NX5U major focus issue at DVinfo.net

Mike Butir · June 15th, 2011, 12:00 PM

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

Jay West · June 15th, 2011, 03:44 PM

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?

Mike Butir · June 15th, 2011, 03:51 PM

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?

Jay West · June 15th, 2011, 04:38 PM

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.

Mike Butir · June 15th, 2011, 05:06 PM

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?

Jay West · June 15th, 2011, 06:17 PM

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.

Mike Butir · June 15th, 2011, 07:15 PM

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?

Jay West · June 15th, 2011, 07:25 PM

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

Michael Bray · June 15th, 2011, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Butir

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?

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.

Jay West · June 15th, 2011, 10:57 PM

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

Michael Bray · June 15th, 2011, 11:13 PM

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.

Alec Moreno · June 16th, 2011, 02:33 AM

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

Ron Evans · June 16th, 2011, 05:23 AM

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

Ron Evans

Michael Bray · June 16th, 2011, 05:36 AM

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.

Tom Hardwick · June 17th, 2011, 01:26 AM

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.

June 15th, 2011, 12:00 PM	#1
Mike Butir Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Chicago Illinois Posts: 102	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

June 15th, 2011, 03:44 PM	#2
Jay West Major Player Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Red Lodge, Montana Posts: 889	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?

June 15th, 2011, 03:51 PM	#3
Mike Butir Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Chicago Illinois Posts: 102	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?

June 15th, 2011, 04:38 PM	#4
Jay West Major Player Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Red Lodge, Montana Posts: 889	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.

June 15th, 2011, 05:06 PM	#5
Mike Butir Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Chicago Illinois Posts: 102	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?

June 15th, 2011, 06:17 PM	#6
Jay West Major Player Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Red Lodge, Montana Posts: 889	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.

June 15th, 2011, 07:15 PM	#7
Mike Butir Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Chicago Illinois Posts: 102	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?

June 15th, 2011, 07:25 PM	#8
Jay West Major Player Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Red Lodge, Montana Posts: 889	Re: NX5U major focus issue Yes. No noises? That may be a good sign.

June 15th, 2011, 10:57 PM	#10
Jay West Major Player Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Red Lodge, Montana Posts: 889	Re: NX5U major focus issue Sure it is. Mine has done this from day one. Try it.

June 15th, 2011, 11:13 PM	#11
Michael Bray Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Byron Center, MI Posts: 128	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. Last edited by Michael Bray; June 16th, 2011 at 05:25 AM. Reason: Indicating that I tested my cameras

June 16th, 2011, 02:33 AM	#12
Alec Moreno Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Glendora, CA Posts: 184	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

June 16th, 2011, 05:23 AM	#13
Ron Evans Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,220	Re: NX5U major focus issue It's on page 74 in the manual. Default is off. Ron Evans

June 16th, 2011, 05:36 AM	#14
Michael Bray Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Byron Center, MI Posts: 128	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.

June 17th, 2011, 01:26 AM	#15
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	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.