Autofocus fail - Is there a compact with manual focus?

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prothed

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Dave
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I've been using an Olympus SZ-14 compact for holiday snaps and the like, no problem, but there is one aspect that I'm most unimpressed with...
If the camera is near maximum zoom and trying to focus on something away in the distance, then the autofocus hunts around for a few seconds and then gives up.
Also, if I try to grab a shot through a window the camera will unerringly focus on the faintest of marks on the glass while ignoring the epic picture outside.

This seems like a good excuse for an upgrade (maybe to the £400ish price range) but my search for a model with selectable manual focus is not going well.
After looking at umpteen reviews and specifications this seems an issue that is seldom even mentioned.
I called into a well-known high street retailer and the assistant eventually produced a DSLR-style model which had a manual focus setting but to judge where the focus point was you had to wait for the electronics to draw a blue dotted outline around the 'in-focus' object in the viewfinder. Not quick or intuitive...

So, the questions - do I need (and can I get) manual focus at all, or has it gone the way of the dodo at this end of the market? Should I just hope that the autofocus on current models will be better than my old Olympus and live with any limitations?

I'll be grateful for any advice or recommendations.
Thanks.
 
Honestly, whilst you can manually focus a compact, it'll never be quick. And if I'm really blunt, even DSLR's aren't really suitable for manual focussing.

There are some quality compacts that might have focus peaking and other neat tricks but probably won't gave the long lens that your current one has.

Think Sony rx100 or similar.
 
Thanks for this.
I've just realised that my blue dotted line was focus peaking.
I'll look at the models mentioned.

My (increasingly faulty) memory of a Nikon F1 was that it had a brilliant optical system where there was a split screen within the viewfinder and the two halves of the image aligned when you were at the focus point. Very intuitive and fast.
 
Some of the top end compacts allow manual focus but as has been said it isn't a quick process but if time isn't an issue then it's an option. What you can also do us set them so that there's no need to focus or meter at all and set them up and shoot manually with exposure set and focus set to zone or hyperfocal. I used to use my Panasonic LXx cameras like this and once set they were a joy and you could shoot as fast as you could press the shutter.

I gave my last LXx camrra away but I now have a Panasonic LF1 and it can work the same way.
 
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prothed said:
My (increasingly faulty) memory of a Nikon F1 was that it had a brilliant optical system where there was a split screen within the viewfinder and the two halves of the image aligned when you were at the focus point. Very intuitive and fast.
Click to expand...

You could just pick up an F1 or similar then? There are plenty of Nikon film cameras out there for very little money nowadays that will offer the easy manual focusing that you're looking for. A Nikon FM, for instance, will cost you about £40, looks great, and is easy to handle and operate.
 
skysh4rk said:
You could just pick up an F1 or similar then? There are plenty of Nikon film cameras out there for very little money nowadays that will offer the easy manual focusing that you're looking for.
Click to expand...
True enough, but I was hoping for a travel compact. My darkroom days are gone... :)
 
prothed said:
True enough, but I was hoping for a travel compact. My darkroom days are gone... :)
Click to expand...

Just send the film to a good lab to develop the rolls and then ask them to scan the negatives to your preferences (e.g., brightness, contrast, colour balance). No darkroom—and minimal Lightroom—work required.

If you need smaller than a Nikon FM, then maybe a 35mm rangefinder would suit?

At any rate, I hope you find the camera that best suits your needs. :)
 
prothed said:
Thanks for this.
I've just realised that my blue dotted line was focus peaking.
I'll look at the models mentioned.

My (increasingly faulty) memory of a Nikon F1 was that it had a brilliant optical system where there was a split screen within the viewfinder and the two halves of the image aligned when you were at the focus point. Very intuitive and fast.
Click to expand...

Even the best DSLR's don't have the old split image screens.

The simple fact is that the AF system on a modern camera (even 30 yr old AF SLR's) isn't designed to work alongside a split image focus screen.

The world has moved on, some modern improvements are as useful as the old fashioned stuff, but it's different, we just have to learn to use it.
 
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