. Inside in dim light, I can AF a foot away and then switch to MF and it comes up as .3 meters, which is about a foot and at fifteen feet away in dim light it switches fairly accurately back and fourth. Outside in the bright light, it does about the same too.
 
W

Walt

Guest
I had hoped that in setting the Fn switch to "Manual-Auto Focus" the camera would provide a kind of electronic rangefinder (i.e. you could use autofocus, and switch to manual as if you had focused with a conventional rangefinder).

Unfortunately, as others have mentioned, the distances that come up on the manual focus scale after autofocus make little sense in either of the two cameras I have, though the two are somewhat different and both are erratic. The scale on my cameras tends to show 1 M, 3M or infinity, but in repeatedly focusing on the same spot, these can change. I have mostly done these tests indoors in fairly low light, not dim light, which is where you would want this focusing accuracy.

Perhaps there are firmware issues that could improve this, or perhaps the elimination of the optical auto focusing mechanism is responsible. I'm going to try to talk to Ricoh about this. Someone needs to determine whether it is the auto focus at issue here, or just the scale reading. In manual focusing, the scale also seems inconsistent, jumping from one position to another, even with small inputs from the up-down arrows. Also, though the focus position is supposed to be stored in the MY1 and MY2 memories, it does not come up consistently.

I would add that the DOF is so great, even wide open, that manual scale focusing really seems to be all that is needed. I am more concerned about this issue with the 40mm.

Walt

P.S. I am finding that the Fn switch is probably better devoted to exposure lock anyway. The full-time "live" metering of the camera is terrific and allows you to just toggle the switch back and forth to take and display readings, lock exposure, etc. without touching the shutter button.
 
Last edited:

clay stewart

New member
Walt, I just re tested mine inside, ISO 800, 2.4 1/52 of a sec. I focused at three different distances a half dozen times and got the same results each time, switching from AF to MF. If I turn the camera off in MF, it comes back on at the same distance, after trying that a half dozen times. So, it seems that things are not consistent, from camera to camera apparently.
 
Top