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Canon SX60 HS Focussing Issue

mjschocken
Enthusiast

I have been using the SX60 HS  for birds and other wildlife recently and for the most part am satisfied.  However, I have noticed that there are times that I just can't focus on the subject.  Sometimes I can change the zoom or focus on something else and then come back to the original subject and get it to focus but sometimes I need to turn the camera off and then on again to get the focus.  Of course, with a small bird, by the time I run through this routine, the bird is gone.  I'm wondering if anyone has had the same issue and what you can do about it.

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Thanks for taking the time to provide your last message.  It was helpful.  I do like the 80D and its IQ.  I haven't yet started using BBF probably because I think I'll need to get used to something that's new but it's only a matter of time before I consider it.  I use the Canon Digital Photo Professional for now but purchasing Lightroom is in my plans.  I do generally consider and often adjust contrast, brightness and other tools in DPP including sharpness and, of course, I crop.  However, the images I like the most are the ones I really don't have to do anything but doesn't everybody.  Anyway, thanks for developing this thread.  I found it very helpful and I imagine that others might as well.

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19 REPLIES 19

Waddizzle
Legend
Legend

Every focusing scenario is different, and you have not posted an image of it, so no one can explain what happened.  Just be aware that the camera needs sufficient light and contrast in order to focus.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

If light and contrast were the factors, turning the camera off and back on and going back to the same subject should still result in a non-focused subject.  That's not the case.  So I don't believe light and contrast are the issues for the camera not focusing.  I'm wondering if others have the same camera and experience the same thing.  My wife has the same camera and she too experiences what I've described.

I do think it's possible that the lack of focus might have to do with branches or other extraneous things in the foreground which would prevent focus of the subject further back.  When I turn the camera off and then on and go back to the subject, I may be taking a slightly different angle and focusing directly on the subject.  However, if I initially can't focus, I won't be able to focus on the subject no matter if I move or do anything.  It's like the autofocus is locked and can't be changed unless I focus on a different object which is closer or further away or if I turn the camera off and on.  Wierd.  Just wondering if others have experienced this and understand why.


@mjschocken wrote:

If light and contrast were the factors, turning the camera off and back on and going back to the same subject should still result in a non-focused subject.  That's not the case.  So I don't believe light and contrast are the issues for the camera not focusing.  I'm wondering if others have the same camera and experience the same thing.  My wife has the same camera and she too experiences what I've described.


I suggest that you do believe it.  While cycling power to the camera will serve to reset the AF system, the camera will still experience the same problems.  The AF points are not as small as some people may think.  

 

In another post, you describe your focusing problem shows up when focusing on birds between tree branches.  No wonder you're having problems focusing the camera.  You're asking the camera to focus on one specific noodle in a bowl of spaghetti.

 

The camera cannot read your mind.  It sees multiple branches on which to focus.  Sometimes it will pick the wrong target.  Sometimes it won't pick any target.  The camera has no idea you want to focus on a small bird on a branch.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

Yes, I understand your point.  A small bird in foliage or branches is difficult to focus with any camera.  I also have an 80D and a  Canon 100 - 400 mm zoom II lens and I have to make sure the center focus is directly on the bird and not an interfering object.  However, the 80 D is much better at autofocusing than the PowerShot although there is admittedly a significant difference in price between the two.  In any case, I believe the issue I'm experiencing is different than the issue you and I are now discussing.  I'm going to try John's suggestion and I'll repost to report if that improves the issue.

One point for correction.  The autofocus on the PowerShot is a lot slower than the Canon 80D.  I don't know if the 80D's autofocus is necessarily better. I do know, however, that I don't have this issue with the 80D and the zoom lens I'm using.


@mjschocken wrote:

One point for correction.  The autofocus on the PowerShot is a lot slower than the Canon 80D.  I don't know if the 80D's autofocus is necessarily better. I do know, however, that I don't have this issue with the 80D and the zoom lens I'm using.


I will go out on a limb here and say that the 80D's Autofocus is indeed better than a PowerShot. At the very least it will give you *many* more options, and give you instant feedback in the viewfinder as opposed to an LCD.

Yes, the 80D definitely has more focusing options and autofocuses faster than the PS.  For insight, I bought the PS60X recently.  My intention is to bring it on birding trips so that I don't have to lug my much heavier gear on airplanes.  I also got it because of its reach, namely, the equivalent of 1335 mm with just the optical zoom.  That reach is pretty good for getting a bird, like a belted kingfisher, perched in a tree that goes beyond the reach of my 400 mm lens (see attached image).  However, I sometimes have this focusing issue that I've described.  It very well might be because of interfering branches and foliage that the focus point is locking on and not the intended subject.  I will be checking on that going forward but I was also interested in trying the focusing mode suggested by John. Belted Kingfisher (Female).JPG

I would rather have the focusing ability of a DSLR, than the optical zoom of a point and shoot.  There were numerous branches between me and bird in the below photo.  

 

CT7D2016_06_240535.jpg

 

The photo was taken with a 400mm lens, and has been cropped by 50%, and then "blown up" in post processing.  i can always crop images, and do other tricks to an image in post-processing.  Instead of focusing on the bird, I focused on the branch upon which it was perched.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."
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