A700 Price and availability?

[faisalee]

Just got a call from SSC! My A700 is ready for collection

 

[TME]

Hmm then I am safe... Because I thought may be I was focusing too close to the batteries and the camera only managed to focus on the second battery as the 1st one was too close!

I don't know how A700 would behave in that case.

I will wait and see how they adjust it. Hopefully it will be good. Or may be my lens is a lemon :dunno:

This is actually possible... I was referring to when the entire frame is inside the minimum focus distance, then the camera will give up...

Try shooting the batteries from at least 2 - 3 m away... I'm sure the 50mm f/1.4 minimum focus should be shorter than that ballpark?

 

[faisalee]

This is actually possible... I was referring to when the entire frame is inside the minimum focus distance, then the camera will give up...

Try shooting the batteries from at least 2 - 3 m away... I'm sure the 50mm f/1.4 minimum focus should be shorter than that ballpark?

Minimum focusing distance of the 50 is actually only 0.45 meters!

I just got the camera back from service centre. They did not touch the lens but only move the focusing alignment slightly.

Its driving me crazy, the focusing that is... I simply cannot get the 1st battery in focus, no matter what distance I shoot it from!

What am I going to do now

 

[rOnGrEn]

Minimum focusing distance of the 50 is actually only 0.45 meters!

I just got the camera back from service centre. They did not touch the lens but only move the focusing alignment slightly.

Its driving me crazy, the focusing that is... I simply cannot get the 1st battery in focus, no matter what distance I shoot it from!

What am I going to do now

"I did the test at Spot focus and did it many times to eliminate any doubt." ..spot focus meaning? The centre AF point? Did you AF with the centre point, and recompose your pictures?
if you did, select the focusing point using "local" to focus on the 1st battery..
or, alternatively, just use 3 batteries, and use the centre AF point to focus on the centre battery without recomposing and moving the camera

 

[doomslayerz]

have a go at the test chart,
try the one with the " this text should be perfectly in focus"
and show us the results :bsmilie:
http://www.focustestchart.com/focus21.pdf

 

[faisalee]

have a go at the test chart,
try the one with the " this text should be perfectly in focus"
and show us the results
http://www.focustestchart.com/focus21.pdf

Just tested... Its at least 2 mm to 2.5 mm back focusing!

 

[faisalee]

"I did the test at Spot focus and did it many times to eliminate any doubt." ..spot focus meaning? The centre AF point? Did you AF with the centre point, and recompose your pictures?
if you did, select the focusing point using "local" to focus on the 1st battery..
or, alternatively, just use 3 batteries, and use the centre AF point to focus on the centre battery without recomposing and moving the camera

That is exactly what I have done. Spot focus and did not recompose after focusing!

I am now feeling a fool now complain complain I am sorry because I have not done this before

 

[eow]

tested a fellow alpha user sony 50mm f1.4 earlier today.
His A700 with 50mm f1.4 combo at f1.4 is decently sharp
F1.4 at centre should be at least of reasonable sharpness, no way should it be back focusing at all as what u describe abv.

 

[faisalee]

tested a fellow alpha user sony 50mm f1.4 earlier today.
His A700 with 50mm f1.4 combo at f1.4 is decently sharp
F1.4 at centre should be at least of reasonable sharpness, no way should it be back focusing at all as what u describe abv.

Ok I will try to post some test shots I just did using spot focus...

 

[eow]

Ok I will try to post some test shots I just did using spot focus...

Also try manual focusing this time round...test to see if the mf is sharper than the af

 

[blueayz]

I think if you use the centre AF point without recomposing, than the images you posted are correctly focused, as the 2nd battery from the right of the picture would be on the centre spot focus point. So the sharpest battery would be the 2nd from the right, and the first battery would be OOF. Maybe do as what Rongren suggested, just use three batteries, and use centre spot focus on the middle battery.

 

[eow]

The ts had stated he did not recompose after focusing and from his flickr website, he a experienced photog.
As for me i do have the habit of focus and recompose at f1.4 using 50mm and the 85. if properly done..it shouldn't have that big as drastic as what the Ts is facing...might be a bit soft yes.... cos due to the framing of the rule of third...the image at edge is just soft only

 

[eow]

Dun used spot focus for the test..use local focus

 

[faisalee]

Thank you dear friends... I will try another test and use three batteries + focus in the middle one

 

[faisalee]

I think if you use the centre AF point without recomposing, than the images you posted are correctly focused, as the 2nd battery from the right of the picture would be on the centre spot focus point. So the sharpest battery would be the 2nd from the right, and the first battery would be OOF. Maybe do as what Rongren suggested, just use three batteries, and use centre spot focus on the middle battery.

Bro I did not recompose as I mentioned earlier. Its just a 1:1 crop.

The funny thing is that the other subjects that I try are giving much better sharpness and seem to be in good focus. But the stupid batteries :bsmilie:

May be I am paying too much attention / worrying too much and the only thing wrong is in my brain :sweat: :bsmilie:

 

[eow]

Bro I did not recompose as I mentioned earlier. Its just a 1:1 crop.

The funny thing is that the other subjects that I try are giving much better sharpness and seem to be in good focus. But the stupid batteries :bsmilie:

May be I am paying too much attention / worrying too much and the only thing wrong is in my brain :sweat: :bsmilie:

when using spot focusing on a pack of batteries closely packed together.....any one of the batt as long as they fall within the square box may consider as in focus by the camera

 

[faisalee]

and from his flickr website, he a experienced photog.

:sweat::sweat::sweat:

 

[blueayz]

That is weird lol. Lol. Anyway its good that the lens is giving good images finally. Maybe its the batteries surface or whatever screwing up the AF. Don't worry about the sharpness if your other images are great. Have fun shooting bro!

 

[faisalee]

That is weird lol. Lol. Anyway its good that the lens is giving good images finally. Maybe its the batteries surface or whatever screwing up the AF. Don't worry about the sharpness if your other images are great. Have fun shooting bro!

hehe... yup its the stupid batteries that are messing around with the A700's AF algorithm

Other "Real World" shots are quite good

 

[faisalee]

Here is a real life candid shot and I am quite happy about this gear

A700 + 50 1.4 @ f1.4, processed using "Portrait Professional"