opticagent
New Member
Thanks! Let me know how it works for you. I am hoping that enough people will chime in on this and ricoh will eventually do a FW update.
I saw the Snap Focus - Auto setting but have not tried it yet. I wonder why Ricoh removed the ability to change it on the fly and not change it back in a FW update?
I will try the Auto Snap Focus mode this weekend and see how it pans out.
Hi Paul,
However, for your case, would you try the following setting.
Focus > Snap
Snap Focus Distance > Auto
Paul, thanks for the post. I am glad to hear that the auto function is working well. I am expecting delivery of my GRDIV tomorrow and can't wait to check it out.I'm working with the Auto setting for Snap and I find it works quite well (actually, I'm kind of surprised). I haven't missed any shots so far and it is actually convenient in that I would sometimes fail to change the snap setting in the field. Not that the snap distance matters a whole lot in practical terms. I found that I could afford a one distance setting offset from the actual distance and still get great results (due mostly to the deep depth of field with a small sensor camera).
I've just received the GRDIV and find it a worthy upgrade from the GRDIII. Only used it in auto snap at ISO800 so far but that's enough for me to know the GRDIII is going on Ebay soon.
Untitled by norman j shearer2010, on Flickr
Express yourself by norman j shearer2010, on Flickr
Jumbo shrimp is a great one.the whole idea of an AUTO snap focus setting. Its sort of an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp.
Thanks Norman. I tend to flip back and forth between 1.5 and 2.5 on the GRD3 a fair amount, with the occasional use of 1 meter when I'm shooting really close in crowds, usually in very good light. Of course, that was when I believed the DOF scale on the camera and thought I NEEDED to switch a fair amount. From looking at an actual DOF table, it looks like I could really stay at 2.5 meters pretty nearly always, from very low light at f1.9 (about 4.5-40 feet) up to about f2.5 (where it hits infinity at the long end) and up to f4.0 (where its good from 3 feet to infinity). Three feet is close enough for just about anything and in low light I'm not nearly as close as I might be in bright midday conditions, so 4-4.5 should be more than fine as a near end. I'll try just sticking in 2.5 meters for a while with the GRD3 as a test and see if there are any conditions where it does NOT work? If I'm OK with not switching around a fair amount, I may check out the GRD4 at some point. There's something built into my DNA that just resists the whole idea of an AUTO snap focus setting. Its sort of an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp. Even if it works it would make me nervous, like something was out of whack with the universe...
-Ray
I like the idea of the camera choosing the snap distance, saves me changing. Unfortunately the way it decides is flawed if shooting from the hip.
I was gonna have a few sessions using snap distances closer than 2.5m but now you've mentioned the DOF that gives I'll probably not bother and instead I'll try and get familiar with other features. Do you ever use AEL when shooting from the hip? I need to try and nail the exposure more. I could take a few shots and check the histogram and adjust as necessary but the light can change so quickly I can never keep up with the adjustments. I tend to set the camera up on +0.7 EV and accept a certain amount of the highlights will be lost. From looking through a session on the LCD it indicates clipping in the sky etc but generally the people I've shot are exposed quite well. I set the exposure mode to centre weighted usually, the theory being that that will ignore a little of the sky detail and give me a bias that better favours the people I'm shooting.