E-PL5 video noise and poor focus

[BlueDevil]

I have just recently got an E-PL5 and have so far just been playing with it around the house. I definitely need to practice with it some more, especially for video, but a few things have me concerned about the video performance

I have only tried a few video clips so far but notice a distinct "Brrrrr" noise at times during video playback. Is this auto focus noise? Is there anything that can be done to eliminate it or reduce it? It is very noticable and would certainly render some video clips useless if audio was an important component of what you are shooting.
(I am using the 14 - 42 II R MSC lens at present).

I also notice that it really struggles for focus during zooming, even though I am trying to zoom smoothly and slowly.This is despite the fact that I was shooting in bright sunshine with plenty of light. Any solutions to this issue?

I am really loving the camera so far, but these aspects of its video performance have me worried since I do like to shoot video quite a bit.

 

[DSR-3]

Obviously my E-PL1 is an older animal, but I've not heard any lens noise during shooting or playback.
re. focus, I too am disappointed in it's inability to focus reliably. I've only tried a few videos under water, with mixed results at best. Above water, shooting kids hockey, the ability to focus (longer distances) is poor. My best results have been with manual focus, but that's pretty challenging, esp. combined with zooming, etc. For me it's probably more practice, and getting better at MF (quickly knowing which way to focus) to get better shots.
Good luck.

 

[BlueDevil]

Thanks for the feedback DSR-3. Interesting to note that you haven't heard what I presume is focussing noise. The camera manual does mention the possibility of noise from camera operations on page 57 of the E-PL5 pdf manual.
"When recording sound in a movie, the sound made by the lens and camera operating
may be recorded. If desired, you can reduce these sounds by shooting with [AF Mode] set
to [S-AF], or by limiting the amount of times you press the buttons."
I'm pretty sure I was shooting in S-AF mode when I got this noise.

Also interesting that you have had problems with focus in video mode. I was playing with the camera this morning and discovered how to use manual focus amd figured it may be an option. I can see that it could be challenging to use manual focus and zoom. I guess provided you had set the focus manually on a particular subject and only wanted to zoom then it should stay focussed on that subject during the zoom process. This would be okay for an immobile object (particularly above water) but for a moving fish etc underwater it would not be a lot of use.

Here is a brief video clip illustrating what I am talking about. You can clearly hear the "Brrr" noise right at the start of the video and again a few times throughout it. The loss of focus is easy to see. It particularly surprises me that it loses focus when zooming out from an object that was already in focus.
https://picasaweb.google.com/118038...hkey=Gv1sRgCITuhIOOjefqBw#5842699529657745682
(Yeah, it isn't a great bit of video but I was just playing around with it)

 

[BlueDevil]

Surely someone on this forum owns an E-Pl5 and has shot some video with it???

I would really love to know if you have had (or not had) the issues I mentioned above. I don't whether this is normal for this camera or whether I have a faulty camera/lens.

Any replies greatly appreciated!

 

[EarlyDolphin]

Hello,
I own the E-PL5 and with the kit lens 14-42 there is some clearly audible noise from the focus, as you mentioned. With autofocus "off" it's quiet.

This is one of the biggests cons (maybe the only one) of this camera setup. ... unfortunaltely.

 

[BlueDevil]

Thanks for the feedback EarlyDolphin.

I guess this is a characteristic of the camera rather than a specific fault with my camera/lens. It is certainly a significant drawback of video mode on this camera. The level of noise would make any footage where the audio content was important pretty much unusable. I love the camera for stills but very disappointed that to a large extent video mode will be unusable. Glad I haven't bought a housing for it as yet!

I figured shooting in manual focus mode would help eliminate this problem. But then I discover that MF doesn't work in video mode. Turning the manual focus ring does nothing when it is recording. Not only that, but it automatically focuses despite being in MF mode. So although I have selected MF the lens continues to function as if in AF mode. Seems strange to me.

Would still love to get further feedback from others on this issue.

 

[EarlyDolphin]

Of course manual focus does work in video mode.
But it will not solve the noise problem because even the "manual" focus works electronically. There is no mechanical connection between focus ring and the focus mechanics itself. The focus is driven by a motor. With the focus ring you only set a kind of "nearer" or "further" command.

 

[BlueDevil]

Of course manual focus does work in video mode.
But it will not solve the noise problem because even the "manual" focus works electronically. There is no mechanical connection between focus ring and the focus mechanics itself. The focus is driven by a motor. With the focus ring you only set a kind of "nearer" or "further" command.

Interesting. When I tried MF it definitely didn't work in video mode. Despite me selecting MF it definitely didn't respond to turning the manual focus ring, and it continued to automatically focus. This seemed really odd to me, and I have just had a thought as to the cause. I think it is probably because I didn't set the dial to 'movie mode' and simply pressed the record button while it was in some other mode. I just did a very quick check (about to leave for work any minute) and with the dial set to the movie icon manual focus did work. I shall explore this further when I get home from work.

Still got a lot to learn about this camera.

Thanks for yor help!

 

[EarlyDolphin]

My camera uses the last settings I have made in the "video mode". Once set to "MF" the camera uses this setting every time you record with the video button until this setting is changed. Works fine. I tested it several times. Also switched off in between.

 

[BlueDevil]

Thanks for that. Will have a closer read of the manual and do some playing around with the settings when I get home. At least i feel a little more comfortable that I may be able to reduce this problem to some extent.