Hi Chris, I’m so glad to see you back on the channel! Wishing your family and friends a speedy recovery. Thank you for the video, and it’s heartwarming to see Fujifilm’s support during this time. Best wishes from Argentina.
Hey Chris, I've been a long time shooter of single point and yep I shoot professionally and it wasn't changed in the firmware. It's been like that since day one and I figured it out quite quickly. I actually do use the tiny square I make it really small. I just feel it works because it eliminates the risk of missing the shot for something else. It's definitely not a firmware thing it has been like that from ages. But it's a great video because a lot of people would get frustrated. And I'm glad you're getting back out and doing what you do and what you love trying to get a sense of normality back in your life can be really difficult in a trauma state. Take it easy day by day and look after your family mate and I know you will.
You're right! However, using a very small area results in considerably slower focus acquisition. This becomes quite evident with moving subjects using AF-C (especially in low light). Nevertheless, I really would like to have a variable size of the AF field using the tracking mode which is my most used mode for weddings.
@@frankjermannphotoart it actually doesn't. I use a GFX camera as well and I use the same method. It does not affect the speed of the focusing give it a go and you'll find that it's no slower. And yes I have shot weddings as well. I used one size up from small but definitely not the big square.
This is interesting. I am a bird photographer. It's generally considered very important to get a good focus on the eye and face of a bird. So I have been reducing the focus rectangle to cover these areas and then use the highest F-stop I can get away with, considering available light, to help bring other parts of the bird into focus.
Tried this on my X-T20 and it works the same as your X-T5. Really helps with macro - even when using my Fringer adapted Canon ef-s 60mm. Thank you for sharing. And, like so many others, we're with you in spirit. Thank you for the links where we can actually help. Lastly, those companies that reached out to you are an inspiration, and I will surely put them at the top of my list when looking fo new gear.
Hi! I just got my first Fuji (x100vi) and I subscribed to your channel on the same day ! I’ve got a lot of videos to catch up on now, thank you for your work ! 👍👍👍👍
First, I hope your, family and friends are safe from the awful fires. Second, I have always tended to use a AF-S small box, normally the second smallest size, and find it reliable.
Making the focus square smaller sounds like a logical thing to do for me, thank you for sharing. Wishing you safe travels to Los Angeles. Stay safe and strong!
Hi Chris - I learned a while ago that I need to keep the autofocus point small. It’s odd that the camera does not seem to prioritise what is taking up the majority of the space at the centre of autofocus area. I can only assume that the firmware is trying to find a balance of focus and capture everything within the selected area. However, with the distance between the leaf and the background being so great, it wasn’t able to provide anywhere near the necessary depth of field. However, you would still expect it to prioritise the centre.
It makes sense when you consider how cameras determine what's "in focus" within the square. The camera doesn't know depth, so it can't tell that the foreground subject is separate from the background. So instead, it's going to evaluate the contrast over the whole square, preferring that everything be as high contrast (high frequency/"edgy") as possible. The background in this case has lots of contrasty points due to the shadows in the trees, so it preferred focusing on the background. By making the square smaller, the only high contrast points are along the edge of the leaf, so it snaps to focus on the correct subject. Or at least, that's my understanding of how AF works on mirrorless cameras. I know that phase detect autofocus works differently, but I suspect the XT5 was prioritizing contrast in this scenario.
informative, good content. Very happy the vendors stepped up to inquire about your family home. Glad I selected a good company to start my photography hobby with!
Thanks for this video, Chris, I always wondered about this. You nailed my thinking exactly with your opening, "I'll leave it kinda big, so I give it plenty of opportunity to find the right object"! Even though I set my camera up years ago so that I could scroll to make the box different sizes, I always left it on the medium-large size you showed. It's the same with metering mode - I've heard there are reasons to change it ... but I never do. I feel like I am still concentrating on the exposure triangle at the expense of these, to my mind, "secondary" functions - white balance, metering mode, continuous focus mode, focus point area, ... - I guess I am really treating my x-t30 more like a point-and-shoot than I realized! Guess it's time to dig deeper! Sending well wishes to your family.
Good to see you keeping busy. Best wishes for when you get to go home and also to your parents. I had the same exact problem just yesterday, on my X-H1. It just would not focus on my subject, with a big auto focus square. I actually pushed the camera forward, toward the subject and it focused. Weird, but I'll try taking the focus square down a size.
Great advice Chris!! Regardless of the camera (Fuji, Lumix, Nikon), in most cases I use the smallest focus area possible; the old school focus and recompose method. More importantly, you are doing the right things in life. Thank you for the info regarding Fujifilm, Viltrox, and ??? (June?), companies we should support for reaching out to you. Best of luck in CA.
Wow, what an insight. Can’t wait to try this. I have had this similar problem when trying to focus on specific things in a background. It never occurred to me to make the focus point smaller. I think I will also try it with different lenses, especially my 30mm macro which would sometimes give me fits. I will also try before the update which I have been too busy to do. Thanks again for your teaching. Will continue to keep you in my prayers.
Hello Chris. Good to know you’re doing well. I was frustrated with bad focusing on my XT3. I also found the next to smallest focus square and learned to quickly move it where I want even before I half press. Now my photos are brutally sharp and I’ve been told that 🤣. You can count every hair, pore and wrinkle!! God Bless. Stay safe please 🙏
Hi Chris, your video's are so helpful I have seen your video's for years now. Its as if I know you so wel and maybe it is, not the otherway around afcourse. Nevertheless it was moving to know you and your family are in good health. So good to see that you have the strenght to continue your channel. Wish you all the best!
I believe that this tip applies to more than Fujifilm X cameras. This tip also works on my Nikon D300-and it solved a long standing problem that I had with point focus on that camera. Thanks, Chris!
😂YES! I don’t have a recent Fuji camera but I’ve had plenty of older ones from the X-T1 onwards, and they have all done this with single point autofocus. I usually have it a bit smaller than your second setting and it’s fine 99% of the time.
In single point AF, I've been using as small a focus square as feasible for any given situation -- since my goal is make sure the details of the subject I'm aiming at are in sharp focus (rather than the periphery or background). I vaguely recall picking up this tip from someone within the past couple years, and it's certainly proven more accurate than larger focus squares in my experience.
I have always used spot focus so I knew where you were going with this one :) Not the recent update, always been there LOL. Stay well and be strong when you get to house with your family.
Great to see you back! As a long time Fuji user about a decade, I really love the company but it makes me quite sad to still have to do this just to focus on a leaf right in front of you. I’m not a professional and these cameras are almost as expensive now as those brands with better focus systems. As a dad waking around with my kids I just want to shoot… not miss a shot because my single point auto focus wasn’t the right size for that particular photo. I think if I’m paying this much money, it should work. Doesn’t have to be perfect but that demo in my opinion is laughable. Take it easy Chris, takes longer than we think to come out the other side of these life changing events.
Having grown up with manual focus film SLRs, TLRs and Rangefinders, they all had (have) a focus aid smack in the middle of the frame. I acquired decades of muscle memory moving my camera to put the focus aid (usually a split screen micro prism) on the subject that I wanted to focus on and then recomposing and making my exposure. I haven’t been able to break the habit now even after more than 20 years using AF cameras with all the whiz bang AI assisted 500 point AF options available. I still keep my Fujis in Single AF, just the Center focus point (somewhat smaller than the one you used to get good focus on the leaf) and I move my CAMERA (rather than the focus point) to where I want to focus, Get the green box. Keep my finger half pressed on the shutter, Recompose and make my exposure. I’m MUCH faster at focusing this way than I have been able to be relying on the new tech. If I have a fast moving subject, I try to focus ahead of the action like we used to have to do before good AF became available. (Just about when the Nikon F5 and F100 hit the market.) Anyhow…glad that you all are still safe and that the community is reaching out to support you. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for this Video and sharing your solutions to a problem. At this point I would also like to say that I know exactly why I will be getting rid of my xh2s and probably also my xh2 in the next few months. It's 2025 and Fuji users still have to work around autofocus rather than with it. The fact that you can find so many videos online with tips and tricks on how to work with the Fuji AF is actually telling enough. Other systems just work. Of course it's not perfect, but at least you don't have to think "I hope most of the pictures are in focus" every time you shoot. Even Panasonic has managed to implement a usable to good AF in their cams. And xh2s users with a stacked sensor still have problems even with simple tasks for the AF. It's a shame, Fuji is such a great system in itself, but cameras in 2025 will stand or fall on their usefulness and AF performance. And I personally don't see a future with Fuji anymore. I still wish everyone a lot of fun and success with their Fuji system =)
I have had the same situation already with the X-T1. With the X-T5 it occurred again and so I made the focus point smaller. This helps when there are a lot of different things the camera could focus on. It is not something that was corrected with the latest firmware update.
I usually found using a smaller area was more reliable for single AF (I try to keep it about 2 steps up from smallest, that works well for me anyway on my XS20, ymmv!) It is a bit odd though.
As a bird and wildlife photographer I have always used AF-C and the smallest square I can get away with! In the X-T5 I find the actual smallest one is a tad too small. Next size up is better for me.
Important video for me as focus is one of my primary concerns. More importantly, what you and your fellow Californians are going through is tragic. Being 3000 miles away in New York , the only thing I could do for you is donate to a legitimate agency. I’m amazed that, through all this, you continue to run this site and create videos. Hang in there and try to keep this positive and kind approach to life that you display every time. Keep smiling
Losing your home and everything you've worked for all your life is devastating. But at the end of the day, people are the most important! I hope, and wish that everyone around you is in good health and in a safe place. Greetings from Bulgaria!
I wonder whether the focus algorithm has to do with the length of the edges of the square in making its choice.? More of the edges of the large square are on the background than the subject and the opposite is true for the small square.
One could ask, what is the processor actually doing that calculates the distance? What turns that sandwich into a banquet? Does a stopped down lens help the processor "see" the object more than an opened aperture? Since Fuji stops a lens down if you shoot in natural view only during the exposure, does that relate to the previous statement? Does a 3.5 lens like the early 16-50 do better at autofocus because it's a smaller aperture than a faster lens? Ten extra points if you caught the Tom Waits reference..
Not a criticism, but this seems obvious to me. Maybe just me but I do default to the smallest sqaure I can get if I want a specific thing in focus. On the other hand, what I don't get is when a larger focus area would be desirable? (ie here is my scene, what does Fuji think is the best thing to focus on?). Having recently come to Fuji for it's colour science, I'm still coming to grips with the subtle differences in camera control vs my prior brand - including focus, which I have been a bit disappointed with. Maybe just my inexperience, but thanks for this and your other videos - they are helping get me up the curve after 20 years with another system.
Actually I did know that about my X-T5, or rather, I figured that out about my X-T5 with the XF18mm F/1.4. I was taking some shots of my wife and noticed that I kept on getting the background behind her PERFECTLY in focus while she was....not so much. Out of desperation, and the fact that I was a dummy and didn't charge my camera lights BEFORE the set, I tried making the AF box smaller and BAM! Nailed the rest of my shots.
When I switched from Micro Four Thirds to Fuji I noticed a tendency of Fujis to back-focus more often in the kind of situations you mention (2018 with XPro-2/XT2).
So are you also pressing a focus Button when doing this or are you completely button free and only allowing the camera itself to focus and you just pressing the shutter button to take the shot?
I've identified this sometime ago. It is very frustrating. I was having badly focused pictures on some busy plans, without the difference you mention between background and foreground. Imagine a desk with some items. You point the camera to a pencil, and it focuses on the rubber right next to it! But.. the center of my already small focus square is on the pencil! Many many cases like these, and we there we go, believing the camera had trouble focusing. I reduce the square box to an even smaller size (almost the smallest) and booom! The pencil gets its rights to being photographed... The scene shouldn't need the use of precise focus square at all. This seems to never end. If you use these cameras every day, something is always not OK!
That's because when the square was large it had a significant proportion showing the background foliage which by virtue was more contrasty. These cameras are far more contrast detecting than phase. Once you shrunk the square it consisted of a far higher percentage of oof leaf and thus gave it almost nothing of contrast to focus on, so it zoomed in and out looking for contrast and then finding the leaf. Once focus is acquired, even if the box picks up some background foliage, it tends to ignore it more and prefer closer subjects (front).
Have to try it on a human face. I've always used BBF to acquire initial focus the few times I've actually used AF-C. Again, all the best to you and your family.....
Chris, As stated below, it’s been this way “forever.” And, at one time (not sure it is still true - so something that might make a good video) if you used the smallest target box, the AF went to using contrast detect only.
Had this same thing happen on the XT4. A worm came from the canopy hanging on a single thread and on the zone focus it wont do it. So i changed to single point focus. Ans it worked!
I have always used the smallest single point focus...even back in my Canon days...I would never use such a large single point like you showed in the video.
single point means just what its name says... single point ;) so if you make it bigger, then it's a big point, low chance to focus. The best option is to set it to the smallest "point" (square). It would still miss the leaf :D for that what I usually do is that I would just focus on something larger area that is close to me, and then go back to the leaf and the AF will focus on the closest object
Ah as a wedding photographer if I'm sniping people during the speeches I have to go to the smallest square to avoid shoulder and flowers and candles to pin point the focus on a face!
A tinier AF point has helped me focus on smaller objects for always - not something related to the most recent firmware updates! A larger AF point gives the camera a larger area in which to find focus and that can be helpful with finding the best focus in larger subjects but makes it also more likely to overlook the smallest subjects. Something I’ve found out in the past but perhaps don’t always apply enough in practice, as I often don’t even think to change the size of my AF box! Thanks for the reminder. 😉
You have taught me so much over the years and am sorry for your loss. A small token...others, please help as well, whatever you can afford.
Respects to Fuji too
I always use as small as possible focus point since my first X-T1. I feel it's more accurate and faster. Mostly use S-focus mode.
Hi Chris, I’m so glad to see you back on the channel! Wishing your family and friends a speedy recovery. Thank you for the video, and it’s heartwarming to see Fujifilm’s support during this time. Best wishes from Argentina.
Hey Chris, I've been a long time shooter of single point and yep I shoot professionally and it wasn't changed in the firmware. It's been like that since day one and I figured it out quite quickly. I actually do use the tiny square I make it really small. I just feel it works because it eliminates the risk of missing the shot for something else. It's definitely not a firmware thing it has been like that from ages. But it's a great video because a lot of people would get frustrated. And I'm glad you're getting back out and doing what you do and what you love trying to get a sense of normality back in your life can be really difficult in a trauma state. Take it easy day by day and look after your family mate and I know you will.
You're right! However, using a very small area results in considerably slower focus acquisition. This becomes quite evident with moving subjects using AF-C (especially in low light). Nevertheless, I really would like to have a variable size of the AF field using the tracking mode which is my most used mode for weddings.
@@frankjermannphotoart it actually doesn't. I use a GFX camera as well and I use the same method. It does not affect the speed of the focusing give it a go and you'll find that it's no slower. And yes I have shot weddings as well. I used one size up from small but definitely not the big square.
I'm sure I speak for many of us, you thank us by carrying on with your videos, the information you provide is what we need.
Thank you Chris, great to see you back, best wishes to you and your family from Scotland.
You and your family continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. We're south of LA and haven't really been affected. So grateful for your channel!
This is interesting. I am a bird photographer. It's generally considered very important to get a good focus on the eye and face of a bird. So I have been reducing the focus rectangle to cover these areas and then use the highest F-stop I can get away with, considering available light, to help bring other parts of the bird into focus.
Tried this on my X-T20 and it works the same as your X-T5. Really helps with macro - even when using my Fringer adapted Canon ef-s 60mm. Thank you for sharing.
And, like so many others, we're with you in spirit. Thank you for the links where we can actually help.
Lastly, those companies that reached out to you are an inspiration, and I will surely put them at the top of my list when looking fo new gear.
Thanks. Would have liked to see the difference if any if you had continued reducing the size of the AF point.
Hi! I just got my first Fuji (x100vi) and I subscribed to your channel on the same day ! I’ve got a lot of videos to catch up on now, thank you for your work ! 👍👍👍👍
Gad you're back, Chris. We all need a little kindness and empathy along our journeys. Some have heavier burdens than others.
Great to see you back Chris! Glad that you are ok! Cheers
First, I hope your, family and friends are safe from the awful fires.
Second, I have always tended to use a AF-S small box, normally the second smallest size, and find it reliable.
Making the focus square smaller sounds like a logical thing to do for me, thank you for sharing.
Wishing you safe travels to Los Angeles. Stay safe and strong!
Chris, Great to see you back so soon. You’re a true professional and gentleman. Thank you. The community salutes you. 🫡 Best wishes from the UK
Great to see you making videos again Chris, hope your all ok after those horrific fires, great response from Fuji they must appreciate what you do.
Hang in there, and thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Thanks, Chris. Welcome back. All the best to you & your family.
Hi Chris - I learned a while ago that I need to keep the autofocus point small. It’s odd that the camera does not seem to prioritise what is taking up the majority of the space at the centre of autofocus area. I can only assume that the firmware is trying to find a balance of focus and capture everything within the selected area. However, with the distance between the leaf and the background being so great, it wasn’t able to provide anywhere near the necessary depth of field. However, you would still expect it to prioritise the centre.
It makes sense when you consider how cameras determine what's "in focus" within the square. The camera doesn't know depth, so it can't tell that the foreground subject is separate from the background. So instead, it's going to evaluate the contrast over the whole square, preferring that everything be as high contrast (high frequency/"edgy") as possible. The background in this case has lots of contrasty points due to the shadows in the trees, so it preferred focusing on the background. By making the square smaller, the only high contrast points are along the edge of the leaf, so it snaps to focus on the correct subject.
Or at least, that's my understanding of how AF works on mirrorless cameras. I know that phase detect autofocus works differently, but I suspect the XT5 was prioritizing contrast in this scenario.
Im so glad to see that you're ok Pal! Welcome back!
informative, good content. Very happy the vendors stepped up to inquire about your family home. Glad I selected a good company to start my photography hobby with!
Thanks for this video, Chris, I always wondered about this. You nailed my thinking exactly with your opening, "I'll leave it kinda big, so I give it plenty of opportunity to find the right object"! Even though I set my camera up years ago so that I could scroll to make the box different sizes, I always left it on the medium-large size you showed. It's the same with metering mode - I've heard there are reasons to change it ... but I never do. I feel like I am still concentrating on the exposure triangle at the expense of these, to my mind, "secondary" functions - white balance, metering mode, continuous focus mode, focus point area, ... - I guess I am really treating my x-t30 more like a point-and-shoot than I realized! Guess it's time to dig deeper!
Sending well wishes to your family.
Good to see that you are back and things are going in the right way in the L.A. area
Thanks!
Chris great to have you back
Thanks for this tutorial on s- focus.
Good to see you keeping busy. Best wishes for when you get to go home and also to your parents. I had the same exact problem just yesterday, on my X-H1. It just would not focus on my subject, with a big auto focus square. I actually pushed the camera forward, toward the subject and it focused. Weird, but I'll try taking the focus square down a size.
Thanks, I have had the fuzzy leaf issue, can’t wait to try this.
Great advice Chris!! Regardless of the camera (Fuji, Lumix, Nikon), in most cases I use the smallest focus area possible; the old school focus and recompose method. More importantly, you are doing the right things in life. Thank you for the info regarding Fujifilm, Viltrox, and ??? (June?), companies we should support for reaching out to you. Best of luck in CA.
Wow, what an insight. Can’t wait to try this. I have had this similar problem when trying to focus on specific things in a background. It never occurred to me to make the focus point smaller. I think I will also try it with different lenses, especially my 30mm macro which would sometimes give me fits. I will also try before the update which I have been too busy to do. Thanks again for your teaching. Will continue to keep you in my prayers.
Welcome Back. My prayers are with you and your family.
Hello Chris. Good to know you’re doing well. I was frustrated with bad focusing on my XT3. I also found the next to smallest focus square and learned to quickly move it where I want even before I half press. Now my photos are brutally sharp and I’ve been told that 🤣. You can count every hair, pore and wrinkle!! God Bless. Stay safe please 🙏
Hi Chris, thanks for your video and all the best for you
Hi Chris, your video's are so helpful I have seen your video's for years now. Its as if I know you so wel and maybe it is, not the otherway around afcourse. Nevertheless it was moving to know you and your family are in good health. So good to see that you have the strenght to continue your channel. Wish you all the best!
I believe that this tip applies to more than Fujifilm X cameras. This tip also works on my Nikon D300-and it solved a long standing problem that I had with point focus on that camera. Thanks, Chris!
😂YES! I don’t have a recent Fuji camera but I’ve had plenty of older ones from the X-T1 onwards, and they have all done this with single point autofocus. I usually have it a bit smaller than your second setting and it’s fine 99% of the time.
In single point AF, I've been using as small a focus square as feasible for any given situation -- since my goal is make sure the details of the subject I'm aiming at are in sharp focus (rather than the periphery or background). I vaguely recall picking up this tip from someone within the past couple years, and it's certainly proven more accurate than larger focus squares in my experience.
I have always used spot focus so I knew where you were going with this one :) Not the recent update, always been there LOL. Stay well and be strong when you get to house with your family.
Great to see you back!
As a long time Fuji user about a decade, I really love the company but it makes me quite sad to still have to do this just to focus on a leaf right in front of you. I’m not a professional and these cameras are almost as expensive now as those brands with better focus systems. As a dad waking around with my kids I just want to shoot… not miss a shot because my single point auto focus wasn’t the right size for that particular photo. I think if I’m paying this much money, it should work. Doesn’t have to be perfect but that demo in my opinion is laughable.
Take it easy Chris, takes longer than we think to come out the other side of these life changing events.
Having grown up with manual focus film SLRs, TLRs and Rangefinders, they all had (have) a focus aid smack in the middle of the frame. I acquired decades of muscle memory moving my camera to put the focus aid (usually a split screen micro prism) on the subject that I wanted to focus on and then recomposing and making my exposure. I haven’t been able to break the habit now even after more than 20 years using AF cameras with all the whiz bang AI assisted 500 point AF options available. I still keep my Fujis in Single AF, just the Center focus point (somewhat smaller than the one you used to get good focus on the leaf) and I move my CAMERA (rather than the focus point) to where I want to focus, Get the green box. Keep my finger half pressed on the shutter, Recompose and make my exposure. I’m MUCH faster at focusing this way than I have been able to be relying on the new tech. If I have a fast moving subject, I try to focus ahead of the action like we used to have to do before good AF became available. (Just about when the Nikon F5 and F100 hit the market.)
Anyhow…glad that you all are still safe and that the community is reaching out to support you. Keep up the good work!
I tell you that this thing of adjusting a "tiny" focus point also worked on my old X-T2 and on the X-T4 as well.
Greetings
So glad you are back!
Wow. Looks like Fuji still has work to do on AF. Very helpful thanks. 🙏🏼 for CA.
Thanks for this Video and sharing your solutions to a problem.
At this point I would also like to say that I know exactly why I will be getting rid of my xh2s and probably also my xh2 in the next few months.
It's 2025 and Fuji users still have to work around autofocus rather than with it.
The fact that you can find so many videos online with tips and tricks on how to work with the Fuji AF is actually telling enough.
Other systems just work. Of course it's not perfect, but at least you don't have to think "I hope most of the pictures are in focus" every time you shoot.
Even Panasonic has managed to implement a usable to good AF in their cams.
And xh2s users with a stacked sensor still have problems even with simple tasks for the AF.
It's a shame, Fuji is such a great system in itself, but cameras in 2025 will stand or fall on their usefulness and AF performance. And I personally don't see a future with Fuji anymore.
I still wish everyone a lot of fun and success with their Fuji system =)
I have had the same situation already with the X-T1. With the X-T5 it occurred again and so I made the focus point smaller. This helps when there are a lot of different things the camera could focus on. It is not something that was corrected with the latest firmware update.
Another great video God bless you for keeping your sense of humour and continuing with your great work
I have had similar issues with X-T2 and X-T4 over the years...and I do not have an X-T5... so I have often used the smaller single focus points
Been praying for you bro. It works!
I usually found using a smaller area was more reliable for single AF (I try to keep it about 2 steps up from smallest, that works well for me anyway on my XS20, ymmv!) It is a bit odd though.
As a bird and wildlife photographer I have always used AF-C and the smallest square I can get away with! In the X-T5 I find the actual smallest one is a tad too small. Next size up is better for me.
Important video for me as focus is one of my primary concerns. More importantly, what you and your fellow Californians are going through is tragic. Being 3000 miles away in New York , the only thing I could do for you is donate to a legitimate agency. I’m amazed that, through all this, you continue to run this site and create videos. Hang in there and try to keep this positive and kind approach to life that you display every time. Keep smiling
Great to see u again
Losing your home and everything you've worked for all your life is devastating. But at the end of the day, people are the most important! I hope, and wish that everyone around you is in good health and in a safe place.
Greetings from Bulgaria!
I wonder whether the focus algorithm has to do with the length of the edges of the square in making its choice.? More of the edges of the large square are on the background than the subject and the opposite is true for the small square.
One could ask, what is the processor actually doing that calculates the distance? What turns that sandwich into a banquet? Does a stopped down lens help the processor "see" the object more than an opened aperture? Since Fuji stops a lens down if you shoot in natural view only during the exposure, does that relate to the previous statement? Does a 3.5 lens like the early 16-50 do better at autofocus because it's a smaller aperture than a faster lens? Ten extra points if you caught the Tom Waits reference..
Not a criticism, but this seems obvious to me. Maybe just me but I do default to the smallest sqaure I can get if I want a specific thing in focus. On the other hand, what I don't get is when a larger focus area would be desirable? (ie here is my scene, what does Fuji think is the best thing to focus on?). Having recently come to Fuji for it's colour science, I'm still coming to grips with the subtle differences in camera control vs my prior brand - including focus, which I have been a bit disappointed with. Maybe just my inexperience, but thanks for this and your other videos - they are helping get me up the curve after 20 years with another system.
For that kind of issue I use the manual focus assist to quickly get it in focus.
Actually I did know that about my X-T5, or rather, I figured that out about my X-T5 with the XF18mm F/1.4. I was taking some shots of my wife and noticed that I kept on getting the background behind her PERFECTLY in focus while she was....not so much. Out of desperation, and the fact that I was a dummy and didn't charge my camera lights BEFORE the set, I tried making the AF box smaller and BAM! Nailed the rest of my shots.
When I switched from Micro Four Thirds to Fuji I noticed a tendency of Fujis to back-focus more often in the kind of situations you mention (2018 with XPro-2/XT2).
Glad you´re ok, Chris!
So are you also pressing a focus
Button when doing this or are you completely button free and only allowing the camera itself to focus and you just pressing the shutter button to take the shot?
Hopefully you can do a full review on the Fuji autofocus firmware update from last months or so...
I've identified this sometime ago. It is very frustrating. I was having badly focused pictures on some busy plans, without the difference you mention between background and foreground.
Imagine a desk with some items. You point the camera to a pencil, and it focuses on the rubber right next to it! But.. the center of my already small focus square is on the pencil! Many many cases like these, and we there we go, believing the camera had trouble focusing. I reduce the square box to an even smaller size (almost the smallest) and booom! The pencil gets its rights to being photographed...
The scene shouldn't need the use of precise focus square at all.
This seems to never end. If you use these cameras every day, something is always not OK!
That's because when the square was large it had a significant proportion showing the background foliage which by virtue was more contrasty. These cameras are far more contrast detecting than phase. Once you shrunk the square it consisted of a far higher percentage of oof leaf and thus gave it almost nothing of contrast to focus on, so it zoomed in and out looking for contrast and then finding the leaf. Once focus is acquired, even if the box picks up some background foliage, it tends to ignore it more and prefer closer subjects (front).
Thank you!!
Me encantan tus videos muy interactivos, saludos desde Peru amigo :)
Have to try it on a human face. I've always used BBF to acquire initial focus the few times I've actually used AF-C. Again, all the best to you and your family.....
I will have to try this with my XS10 to see if the results are similar to yours. I’ve had the same issues and just assumed operator error…
Chris, As stated below, it’s been this way “forever.” And, at one time (not sure it is still true - so something that might make a good video) if you used the smallest target box, the AF went to using contrast detect only.
Had this same thing happen on the XT4. A worm came from the canopy hanging on a single thread and on the zone focus it wont do it. So i changed to single point focus. Ans it worked!
I had always been aware that the recommendation was to make the square as small as possible while it still obtained focusing.
Any tips for nailing af on the 70-300 (xt4) on infinity ?
Thanks, Chris. Happy 2025
Have you tried the opposite? Make the square bigger than the subject you want to focus on?
Like others have said it’s been like this forever. Advice I got years ago is to use the 2nd or 3rd smallest square size.
All the best to you all , ascendents & decedents
I have always used the smallest single point focus...even back in my Canon days...I would never use such a large single point like you showed in the video.
single point means just what its name says... single point ;) so if you make it bigger, then it's a big point, low chance to focus. The best option is to set it to the smallest "point" (square). It would still miss the leaf :D for that what I usually do is that I would just focus on something larger area that is close to me, and then go back to the leaf and the AF will focus on the closest object
I’m new to Fuji So how can it be single point AND variable size? Isn’t a larger size box a Zone?
I do realise this is my lack of understanding.
God bless, pray you are doing good
Çok üzüldüm. Geçmiş olsun , umarım her şey daha güzel olur
Ah as a wedding photographer if I'm sniping people during the speeches I have to go to the smallest square to avoid shoulder and flowers and candles to pin point the focus on a face!
Hey Chris, hope your doing ok ❤️
How's your family and community doing Sir?
I’m glad you are back! Actually this ‘focus trick’ is in the manual: small box for accuracy and bigger box for speed.
Maybe it solves the video autofocus issue too?
I have trouble with Fuji spot metering - doesn't work
yeah most birders make that square very small so that we can focus through foliage.
👍🏻⋯⋯ Keeping up!
This isn't new. Had the same behaviour since the X-T1, with every firmware. It's also the case if you're shooting in AF-C
Great tip. But it should also work with the bigger square. Kudos to you, less to Fuji
It is in the manual.
A tinier AF point has helped me focus on smaller objects for always - not something related to the most recent firmware updates!
A larger AF point gives the camera a larger area in which to find focus and that can be helpful with finding the best focus in larger subjects but makes it also more likely to overlook the smallest subjects.
Something I’ve found out in the past but perhaps don’t always apply enough in practice, as I often don’t even think to change the size of my AF box!
Thanks for the reminder. 😉
👍👍👍
Focus square go brrrrr
God Bless
After seeing countless videos on Faceboo, I think alot of children are going to grow up with a phobia towards cactus!
Большое спасибо за субтитры на Русском языке!
I think even the old X-T3 does the same thing.
Probably the second option 🤣🤣🤣