Canon A1 Focus speed at DVinfo.net

Paul Cronin · June 8th, 2007, 04:29 PM

Has anyone found a way to slow down the focus ring beyond the Custom Function "Slow" setting? And will a follow focus give more control/slower to the focus by gearing?

I shoot in manual but find with my subject (fast moving boats while I am on a chase boat) make it hard to do the fine adjustments with the focus ring on the camera. One small movement and it is at infinity when they are say 50-300 feet away. So I find myself hitting the IAF to get close then again the focus ring is too sensitive.

It would be nice to have the focus ring go a full turn throught the range instead of 1/4 turn.

Bill Pryor · June 8th, 2007, 08:14 PM

If you zoom to focus, as you do with a normal manual lens on a big camera, the slow speed is actually slow. But if you try to follow focus manually when zoomed out wide it seems to be too fast. I've found that it's easier to follow focus on wide using the auto focus button judiciously.

Paul Cronin · June 9th, 2007, 06:23 AM

Thanks Bill,

I agree if I could zoom in and lock the focus it would help. But most of the time it is too rough to zoom beyond say 20% so I end up doing as you suggested using IAF to grab the focus. Then as both of use move in and out 10-40 feet this is were a fine tuned foucs ring would be excellent.

Shoot again today in the rain on the water so a new problem. I have a EWA rain hood with glass front that will make IAF a problem since it will grab the drops.

Is anyone using a Follow Foucs with the stock A1 lens?

June 8th, 2007, 04:29 PM	#1
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	Canon A1 Focus speed Has anyone found a way to slow down the focus ring beyond the Custom Function "Slow" setting? And will a follow focus give more control/slower to the focus by gearing? I shoot in manual but find with my subject (fast moving boats while I am on a chase boat) make it hard to do the fine adjustments with the focus ring on the camera. One small movement and it is at infinity when they are say 50-300 feet away. So I find myself hitting the IAF to get close then again the focus ring is too sensitive. It would be nice to have the focus ring go a full turn throught the range instead of 1/4 turn. __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

June 9th, 2007, 06:23 AM	#3
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	Thanks Bill, I agree if I could zoom in and lock the focus it would help. But most of the time it is too rough to zoom beyond say 20% so I end up doing as you suggested using IAF to grab the focus. Then as both of use move in and out 10-40 feet this is were a fine tuned foucs ring would be excellent. Shoot again today in the rain on the water so a new problem. I have a EWA rain hood with glass front that will make IAF a problem since it will grab the drops. Is anyone using a Follow Foucs with the stock A1 lens? __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com Last edited by Paul Cronin; June 9th, 2007 at 12:12 PM.

June 8th, 2007, 08:14 PM	#2
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	If you zoom to focus, as you do with a normal manual lens on a big camera, the slow speed is actually slow. But if you try to follow focus manually when zoomed out wide it seems to be too fast. I've found that it's easier to follow focus on wide using the auto focus button judiciously.