I am not sure I see where the Auto Focus Start button on the F-100 will be useful. Could someone enlighten me. I obviously need it. I love almost everything about this camera (except the fact that it does not have mirror lock up).

-- Glenn (swan@ampex.com), March 25, 1999

Answers

If you are in a situation where you'd like to lock the focus on a target but still be able to quickly change the focus point using AF, the AF Start button is one way to achieve this. Set Custom Setting #4, so that the shutter button does not start AF. Press the AF button--the camera will focus. Release the AF button and the focus will remain there until you press the AF button again. This can be handy when you're reframing or shooting fast action with the subject moving off the sensors. Sometimes it's easier to use the AF-L button or the lock buttons on AF-S lenses, and sometimes it's easier to use CS#4.

-- Danny Weber (danny_weber@compuserve.com), March 25, 1999.

Mr. Weber is actually giving you the right answer, but for the Canon system, where Custom Feature 4 assigns the autofocus to a button under the thumb instead of when the shutter is half-way depressed.

-- Mark Hubbard (mhubbard@internews.org), March 25, 1999.

I must be snoozing. Please ignore my previous answer which showed that I didn't comprehend Mr. Weber's response at all! My apologies for such idiocy.

-- Mark Hubbard (mhubbard@internews.org), March 25, 1999.

Just don't let it happen again :-)

-- Danny Weber (danny_weber@compuserve.com), March 26, 1999.

I have had trouble using the shutter release to focus. I would focus on a cloud, then if I need to move the camera to recompose, I go to shoot the picture and the camera would try to focus again, and start hunting back and forth. Quite annoying!

So I set custom function 4 to disable the focusing with the shutter release, and just use the AF button, which is quite handy. I also set the shutter release to lock exposure as I move the camera around. (I forget which CF this is). This gives me a lot more control over the camera.

-- Jim Meyer (jim_meyer@compusa.com), June 23, 1999.