Beginner What or why did this happen

Carpy2001

Carpy2001

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Name
Andrew
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Hi all I'm back again (you must be getting sick of me by now lol). If posible I would like to know what I did wrong with the focus on this image. I had the camera in Apperture mode, with the focus in AFF (flexible) just in case it moved a bit. I had my small focus square set around the squirrels head, but when you look at the image the bushes on the left appear clearer in focus than the squirrel. What did I do wrong lol ??.
Put the original image on here just resized for the forum, and a crop of the original just so you can see the bushes better.
Thanks for looking Andy

1.jpg
1 cropped.jpg
 
Sorry, I don't know the camera, how big is the small square? If it covers the squizzles head plus a bit of the bush it may have miss focused.

Another idea could be the zoom was knocked while taking the image and caused back focusing.

Just a guess :)

(Some AF systems can get twitchy if the subject isn't moving and this can also cause misses)

PS, don't worry about all the questions ;)
 
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Sorry Gav, I should have said that it was taken using a Panasonic G5 mft, and the square was big enough to fit a bit more than the squirrels head in lol. The second smallest on size on my camera.
 
Carpy2001 said:
Sorry Gav, I should have said that it was taken using a Panasonic G5 mft, and the square was big enough to fit a bit more than the squirrels head in lol. The second smallest on size on my camera.
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I guess it was the G5 from your profile, I'm a canon user so have no idea on the G5, to be honest it'll be difficult to say what has gone wrong, but the ideas above could be possible :)
 
Looks to me like your camera focused on the green of the tree rather than the squirrel. Might be worth having a practice at where your focus point is. On my Fuji its easy to nudge the focus point joystick and change the centre focus position off centre. I don't know your camera but maybe a similar problem.
 
My guess is that your camera has looked for the most contrasty part of the frame, which to the naked eye will be the greens, in this case and locked onto them. The squirrel is the same kind of tones as the wall behind it and the camera may have have ignored the squirrel.

If you can check and let us know where your camera focused as you should be able to tell when reviewing the image in camera.
 
Dale. said:
The squirrel is the same kind of tones as the wall behind it and the camera may have have ignored the squirrel.
Click to expand...

+1

The squirrel is more of less kind of the same colour as the background so there is not enough contrast for the AF to lock on.
 
With most cameras, you need to get the subject to at least 1/3 of the frame to get a decent focus lock. I'm always having this issue shooting birds that are too far away, even for my 400 & 1.4TC. Get more in the frame and you'll get better results.
 
I think everyone above me has pretty much covered it; just one more thought though: any chance that that squirrel & the bush were in focus, but the squirrel moved just as you took the shot?
 
It is also possible that your nose touched the touch screen and changed the focus area.
Very easy not to notice it has happened when you are not looking for it.

If it happens, it is easy to turn the touch screen off, unless you want to use it a lot.
 
Very possible Sangoma lol, I have difficulty using the screen unless I have my reading glasses on. If I have my normal glasses on, then the screen is just a blur, it gets very frustrating sometimes using the camera. I am forever changing glasses to do things like change settings via the screen, just something I will have to live with, and maybe decide before I go out what sort of thing I am going to photograph, and choose the appropriate setting, then leave it alone lol. I have also tried bifocal and varifocal glasses, but I end up walking like a Thunderbirds puppet, all unbalanced for some reason.
 
Carpy2001 said:
Very possible Sangoma lol, I have difficulty using the screen unless I have my reading glasses on. If I have my normal glasses on, then the screen is just a blur, it gets very frustrating sometimes using the camera. I am forever changing glasses to do things like change settings via the screen, just something I will have to live with, and maybe decide before I go out what sort of thing I am going to photograph, and choose the appropriate setting, then leave it alone lol. I have also tried bifocal and varifocal glasses, but I end up walking like a Thunderbirds puppet, all unbalanced for some reason.
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I changed to bifocals about a month ago, set the viewfinder to use the distance lens, and of course the screen is through the reading lens.
Took me a few days to get used to them, but wish I had got them years ago !

Certainly made using cameras much easier.

I very rarely use the touch screen though, so it is turned off on all the cameras.
 
That is where I feel either a top of body display (like the G9) or a body with control dials for Apperture, Shutter and ISO would possibly be an advantage for me, although I may well be wrong lol. without the screen on my G5 I have no idea what is going on lmao, but then I am a bit thick lol.
 
Carpy2001 said:
That is where I feel either a top of body display (like the G9) or a body with control dials for Apperture, Shutter and ISO would possibly be an advantage for me, although I may well be wrong lol. without the screen on my G5 I have no idea what is going on lmao, but then I am a bit thick lol.
Click to expand...
But all the controls are there, and displayed in the EVF. I always have my touchscreen turned off as it's a PITA, you can't help but touch it, It still works as a "monitor", just like any other live view camera. It's only the touchscreen controls you turn off.....
 
Might be worth giving focus peaking a try if it's on the G5?

With the size of the displays on most cameras it can be difficult to see what's in focus so having a visual representation of it might help you to pick up missed focus before taking the shot.
 
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