Jamdiver:
Speak of the devil.....
Hi Aquatic.......
A few questions first, are you shooting using the center square for composition or is the camera in AiAf mode in which it automatically focuses on what it 'thinks' is the subject?
Hi Jamdiver,
My settings are as follows:
AF Frame - used to be set at center, I switched to FlexiZone to see if I noticed any difference. I have never used the setting of AiAf - probably because I researched what the proper setting should be on this board at one time.
Spot AE Point: It said center today, when I looked at it, but I know in the past I used to keep it at AF Point.
AF-assist Bean On
Then under the func set key, the option right above the S, it has the choices of Evaluative, Center Weighted Avg & Spot. I had it on Center Weighted for quite some time. I eventually set it Spot to see if that made a difference, but I never really noticed any. I was suprised to find it on Center Weighted Avg when I just now looked at it. The camera either does't save that setting or I must have change it back to center at one time or another. In any case, I experimented with all these settings today again & didn't notice to much difference.
Jamdiver:
Can you describe your problem in a little bit more detail?
Is this problem only underwater in the housing or on land?
It happens both underwater and on land. Today, while experimenting with the settings, I tried to take some Macros of a flower covered with ants. Used settings of AF Frame setting of FlexiZone, a Spot AE setting of AF Point & with that option I mentioned previously that was above the S (don't know the name of it) after you press the "Func. Set" button - set to Spot, I tried to get a close Macro to get the frame filled with the ant as much as possible. I was able to get much closer than a foot - maybe somewhere around 5-7 inches and get the green square with good focus. However, when I went closer, the square would only turn yellow, instead of green and it wasn't in focus. The only way I could get closer (about 1 inch) and still keep the shot in focus was to use manual focus.
The same thing usually happens underwater. Some days I can get closer than others, but I can never get real close (closer than 5-6 inches) and sometimes not closer than 9-12 - depending on the subject. I do believe it has something to do with not being able to deal with the contrast, because sometimes I can have it focus on something else with a similar distance & then half depress and the turn to the subject I really was after and take the picture.
But other times, I can't get it to focus when I am close no matter what. I have missed some shots I really wanted, because it wouldn't focus up close. For instance, when I tried to take a picture of a small Harlequin Shrimp in some coral. I took 7 or 8 shots of him just because I knew my camera always had trouble focusing up close (and yes macro mode was turned on). None of those shots were in focus. Every shot I took the center focus square only turned yellow and not green. Although I have taken some shots with it yellow and the focus still turned out ok, but in this case - none of them did. It was shots like that, which made me start to try manual focus to make sure I at least get a good shot. I have also just pulled the camera back a few inches and then it focused ok. Of course then I had to do more cropping than intended to fill the frame with subject the way I wanted & I never seem to get the real fine level details that I wanted by doing it that way.
I'll keep trying - maybe it is just me. For now, until I figure this out, I will probably still put it manual focus for those Macro Shots I really want to make sure I get. I'm completely open for suggestions though.