Shooting Hard-to-Focus Subjects

(Focus Lock, AF Lock, and Manual Focus)

It may be difficult to focus on the following types of subjects.

• Subjects with extremely low contrast to the surroundings
• Scenes with a mixture of near and far subjects
• Subjects with extremely bright objects at the center of the composition
• Subjects that are moving quickly
• Subjects through glass: Try to shoot as close to the glass as possible to reduce the chances of light reflecting back off of the glass that could fool the camera's auto focus system

Shooting with the Focus Lock

1. Aim the camera so that an object at the same focal distance as the main subject is centered in the viewfinder or in the AF frame displayed in the electronic viewfinder or LCD monitor.

2. Press the shutter button halfway to lock the focus.

3. Keep the shutter button pressed while you recompose the image and press the shutter button all the way to shoot the image.

Shooting with the AF Lock

1. Aim the camera so that an object at the same focal distance as the main subject is centered in the AF frame.

2. Press the shutter button halfway and press the button. The [MF] indicator will appear on the LCD monitor or electronic viewfinder.

3. Re-aim the camera to compose the shot as desired and shoot.

• To release the AF Lock press the <MF> button.

The AF Lock feature is convenient because you can let go of the shutter button to compose the image. Moreover, the AF Lock is still effective after the picture is taken, allowing you to capture a second image while maintaining the same focus distance. When shooting with the focus lock or AF Lock using the LCD monitor, setting the AF frame to [Center] makes shooting easier since the camera focuses using the center AF frame only. Because and do not display the AF frame, aim the camera to focus on the subject.

Using Manual Focus

You can use manual focus when auto focus is not possible. If you press the shutter button halfway after roughly focusing manually, you can fine tune the focus.

1. Choose MF by pressing the button, and then press the buttons or use the control dial to choose MF and press the <FUNC./SET> button. The MF and the MF indicator will appear.

2. Using the bar that shows the distance display and AF point zoom as a guide, turn the <Control Dial> while looking at the magnified display to adjust the focus. The image at the center of the AF frame is displayed enlarged.

3. If you press the shutter button halfway you can fine tune the focus (Safety MF).

You can also focus using the lens ring. You cannot change the AF frame setting or size while focusing manually. If you want to change the AF frame mode or size, cancel the Manual focus mode first. In order to focus accurately, you are recommended to fix the camera to a tripod. Magnified display cannot be used with the Digital Zoom, the Digital Tele-Converter or when connected to a TV however the focus can be adjusted. If [MF-Point Zoom] is set to [Off] in the shooting menu tab, the magnified display will not be available. If the [Safety MF] is set to [Off] in the shooting menu tab, you will not be able to fine tune the focus even if you press the shutter button.