gfx 50s ii autofocus settings for kids

[Mark Sloe]

hello everyone,

i am getting a gfx 50s ii for a couple of days on a loan from fujifilm. the main agenda will be to shoot it side by side with my a7riii as i am considering switching systems. af is not a priority for me, but i do take an occasional photo of my 3 years old playing.

i would appreciate any advice on af setup for running kids to make the best of my time with the camera.

 

[dbateman]

How do you currently prefer to photograph them?
I am on a 50S, not a mk2. I never liked continuous focus and stick to single for all my cameras. Recently, I have actually liked manual focus, moving the zone with the joy stick, then punching in with press in of the rear control dial. I will follow my 2 year, and snap.
But depends on what your used to.

 

[BobsYourUncle]

hello everyone,

i am getting a gfx 50s ii for a couple of days on a loan from fujifilm. the main agenda will be to shoot it side by side with my a7riii as i am considering switching systems. af is not a priority for me, but i do take an occasional photo of my 3 years old playing.

i would appreciate any advice on af setup for running kids to make the best of my time with the camera.

Hi, Mark,
I own both. The a7riii has a much more sticky eyeAF and grabs onto the eye more quickly. The 50SII has AF-C tracking but no custom settings as the 100S. One just sets the tracking AF mode via the joystick, the back switch to C. It tracks and you can get decent images but it does take a little practice. Admittedly I prefer the tracking of the Sony but the imagery from the GFX cams are gorgeous.
Bob

 

[Mark Sloe]

thanks bob. the gfx just arrived and i cannot wait to unpack it! i use my a7riii 90% for landscapes and its tracking is all i need for other uses. if i switch systems, a a semi-decent capability to capture kids will do for a rare occasion of "artsy" portrait attempts.

 

[Mark Sloe]

How do you currently prefer to photograph them?
I am on a 50S, not a mk2. I never liked continuous focus and stick to single for all my cameras. Recently, I have actually liked manual focus, moving the zone with the joy stick, then punching in with press in of the rear control dial. I will follow my 2 year, and snap.
But depends on what your used to.

a7riii's excellent eye af generally does the work for me, i have a button assigned to it so it is super easy. but i wouldn't mind to work a bit harder for it, i find that with that bit of extra work required to nail focus, i pay more attention to other aspects of the photo as well.

 

[Mark Sloe]

Hi, Mark,
I own both. The a7riii has a much more sticky eyeAF and grabs onto the eye more quickly. The 50SII has AF-C tracking but no custom settings as the 100S. One just sets the tracking AF mode via the joystick, the back switch to C. It tracks and you can get decent images but it does take a little practice. Admittedly I prefer the tracking of the Sony but the imagery from the GFX cams are gorgeous.
Bob

just had a first couple of hours with the camera. i shot a few test shots with it next to a7riii to pixel peep later and then chased my daughter around the garden. i find af-c pretty much useless and i am relying on a quick finger on the joystick instead. i will try mf later.

 

[BobsYourUncle]

just had a first couple of hours with the camera. i shot a few test shots with it next to a7riii to pixel peep later and then chased my daughter around the garden. i find af-c pretty much useless and i am relying on a quick finger on the joystick instead. i will try mf later.

For chasing kids around a garden personally I would choose one of the faster-focusing cams out there. If you can slow them down a little that would be best. Really like the apparent tonal depth with the GFX... but that may be just perceptive.