On Sat, 21 Dec 2002, Bruce Rubenstein wrote:
> Try using an AF SLR that doesn't have Pentax on the front of it
I work at a camera store, and play with the expensive toys regularly.
> and you'll see that you don't have to prefocus to get in focus shots.
> How much shooting have you done with something like an EOS 3 with USM
> lenses?
A fair bit, actually. I realize you've got a bone to pick with Pentax
autofocus, and I agree with you for the most part. In this case, though,
I wasn't comparing Pentax to other companies, I was comparing digital
cameras to film cameras in general, and this includes non-Pentax ones. I
can't pick up an EOS 3 with a lens focused to 1.5 feet, aim it at
something 300 feet away, press the shutter button, and expect it to take
the shot instantly. Focusing is quick, but not instantaneous, and that's
my point. People expect digitals to operate like focus-free (read:
non-AF, hyperfocal) cameras, when in reality they don't. Every AF camera
needs time to physically move the lens to focus.
> The AF speed on P&S cameras, film or digital, sucks. Any time I use a
> P&S to take a picture of something that isn't dead, the subject is in
> another state by the time the camera fires.
Mostly agree. Pre-focusing solves some of the problem, but the lens still
needs to physically move to focus, which adds that extra quarter-second or
so. One of the few things I really like about Canon's P&S's is that some
offer an RT ("real time") focusing mode. This mode actually physically
moves the lens to focus it when you press the shutter halfway down, just
like an SLR, so taking the picture after that is instantaneous.
> An added problem with digital P&S cameras is that they go into sleep
> mode and you have to wait for them to regain conciseness before they
> can do anything.
Yup. Fortunately most have the option of turning this mode off, which I
do when I shoot digital. Kills the batteries faster, but it's worth it,
IMO.
> You can buy real fast response times for film and digital, but not on the
> typical Pentax budget.
I don't have a problem with the speed of Pentax's AF. I find it fast
enough for most purposes. What I hate about it is its poor AF tracking
ability, its lack of wide-area multi-point AF (The MZ-S is the first
camera to make an effort at correcting this), and, above all, its bloody
noise.
chris
