wrote in message
oups.com...
Is there any basic difference in the autofocussing technology in
digital cameras vs film cameras?
Digital SLRs use the same autofocus as their film counterparts. Digital P&S
cameras use an abomination known as Contrast Detect. It is universally
known for being crappy and slow, especially in low light. I can't speak for
your particular camera, but there are some tricks that will sometimes help
Contrast Detect cameras find focus. Most importantly, attempt to focus on
something that has high contrast. Human faces have low contrast, and that
is what we largely focus on. Try clothing instead, although make sure you
find something the same distance away. Also, some cameras use an algorithm
that is tied to contrast in a verticle direction. For some circumstances,
rotating the camera 90 degrees will allow it to work.

Cheers!
Andrew