Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

let's take a look at the sun glare you are talking about. It represent maybe 5% (if that) of the entire image, which is terribly small to expect it to throw off the whole focusing situation. It is miniscule compared to the rest of the tone in the image. So again, I suggest that this "Sun Glare" you are speaking of, has nothing to do with the camera not focusing properly. It is the user of the camera, not sun glare, of which there is almost none to be concerned with.

prestonphoto Loc: Bath, NY

aaaahhhh - nothing like a little debate among UHH members. Ok - I'll let you have this one as I see it going down a dead end street with neither side winning. You got your ideas, I have mine and who knows, we both might be right - or both might be wrong. I'm no pro so..........I see you are from Wales, I'm part Welch on my mother's side - have a nice day.

Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

Ohhh, Welch is a Grape juice company in Pennsylvania. Did you mean possibly Welsh? :-) Sort of like when I hear people say they are part scotch (which is a drink of spirits) when they should be say Scottish. Was your mum's parents from Wales and do you know what part of Wales? Or was it many generations ago? Any old coal mines around your area? The Welsh often made settlements in mining areas.

As for winning it is not winning or losing, just facts and I would not want a newbie to think that highlights of even the smallest degree as we have here, would affect theor camera's ability to focus properly. If you feel that about a 5% area of highlight will affect a camera's ability to focus that's fine with me. If that would be the case then I would be only too happy to concede.

In my experience over many years I never found any amount of high lights to be something to affect autofocus on a camera. Even if it was possible to have a highlight affect a camera's autofocus I doubt a 5% or less area of brightness in an image would be able to confuse the auto focus ability. That is a fact rather than an opinion or assumption.

prestonphoto Loc: Bath, NY

My mother's father came from Wales - I didn't get to know him very well before he died and never asked my mother where he was from over there. Yeah - I wasn't thinking when I hit the "c" instead of the "s" in Welsh.

Well - I've taken pics with the sun shining on the subject and get a bright spot in the picture but take another one from a different position without the direct sun and the same subject came beautiful. I'm just an amateur having taken mostly scenery pics for 10 years but that has always been the case with me, hence, I think the sun hitting directly on something throws the cameras readings off even tho it may look ok to the naked eye. Of course white (the skin) on white (the sun) doesn't help matters any.

Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

I fully agree that the highlighted paerts in an image can throw off the camera's light meter, giving you sometimes one shot darker or lighter than another a moment later but this is usually because of how the metering has been set up in the camera and where you actually pointed the camera on your subject at the moment you took the meter reading. That happnes to me quite often, it is knowing just where to point the metering part of the view finder to obtain the correct exposure, then recompose to finish the shot.

However, as for focusing not working properly from a highlight area in the frame, that has never happened to me.

Mashubi1 Loc: Salem, Oregon

I agree with Preston.....

Mashubi1 Loc: Salem, Oregon

By the way ...I'm also Welsh...!!!!!

Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

were you born in Wales or your parents born in Wales?

naturepics43 Loc: Hocking Co. Ohio - USA

I think it's camera movement throwing the focus off! Leaning in when taking picture.

henrycrafter Loc: Orem Utah

I am probably going to get in trouble for this reply but here goes.
1.For purely creative reasons I always shoot in manual (I'll probably get ripped for that)
2. I believe that most of the time a GOOD tripod is as important as the camera.(A shaking camera will not make a sharp picture)
3. Uncontrolled depth of field is the most common culprit of out of focus areas.(there are other considerations of course. But this is a major one.)
4. Above All K E E P T R Y I N G !!!

naturepics43 Loc: Hocking Co. Ohio - USA

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: on the tripod AND the keep trying! Practice makes perfect ( as my Dad always said)

rambler Loc: Masssachusetts

I think sun or lighting can effect the look of focus. Too much light tends to create wash outs which in turn effect sharpness, clarity, contrast which bring out detail and, therefore effect the focus or look. In other words the focus might be fine, but the sun or light eliminates contrast which helps detail stand out. More detail reveals more that a sharp focus will achieve.

In the top photo look at the top of the head where the light is shining. the focus on that areas does not matter. The light has washed out any detail. That is the extreme, but you can see what is meant by light effecting.

macawman Loc: Long Island New York

I agree with portraits the eyes are everything (my opinion) I would focus on the eyes let the rest fall into place on it's own.