[BC] M aybe an alogue is better

[Broadcast List USER]

Nope, I don't get it, though maybe it is because I either did stuff  
myself, or worked in major markets.

I have NEVER seen a pro video camera that used Infrared for focusing.   
NEVER!  I cannot reasonable say they never existed, because I have not  
handled everything, but I have never seen a single one.

In the consumer still camera range, I have seen 1960s STILL cameras  
that used ULTRASONIC focusing.  Frankly, I never saw anything buy  
Polaroid Instant cameras, but again, I didn't have my hands on  
everything.  Still, the SX-70 cameras were pretty successful, and even  
my Dad, who had an original Land camera had one.  He was the king of  
instant film, and I look forward to giving him a Mac and a Nikon  
consumer camera before August is out.

I have never shot or owned the Cannon system, but I am told they never  
used Infrared by those who do.  I compete with Cannon users, but I  
don't know why they would LIE to me!

I have used professional still cameras since the 60s, and film "movie"  
cameras since the same time.  I have NEVER seen a pro or semi-pro  
camera that used infrared focusing.  In fact, I have NEVER seen ANY  
camera that uses Infrared for focusing,  NEVER!  I am not saying they  
don't exist, but in my universe, they have not existed.

Since the early 2000s, I have seen a move from ultrasonic in the  
consumer world to "edge detection."  This has been the method in the  
pro world for a long time.  Those were very inexpensive cameras.

The CCDs in the camera look to "line up" the edges to set the focus --  
well 10 years ago.

NOW, they look at the entire CCD, or CMOS image, or most of it, and  
line up the edges.  This is kind of new, but not that new.

My Nikon F5 FILM cameras did it, even though it wasn't part of the  
image collection process.

My D1, first generation professional digital camera did it, and did it  
really well.

My D1x did it even better.

I skipped a few generations, but my D3 does it REALLY well, and over  
as many places on the image I could ever want, plus some.

It is not ultrasonic, and it certainly isn't Infrared.

Same for the various video cameras I have used, from Bell & Howell, to  
Cannon to Sony.  None have been consumer, but NONE have used Infrared.

While I don't spend a lot of time in markets smaller than Dayton, OH,  
and live in Washington, DC, I have NEVER seen what you have  
described.  I have never seen focus hunting (other than a camera  
operator doing it MANUALLY in a live shot).  In fact, I have NEVER  
seen an ENG photographer use autofocus -- NEVER.  They set up the  
camera on a tripod, set the focus, and stand in front of it!  They  
don't even have a cameraman, but they don't use autofocus!   I would  
never do it myself.  Set the focus on the thing I am capturing.  Set  
the focus on the talent.  I have never seen a one person crew use auto  
focus.  I just don't get it.

What am I missing?  No, I don't "get it now."

Tell me where I can tune it to see this awful thing!

--chip

On Jun 18, 2009, at 6:00 AM, broadcast-request at radiolists.net wrote:

> Message: 3
> From: "Jason R." <jyrussell at academicplanet.com>
>
> What  I mean is that alot of the self-focusing cameras (Like, a Sony
> HandICam,etc.) Use some sort of infrared to determine the distances to
> object in their field of view.  At least the older autofocus stuff  
> did.
> (Cannon EOS 35mm was good example, and they have the description in  
> their
> use manual.)
>
>  When you get a picture on a small home camera now, many times you  
> will see
> more than one 'green box' light up in the LCD viewfinder... those  
> happe to
> be the items in the picutre that the camera 'could' focus on...  
> maybe even
> both in some instances.. but many cameras will allow you to pick  
> your focal
> distance on some single item in the FOV, then hold it while you pan  
> to a
> different place in the same field of view.
>
>  When these older cameras can't accurately determine the correct focal
> point in that particular field quickly enough, you will be able to  
> see them
> shift focus back and forth in the view finder... the most obvious  
> effect
> comes when there is just the right difference in distance between a
> 'foregrund item' and a 'background item'... the camera will first  
> focus
> onthe person infront of the bldg for example, but, finding that the  
> bldg is
> nearly in focus, try to focus on the bldg.  But finding that the  
> person is
> nearly in focus, shift back to the person.  But findign the bldg  
> nearly in
> focus, shift back to the bldg....   repeating this several times  
> before
> deciding on the best compromise in different focal lengths...
>
>  Get it now?
>
>  Very annoying to see happen on live TV.   Most taped programs don't  
> seem
> to exhibit this.  Not all stations exhibit it at all, so I suspect  
> it has
> somethig to do with specific cameras...
>
> Jason
>> I also don't know what you mean by "infrared zone."  The focus  
>> doesn't
>> use infrared, and we cannot see it.
>>
>> --chip