NX5U major focus issue
 

Hi everyone,

I was shooting some scenes on a golf course and the person i was filming was teeing off. as they swung the club and hit the ball the camera went extremely out of focus. it was on automatic focus with macro focus off. as it went out of focus (twice) it made a weird clicking noise.. any idea what may have caused this?

suggestions greatly appreciated,
Mike

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

Clicking noise? My first thought was that the clicking could be something -- maybe a mic cable --- swinging in a breeze and hitting some part of the camera, but that would not account for the loss of focus. Do you have remote control enabled in the camera menu? Can you replicate this with the remote off?

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

i heard the clicking noise as i was filming. i didn't watch the footage yet so idk what it sounds like on the camera during playback. and yes i have the remote enabled what do u meant by that?

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

Long shot, but, if you cannot replicate what happened, maybe you picked up a stray signal from something. Over the years, I've had an odd problem like this once in a while. A couple of times, I was able to trace it to somebody else in the area using a remote to run a camcorder on a tripod.

The clicking is what puzzles me. Maybe you can listen and check if it sounds like a slipping servo motor or cog.

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

worst come to worst i send the camera in to get it fixed, i have a 3 year warranty so im not to concerned about it. the 3 years that i have owned my FX1 i have never ran into anything like this.. although i had the NX5 on while driving around in a golf cart on the course, you think the bumpiness may have messed with it somehow?

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

The bumpiness? No. Not unless the camera was bouncing around loose on the floor of the golf cart. But, maybe you got some grit or dust in something. Have you tried replicating the thing that produced the clicking? How about manually running the focus and zoom rings all the way in and out several times? If you have a defective or damaged servo gear, that may reveal the clicking.

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

i took your advice and started going through the zoom and focus ring and haven't heard any clicking noises yet.. although when the camera is set to auto focus i am still able to adjust the focus with the ring... is that suppose to be like that?

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

Yes. No noises? That may be a good sign.

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

No. That is not proper behavior for the NX5. If your camera is set to auto focus and you spin the ring, it should not be adjusting the focus whatsoever.

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

Sure it is. Mine has done this from day one. Try it.

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

Hi Jay,

Sorry if I posted incorrect information. I actually have 3 NX5's and perhaps all of mine function improperly. When mine are set to auto-focus and I spin the ring, nothing happens. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong or should I be concerned that mine might be broken? Again...my apologies if I posted incorrect info.

(Edit) I'm sure I must be doing something wrong as I have just tested my NX5's. When set to auto focus...spinning the ring does not change focus so I'm sure it's operator error on my end if you're able to get it to work with yours but I can't get it to work with mine.

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

Manually "helping" the camera find focus with the ring while in autofocus mode is what Sony calls the "focus assist" feature.

Alec Moreno
Wedding Art Films - Southern California - Los Angeles - Orange County - Video

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

It's on page 74 in the manual. Default is off.

Ron Evans

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

Thanks for the clarification. I rarely use anything "auto" on this camera and therefore never really familiarized myself with focus assist. Goes to show that you learn something new everyday. Thanks again.

Re: NX5U major focus issue
 

The NX5 seems to have a pretty feeble focus lock on subjects. With my Z1 I could shoot at any focal length in the auto-focus mode and the camera would hold that focal plane as I panned or tilted. The NX5 is quite different, and with macro on or off, doing anything but the gentlest of pans will mean the auto-focus hunts wildly. I hate this 'feature'. How come Sony can take so many steps backward?

tom.