dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Yesterday while out taking photographs I saw an Osprey sitting in a tree. He was maybe 30 yards away from me and I took pictures while resting my arms/camera on the window of my truck. Out of a few photos I took, the first two were in sharp focus. The others were completely out of focus. Even though my green focusing box was lighted up when placed on the bird, I could see the photo was not in focus. But there was the focus box saying OK so I took the picture.

When I got home and saw the photos only the first two were in focus. Looking at the other out of focus photos revealed a branch in front of the bird that was in sharp focus. The camera, a Sony RX10IV, had focused on a tiny branch in front of the bird but not the bird itself. I understand that but am not understanding why, when I saw the bird was not in focus and I did move the camera around in a circle to once again get the bird in focus, it did not work.

I suspect this is somewhat of an anomaly but not a happy one for me. I have noticed when doing macro subjects using the 600mm range of the lens that occasionally the same thing happens. The insect is in sharp focus for a couple of shots but not in others when the focusing square seems to be in the same place.

Any ideas or suggestions? This morning I went to a spot metering box to give it a try.

Dennis

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Given the bird wasnt going anywhere, on noticing the soft focus in the EVF I would have instantly switched to magnified MF.

Magnified MF is instantly available to me via the customized control setup on my cameras. I dont know if you can set that up on a bridge camera but its well worth investigating the possibility.

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No idea what aperture you used, but UHH Sacred Traditional Advice is to put up with minimal DoF to maintain low ISO for sake of low noise.

Noise is NOT your enemy. Deeper DoF is your great friend and ally. UHH Sacred Tradition is NOT your friend ... AAMOF its *nobodys* friend at all.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

While I understand what you are saying, in my experience birds do not sit there for more than a few minutes/seconds especially when they know you are there. This one was photographed looking right at me. My other problem was the first two photos came out focused perfectly on the bird. The successive shots apparently focused on the tiny branch. I would not have had time to switch to manual focus and then use the magnified focus peaking if that is what you are referring to. My f stop was f4 which is always a sharp focus for me in the Sony.

I guess my question is concerning the camera focusing on the branch rather than the bird in successive shots after the first two.

Thanks for your comment.

Dennis

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

Looks like autofocus switched to the branches in front of the osprey.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Well, yes, that is why I am posting. I am trying to understand why. Maybe just the way it is/was.

Thanks,

Dennis

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Too many focus points can be your enemy. A small cluster of focus points round the centre is probably your best option. You could half-press the shutter release when the centre is pointed at open sky and then bring the focus box in to the bird making sure it doesn't cross any twigs or branches.

Plus if you use S mode autofocus (not C or A) you'll have the opportunity to get a focus lock and then recompose (which isn't as terrible as some would have you believe).

PS - Apparently the RX10 iv has eye autofocus.

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You state that the green in-focus indicator lit, even tho it was for the branch and not for the bird. Does your camera include a display feature where little boxes light up within the scene to show you where the AF has chosen to focus ?

FWIW, f:4.0 is really minuscule DoF for any wildlife focal length regardless of sensor sizes. Just this morning I was testing a 250:5.6 lens on m4/3. DoF at 15 to 20 yards was not really useful for any subject larger than a chipmunk or maybe a pigeon.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Maybe if you had a slight breeze the bird went out of focus for an instant and the branch became the main focal point. I'm not sure how your focus works on your camera. I know with my D850 if I let go of my focus button and an object moves I have to refocus. Even if it is a slight movement.

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

The setting AFS or AFS-C, or its equivalent and a single focus point may help the situation...af/auto or the like have multiple and changeable focus points, and will choose the focus point it thinks you think is proper. Many photogs use "back-button focus. I find the half-press of the shutter button to lock focus and exposure works better for me. ymmv.

BrianFlaherty Loc: Wilseyville, CA

Great twig shots! Best I've seen in years!

Why would you wanna mess with perfection? Just be happy with what you gat; and, revise your Point of View of what's important! <smile>

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Thank you R.G. for your comment. I usually use C but might give S a tryout. I am used to my Nikons where I can push a button and then move the center square to another part of my composition to focus there. I was not aware that with my Sony I could do that. I will give it a try. Also, on my Nikons when I focus I see green squares bouncing around that would be my focus point. The Sony has, to my knowledge, just one box or circle, in spot metering.

Yes, the Sony does have eye focus.

I did try, for the small amount of time I had before the bird flew off, to put the focus box elsewhere as you describe up into the sky and then on another tree before going back to the bird. But I could see the shot was going to be out of focus on the last few OOF shots.

Thanks again,

Dennis

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Unless I am missing something my Sony does not have the little boxes light up within the scene to show where AF has chosen to focus.

I have no problem with using f4 and find it to be a very sharp aperture choice except at close distances. I think you would agree the two initial shots of the Osprey are pretty sharp.

Thank you very much for your comments,

Dennis

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Thank you kpmac for your comments. There wasn't really any breeze to speak of and the twig in question pretty much remained where it was. For some reason I cannot figure out the first two shots focused properly on the bird but the succeeding shots decided to focus on that darn twig. I even took the camera off the bird, twig too as it was right in front of the bird, but when I brought it back onto the bird it was obviously out of focus. I have had the camera for about two years now and never before has this problem come up. I have since set the camera to spot focus/metering and will see how that works out.

Unless I am completely wrong, the Sony, once focused, will stay in focus even if I take my finger off the button. I am using back button focus.

Thanks again,

Dennis

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Thank you for your comments flyboy61. I prefer back button focus myself so there is that. But I recently purchased a book, Photographers Guide to the Sony DSC-RX10 IV, by Alexander S. White. I notice this morning on page 64 a section devoted to Flexible Spot. I need to give this a try but it seems that just like my Nikons I can move the spot around to lock focus to that area and then recompose. As I mentioned earlier I have had the camera for 2 years and am still learning new things about it. So far it is most likely the best camera I have used for about 98% of my photography.

Thanks again,

Dennis

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Brian I thank you for your comments. You may be absolutely correct in my twig shots just might be the very best twig photos ever seen. I should keep them just in case National Geographic ever has a contest just for exceptional Twig Photos.

I definitely am happy with the first two photos that are in focus. Next time I will know something to make them all come out.

Dennis