Most Camcorders come with an auto focus feature. On some you don't even have a manual over ride. Most of the time auto focus works well. We seldom see any real auto focus problems, but there are many instances when the feature fails to live up to expectations, such as shooting:
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Dark objects & dark clothing. |
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Through windows. |
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Small or multiple objects close to each other. |
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Subjects not centered in scene. |
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Sloping or inclined surfaces. |
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Moving objects. |
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Fireworks, flames, smoke, stars. |
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Subjects that extend from the front to back of scene. |
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Highly reflective subjects. |
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Subjects with strong contrast between left & right. |
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Through chain link fences or screens. |
Auto focus systems utilize either an infa-red beam that reflects off the subject to measure distance, or an image focus technology that looks at the picture information and makes corrections based on that. They both have their pros and cons. If your auto focus will focus sharply on a newspaper headline hanging on a wall 15 feet away, it is working as designed. For those instances where focus is not satisfactory, turn the feature off and focus manually.
Don't overlook the viewfinder focus. That is the little knob or lever on the viewfinder that focuses the display to your eye. If it is out of adjustment, everything will look out of focus, including the on-screen display, but the tape will play back ok on a TV.
Courtesy, Halle's Service, Inc.