Jon Hope wrote:
> If we are talking current Pentax cameras
> the best we have is 3 point AF, with the
> only choice being wide or centre AF
> selection. If you use wide the camera will
> choose the best AF point. You don't really
> have any control on what it'll choose.
OK, that's good to know. That would be unacceptable in many
situations.
> In centre AF you should be able to focus
> on an eye, but it is dependant on there
> being enough contrast to get the AF to lock.
So, if a person has dark eyes, or if the eyes are in shadow,
such as from a hat brim or because they're deeply recessed, then
AF may not be able to focus properly. Is that reasonable to
conclude?
> It is also dependant on how close you are,
> as the AF sensor takes in a specific
> amount of the image.
I understand. Now, let's say that the camera can get a good
lock on an eye because the contrast is acceptable, but the
sensor covers an area slightly larger than the eye, and may
include a piece of the forehead, cheek, or nose. Where might
the sensor focus? On the eye, which is a substantial portion of
what the sensor reads, or on the other part of the face that's
in the sensor area but which is slightly closer to the film
plane?
> The trouble with using the centre AF
> sensor for portraits is that you can
> end up with images that you wouldn't
> take if you were using MF.
How do you mean that?
> I can't comment on the AF offered by
> the different manufacturers, as I
> haven't used them.
I'd like to stay with Pentax as I've quite an investment in
Pentax glass.
> In general I find myself using a
> combination of AF and MF with just
> about anything I'm doing.
Do you use an AF body/lens in manual mode, or a pure MF
camera/lens combination?
> Why don't you borrow an MZ-5n and
> have a play with it for a week or so?
> You'd probably be in a better position
> to answer your own questions that way. :-)
True, but I've not found an MZ-5n that I can borrow. I've
checked aa few places. The best I can do is an MZ-7, and I did
play with it a little bit. Do you know if its AF the same as
the 5n and the MZ-3?
John Mustarde mentioned that the sensor on the PZ-1p is smaller
than that of the MZ series cameras, and that sounds interesting,
but I don't like the way that body handles - it doesn't fit as
well as the smaller bodies.
Thanks for your help ...
--
Shel Belinkoff
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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