Tips on Manual Focus

[B-Twien Bytes]

Old subject, new information....I figured out my subject from Jan. 07 is not much viewed any more because of the date?

Some say I should manual focus on the eyes of my subject, by twisting the ring at the front of my JVC- camera....

Others say I should do this by pushing the button named "push auto" .....I wonder if this 2nd option works well??

Apart from which option is 'right' I wonder how JVC users get their picture (the one you want to focuss on) sharp using the ring at the front of the camera.

I do not use any external 'device' to help me getting the image sharp. While looking through the small view finder, there is not a whole lot to see sharp-wise or not sharp-wise. Is it a matter of practising or are there other secrets out there?

Thanks for any help in this!

I just did a little test again and found out it is much more easy to Manual Focus with the LCD screen on than via the view finder....

Should you always do it via the viewfinder or is the LCD screen also good to use?

Maybe simple questions but I would like to get the Manual Focus well going too...

[edDV]

Which JVC camcorder are you using?

Pro camcorders have a high resolution monochrome viewfinder designed for sharp manual focus. The LCD is used more for picture composition and setup menus.

Consumer camcorders often have low resolution color viewfinders. Their main purpose is to offer an alternative when the LCD is washed out in sunlight.

There are two main shooting styles that we can summarize as reactive reality and film style tripod.

In the first case the camera operator is reacting to surrounding events usually with a handheld camcorder. Auto focus often causes focus hunting or false focus on undesired objects. Manual focus is a skill and difficult to do on consumer gear.

When a tripod is used camera movement is stabilized and hands are free to manual zoom and focus while looking through the viewfinder. Film style shooting has all object blocking and focus distances worked out in advance and usually saved as computer presets. The characters know their marks and are skilled at holding focus distance as they act their scene. In true film production a separate operator does focus follow while the camera operator frames the shot.

[B-Twien Bytes]

@ edDV

I am using a JVC GY-DV300....

[edDV]

Another comment on zoom. In Pro production zoom is rarely used when the camera is recording. Zoom is used to set up the shot. Zoom is an art at 24fps. Even at 30p or 60p, zoom drives the MPeg2 encoder to compress in frame.

[Cornucopia]

WRT the choices specifically between "Push-OneTimeAuto"-focus and Manual focus...

Let's assume you have a good enough camera to keep back focus throughout your zoom.

So, you Manually focus like news pros would--Zoom in all the way (on your targeted subject), adjust focus, and then zoom out to the setting you want to be.

For "Push-OneTimeAuto" focus, you could do a similar thing: Z-in, Pushbutton, Z-out. However, here it all depends upon what the camera sees as the "region of interest". If this is external to the zoom lens and chip, then this won't work correctly.

At this point you'd have to find out by trial-and-error where in the viewfinder the RegionOfInterest is, and then ALWAYS make dead sure that you're pointing right there when doing a button push.

Of course, all this is for naught if your lens can't keep focus when changing zoom (which many consumer lenses are prone to).

Scott

[B-Twien Bytes]

@ all

A late response on this "ongoing topic" but I had some practice now shooting footage...

It almost seems to me that the manual focus on my JVC cam does not function well...How would I find out I am right? What actions can I take?

[Cornucopia]

Get a tape measure and do some comparisons WRT the the gauge on the focus ring. See how far off it is, whether it is consistent throughout. Maybe the "dial" legend just has to be slid around a little... (would probably be need to be done by a JVC tech or camera repair place, though).

If it's not consistent, you're screwed and probably need a new camera or lens (or both).

How far off are you talking about?

Scott

[B-Twien Bytes]

@ Scott a.o

Thanks for you reply...need to look more closely at the information given by you. Next week I will come back with a more specific "how far talking off".... thanks in advance