This is exactly what I mean about AF. The sensor area may be larger than the target you want in focus. This means that it will pick within the area. That doesn't make the autofocus wrong, just the application of it. Not much different really than using a reflective meter poorly with snow or coal.
I still don't get why so many people use AF when there is no benefit. This image is what many of my niece's (pro photog using D1X AF) pictures look like. The focus isn't bad, but it's not great either. If you can't see to focus, either get a camera that you can see out of, or get your eyes corrected enough to see. -- Best regards, Bruce Wednesday, January 12, 2005, 4:36:36 PM, you wrote: SB> Hi Peter, Frank ... SB> I'd not noticed the softness in the eyes as the dark strip grabbed my SB> attention, but you're right Frank ... the eyes are a bit of a problem here. SB> Just a thought - and it'll work - sharpen each eye individually until SB> they're both equally sharp to a satisfactory degree. I played with it a SB> bit in PS, gave it a little crop, and voila - the true genius of the SB> portrait becomes perfectly obvious. SB> Lose the autofocus, Peter ... not needed at all on such a subject, and that SB> 43mm focuses manually quite nicely. SB> Shel >> [Original Message] >> From: frank theriault <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 12:13:33 -0500, Peter J. Alling >> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> > http://www.mindspring.com/~pjalling/PESO_--_tglitasr.html >> > >> > In case anyone cares: >> > >> > Pentax *ist-D 1/30 sec (ISO -- 400) >> > SMC Pentax FA 43ltd f1.9 @ f2.8 >> > Autofocus (Autofocus sucks no matter how good the camera IMHO). >> > >> >> I gotta agree with Shel; that dark stripe down the right side is a >> needless distraction. I was going to wonder aloud (or however one >> wonders on a keyboard) if maybe you focused on the wrong eye - her >> left eye (the one on the right of the frame) seems just a tad soft, >> but I think that's the one which should be sharpest (since it's >> closest to the camera, no?). Then, I noticed that you autofocused, so >> that's (likely) that. >> >> Well, here I am, starting off with negative stuff, when really, it's a >> lovely portrait. I like that she looks very relaxed and comfortable. >> There's something about the placement of her hand on the vertical >> thing (is it a frame of some sort?) that I like - it seems rather >> "unposed" and natural looking. >> >> Overall a very nice photo. Can't do anything about the softness, but >> you can crop. I think it would be a better photo if you did.
