On Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:28:58 +0100, "whisky-dave"
wrote:


"Truer Dat" wrote in message
.. .


The top #1 reason for so many focusing errors:

Idiots who have become dependent on automated focusing systems. Especially
those snapshooters who are so stupid as to justify their common user-error
by blaming it on materials, focusing systems, or camera designs.

I guess that's true but I wonder if such people[1] even consider checking
that
the camera is focusing on the image they want. I doubt it as when a person
has brought an auot focus camera they expect it to focus automatically.




Do you honestly think that any automatic focusing system in the world is
ever going to be smart enough to figure out if you want the leading edge
of
that small-butterfly's wing, the antennae, or the further wing edges in
precise focus?

Yes in a manor of speaking. The new Apple iPhone, when used as a camera
you touch the screen to select what you want the camera to focus on.

Some Nikon [e.g. D300] cameras allow you to select the point of the
image you wish to focus on.


In the near future I expect camera will use this technology in that they'll
store
a picture(s) with varying points of focus a bit like auto-bracking for
exposure
but with focus, you'll then have the option to tape on teh LCD where you
want the
best focus point and teh camera will select that stored image deleteing the
others all done on-the-fly.


There's only so much that any auto-anything system will ever be able to
do.
I think they will do much more, not that it's really needed by those that
know
what they are doing, but that;s not a good marketing ploy is it.
You supply/offer what people want rather than what they actually need.
Stagnate and die.

This is why you have Snapshooters and Photographers. No photographer worth
his salt will ever depend on any automated focusing system.

They will start to depend on it as they have done with internal exposure
meters.
I remember the days when pros and even amateurs didn't 'depend' on the new
fangled
TTL metering systems.


Nor do they
ever expect that some point and shoot feature in any camera, all DSLRs
included, should be expected to do the work correctly for them. They know
better. Do you ever wholly depend on your camera's automatic metering
system too?

I think most people do and will use that meter reading as a starting point
at the very least.

That makes you a point and shoot Snapshooter, whether you use a
P&S camera or DSLR. Every real photographer on earth knows that the camera
will never be able to select the proper exposure for them. That's why they
like cameras with a handy EV compensation dial or toggle,

The EV compensation does rely on an intial reading.

always at the
ready. The camera might get you in the ballpark for focusing and exposure
settings but then you have to take it from there. That's what real
photographers always do.

And always will, years ago is it was cloudy, sunny or overcast you'd select
an
exposure to suit if you were out a little you'd correct it in the darkroom.


That's what snapshooters won't ever comprehend.
Instead they would rather loudly proclaim the meager benefits of RAW to
try
to recover their badly exposed and color-shifted shots, because they're
nothing but snapshooters in the first place.

People reveal much about their total lack of talent by what they find most
important in their cameras.

Like whether they are Nikon or Canon or Olympus etc....
Or even what shoes they wear, as comfortable shoes are important if you're
taking
photos, bad footwear is painful and may lead you to taking shaky photos.


[1] those that just buy a camera without really understanding the specs.




Eric Stevens