Which focus to choose

[markovwgti 0]

I already searched and found some answers for other types of camcorders...but not the hc-40..

I was jumping my HC-40 last week for the first time and for some reason my camera focused in on the dust particles on the inside of my wide angle lens...and everything else was blurry..first i clean the lens all the time i dont understand how it gets so dirty so quick!

And second should i keep the focus off of autofocus and keep it on infinity?

When the camera focused on the dirt particles it was on autofocus....what do you guys reccommend?

BTW i have a .45 liquid sky lens with a filter!

[PhreeZone 20]

Single element lenses need focused in manual on the distance you are to be shooting at and then use the hyperfocal distance for everything further. Two element lenses can be set on infinity and they will work for everything except for the macro stuff. Autofocus can be used but its common to get random focusing or issues like you have where a speck of dirt/water on the lens makes it focus on that instead of what you are wanting it to film.

Go as manual as possible so you can control everything in the shot and not have the camera mess it up.

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[jtval 0]

if you find that dust is getting between your lenses you may try taping around the step up ring/or around the lense if you don tuse a step up ring.
I don't like auto focus if you can get it on manual you'll be able to set it to a fix position and fly that far away.


In my cameras the little mountain (is infinity) is where I set them.

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[DSE 5]

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if you find that dust is getting between your lenses you may try taping around the step up ring/or around the lense if you don tuse a step up ring.
.

Or a tandem stoe band works very well.

[jtval 0]

Quote

Quote

if you find that dust is getting between your lenses you may try taping around the step up ring/or around the lense if you don tuse a step up ring.
.

Or a tandem stoe band works very well.

I'm lucky, I jump in a dust free environment.

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[gearless_chris 1]

There's nothing like having your video auto focus on snot from winter jumps to make you use manual settings .

"If it wasn't easy stupid people couldn't do it", Duane.

My momma said I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, so I became an a$$hole.

[jtval 0]

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There's nothing like having your video auto focus on snot from winter jumps to make you use manual settings .

LOL....Its more fun when the snot is the students though and it makes better video.

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[chrisgray 0]

Without doubt turn OFF the auto-focus. You just need to set the focus on the ground manually before you start jumping.

I have also played with manual exposure but this can be very tricky to get right. I haven't really had any issues with using the auto exposure anyway.

I am using a Sony PC350 with a Waycool .45x lens.

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[mircan 0]

I`ll go with the chrisgray: turn the autofocus OFF.

Use a simple procedure:
1. Mount the wide-angle,
2. Turn On the autofocus,
3. Zoom to some away object,
4. Let it focus on thet object by itself,
5. When it`s focused turn the autofocus OFF,
6. Zoom out.

The focus should stay that way, even if you turn off the camera.

Or you can manually focus on some far subject, and just zoom out.

my 2c

dudeist skydiver #42