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CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...

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Offline TapouT

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CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...
« on: 01 / April / 2008, 11:03:34 »
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Does CHDK or any available scripts help focus lock at all?  Or when CHDK is available for the S5, could a script be written to override something and make it lock focus easier? 

That is my biggest complaint about the S5, it doesn't want to lock focus all the time and is the worst of any camera I have ever owned. I'm not knocking the camera because in general I do like it, but I was at an Auto Show this last weekend and was getting very irritated because no matter how I held the camera, zoom or no zoom, stand close or far, auto or manual settings, even though the focus looked fine, it wouldn't lock and let me take the shot. It did this more than it ever had before and almost made me want to sell it for something else (it did it about 80%+ of the time trying to take shots). This made me skip some shots and not even take them I got so angry and others took many tried before it locked focus and allowed the shot.

Could this be improved upon to work better or just allow the shot whether or not it is "locked", because focus looked fine every time but it wouldn't allow the shot since it didn't lock the green or white box in place (or however you describe it).

Any input?
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Offline Barney Fife

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Re: CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...
« Reply #1 on: 01 / April / 2008, 11:13:00 »
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« Last Edit: 22 / April / 2008, 15:43:04 by Barney Fife »
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Offline wontolla

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Re: CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...
« Reply #2 on: 01 / April / 2008, 13:02:49 »
In my own experience, S3 will strugle focusing in low light situations. But an Auto Show sounds like a bright outdoor one.

I don't understand what you mean with:
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it wouldn't lock and let me take the shot.
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but it wouldn't allow the shot

My S3 never prevents me of taking a shot, focus locked or not. You are the human, you are suppoused to decide if taking a shot or not. May be I am missing something. My advice is ALWAYS take the shot, it could turn out acceptable focused.

It is weird what is happening to you, the camera should be able to auto focus even if the subject is a fast car approaching. In that case the green square will appear although the car will be out of focus.

My advise is to manual focus to a predefined distance and wait for the car to be in the right place to take the shot.


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Offline TapouT

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Re: CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...
« Reply #3 on: 01 / April / 2008, 16:58:14 »
What I mean is that even though it looks as if it is in focus, it wont take a shot when I press the button unless the silver or green box pops up (I assume that means it locked focus).  I press halfway and nothing, try again, nothing, and if I press all the way, still nothing, only when the box pops up after half-press will I be able to fully press the button and it actually take a shot.  Before this cam I had a Kodak Z812 IS (12X zoom also) and before that was a Kodak Z650 (10X zoom) and never once had this trouble.  Overall I like the Canons better excpet fot this issue.  I actually think it happens less when at full zoom than it does without zoom. The fact that it doesnt happen all the time makes me think I could do something to correct the issue, but what I have no idea. Im not doing anything different that how I used the Kodaks and they never had any issues, even the Z650 without IS. The Z812 IS snapped everytime with no issues at all, ever.

The majority of shots were tried with no zoom at all, but I had tried both ways in various situation. It was an indoor auto-expo type thing, flash still was needed at times though even with decent lighting at the convention center. 

And before someone says it, I dont want the Kodak back, Im just trying to figure out how to get the Canon to work in this aspect. I wasnt sure if CHDK could help or not.  Maybe I need a pro to try it out or watch me take a pic when it does it and tell me what is going on?
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Offline Barney Fife

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Re: CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...
« Reply #4 on: 01 / April / 2008, 19:17:12 »
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« Last Edit: 22 / April / 2008, 15:43:24 by Barney Fife »
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Offline carlos

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Re: CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...
« Reply #5 on: 01 / April / 2008, 20:50:19 »
Tapout,

You could have a faulty camera, say an intermittent disconnect of some sort with the shutter button - or whatever.
Get in touch with Canon, they'll check it for you. If you're under warranty they'll fix it free, otherwise you'll pay.

You probably understand all this but just throwing in my two cents.

The fact that the focus 'square' doesn't show and  the camera won't shoot seems to point to a fault. Whatever else, the button should always fire the shutter. The 'square', when it shows, should go from white to green (focus) or yellow (no focus). No ifs about this I believe.

(Out of three Powershots here, two went quickly back to Canon for repair. Yep, you buy a new camera but two weeks later you may have a refurbished. And then feel good about fast service ... ?????)

Good luck,

carlos
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Offline Barney Fife

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Re: CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...
« Reply #6 on: 01 / April / 2008, 22:09:35 »
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« Last Edit: 22 / April / 2008, 15:43:45 by Barney Fife »
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Offline TapouT

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Re: CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...
« Reply #7 on: 01 / April / 2008, 23:08:05 »
Quote from: Barney Fife on 01 / April / 2008, 22:09:35

When I can barely see the subject myself, then I look in the scene or around it to find something the same distance away as my intended subject that has as strong contrasting vertical edge. If there's only a contrasting horizontal edge, then I momentarily tip the camera into portrait orientation so the camera can now lock onto that horizontal edge. Half-press to focus-lock, return to landscape orientation and shoot. If only a diagonal edge, then tilt the camera so it appears vertical to the camera.

Then there are some conditions under which no camera will autofocus. Then you need those focus-asist lamps. Or even a white-light LED penlight held in one hand to shed a little extra focusing light on something distant. Or a halogen pen-light or hands-free headlamp that can be focused on something more distant, beyond the bounds of a diffused LED light source.


I might try the headlamp thing, and I tried the vertical/horizontal thing many times because I had read about that in the past.

Quote from: Barney Fife on 01 / April / 2008, 19:17:12
This sounds like some setting or function of the S5 that you are unfamiliar with. Could it be that (silly) face-detection thing interfering? Is it hunting for faces to lock on when there are none? I wouldn't know. Just guessing. I personally would never buy a camera with face detection on it, I have zero use for that. So I wouldn't know what new quirks and work-arounds that you'll have to know to get it to work right with standard photography.


When the face-detection thing is going, I don't have the issue as often, its when not shooting people usually.

Quote from: carlos on 01 / April / 2008, 20:50:19
Tapout,

You could have a faulty camera, say an intermittent disconnect of some sort with the shutter button - or whatever.
Get in touch with Canon, they'll check it for you. If you're under warranty they'll fix it free, otherwise you'll pay.

You probably understand all this but just throwing in my two cents.

The fact that the focus 'square' doesn't show and  the camera won't shoot seems to point to a fault. Whatever else, the button should always fire the shutter. The 'square', when it shows, should go from white to green (focus) or yellow (no focus). No ifs about this I believe.

(Out of three Powershots here, two went quickly back to Canon for repair. Yep, you buy a new camera but two weeks later you may have a refurbished. And then feel good about fast service ... ?????)

Good luck,

carlos

Maybe it is at fault?  That square sometimes doesn't show at all, gray or green and sometimes it will let me fire off a picture with either the gray or green box showing, doesn't matter which, but when I have the issue, there is no box at all showing. I am under factory warranty and extended warranty with accidental protection as well.

Thanks everyone.

maybe I should take a small video of me using it and this occurring, host it on some free file hosting site (or my own web site as soon as I find a decent hosting package to purchase-any ideas folks?) so you all can see what I am doing and what I am exactly talking about.
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Offline Barney Fife

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Re: CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...
« Reply #8 on: 02 / April / 2008, 03:00:25 »
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« Last Edit: 22 / April / 2008, 15:44:04 by Barney Fife »
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Offline wontolla

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Re: CHDK Question, about focus lock??? S5 or others...
« Reply #9 on: 02 / April / 2008, 09:09:42 »
Auto-show, auto-expo! Now I got it. Is not an outdoor race, is an indoor exposition of beautiful models...and cars too!

The camera is supoused to take a shot every time you full press the button, focused subject or not. As carlos says, either you have a faulty camera or the S5 has some "feature" that prevents you to take a blured picture.

May be you want to ask here Canon s5IS Users

A video would be interesting, you can upload it to youtube.
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