# Ok Here is the first question of many more to come I am sure



## stargazer (May 24, 2004)

I am using the S5is with a 3X telephoto lens. The problem is when I pull in for a tight shot I am having a heck of a time focusing. The camera has a meter that tells me when I can focus and when I am "out " (the meter turns yellow). The shots I am asking about is when the meter is in the yellow.
Am I just too far from the subject and need to get closer ( keeping the meter out of the yellow area) or is there a trick to doing this.
The subject I am shooting are humming birds and I am trying to stay back as not to spook the little fellows.
Thanks


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Does the camera have a "Macro" mode? If so, try that for the close in shots. Lenses have a minimum focusing distance, and with a zoom lens, the more zoom you have dialed in, the farther from the camera that minimum focus distance will be.


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

Fred, are you trying to focus closer than say...2 feet? You might have to switch to macro mode or close focusing mode or whatever it is called. That will allow you to focus a lot closer to your subject.

On the other hand, I was also thinking it was telling you you are out of focus. I usually press the shutter button half way so the lens can focus. Then while keeping the button depressed, I recompose my shot and then press the rest of the way and the shutter will open immediately with no further focusing necessary.

Lemme know if this helps, or hurts.
Mike


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## stargazer (May 24, 2004)

The distance is about 17 - 20 feet from the feeders. What I am wanting to do is get some shots like Mike was able to get of the hummingbirds. I can zoom them to about the same image size in the view finder but, when I try and focus the shot (by depressing the button) It will not get a crisp shot. The focus meter in the camera goes yellow (unable to auto focus). I have tried the manual focus but no joy there also.
Mike, how far away were you when you shot the hummers? Maybe I need to move in closer (10 - 15 ft) from the feeder. I was trying to stay away so as to not disturb the hummers or spook them. 
A little more info. The camera has a 12X built in zoom with 4X digital zoom and I am added on to that with a 3X telephoto lens. I guess I am getting into the digital zoom area and that is what is messing me up. 
As long as I stay in the, what I call the regular zoom (12X) area I can not fill the frame with the bird image to get a good shot of the markings and such. Maybe I am expecting too much of the camera capabilities. 
Thanks Guys.


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## stargazer (May 24, 2004)

Pocketfisherman said:


> *the more zoom you have dialed in, the farther from the camera that minimum focus distance will be.*


I am begining to think that is the problem. I am too close for the amount of focus, so let me ask this? Could I achieve the results I am hunting by taking my best focused shot and cropping the pic in post processing? Or is there a setting I am missing.
Years ago I had a Cannon AE-1 and a 200MM lens and could get the shots I am after, But this new digital stuff is all new to me. I think the over all princple is the same its using the digital gagets part that is throwing me. With sooooo many pre settings and all the do this to do that...Its just going to take time fooling with it I guess.


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## stargazer (May 24, 2004)

Guys I am fixin to leave the office for the weekend, so I might be able to respond during the weekend...Living out in the sticks and only having dial up its awefully painful to get on the internet, so it might be next monday before I can catchup....just didnt want ya to think I wasnt responding.

Thanks again


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

Fred I was 15-20 feet away shooting with 500mm lens. I cropped all of the pics a little to help the composition. I say, stay out of the digital zoom. Use the 12x optical. See if that helps. I think the 3x you've added may also be the problem.

Good luck.
Mike


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## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

Fred, you've already been given some great advice...Let me just add that you are WAY out far with the combination that you specified. I shoot both a Canon S3is and a Sony H5. Both cameras have similar 12x zoom capabilities.

I believe that the minimum focal distance with the regular camera pulled all of the way out at 12x ... (432 effective) is 12 feet. For way-out shots.. I normally add a 1.7 (170%) Sony 1758 tele-converter which gives me a 732 mm effective lens.

Since the picture is 70 % "larger" .......then I would presume that, with at 1.7 t/c added, the minimum focal distance would be 12 times 1.7 or about 20 feet.. You, on the other hand, are attempting to use a 300% tele-converter. That would, using my rudimentary method, calculate to a minimum focal distance of 36 feet. I do not know if my calculations are correct or not as to focal distance ( I think they are) but...... in addition to that issue..

Additionally, Mike shot his picture using a 500mm lens on a DSLR which probably has a 1.5 "crop factor". That gives him an effective 750mm lens. He no doubt had more megapixels and he had a much larger sensor (about 400% larger sensor) so if he needed to crop he had more to crop from.

By using a 300% tele-converter ( I do not know of any Canon/Sony/Nikon brands that are available for that camera) you are pushing the effective lens out to 1,296 mm. That is telescopic, at the least. The "shake factor" alone with such effective lens, even on a tripod or mono-pod, would be enormous. Many guys use the timed release with the 1.7 t/c added, to cut down on camera body motion when the shot fires.

In my humble opinion, you normally do NOT need that much lens to shoot birds, unless they are way up on the very top of the tree somewhere. . Elusive and fast as the hummers are, I've had them land and feed within five feet of me. If I was set up and ready and pointing the camera at them... I could easily have filled the frame with just the normal 12x (434mm) effective lens.

I one time purchased a 2x tele-converter of my Sony H5. It's brand name will go unmentioned ....but that sucker wouldn't focus at ANY distance. I really don't know that the S5 is set up to focus at anything longer than 1.7 times its normal range. A lot of the guys/gals on the Canon S3/S5 group use both the Canon 1.5 and the Sony 1.7 t/c-s with fine results.

Tell us more AND experiment more, without the birds. Just shoot a picture of a mail-box at a long distance and get it as clear as you can..then keep walking closer and closer (and shooting more and more shots) until you cannot focus. My guess is that will be right around 35 to 40 feet or so.

The focus system on the Canon S3is/S5is is based on the ability to differentiate based on contrast. If your camera cannot pick up a straight/sharp/contrasty line, it has a devil of a time focusing. Manual focus works great at a distance, once initial focus is established and 'Locked"

regards, Rich


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## stargazer (May 24, 2004)

Thanks Guys...

Rich, Thanks for the great advice. I think I am begaining to understand what is going wrong. I think I have found out what lens you are talking about not focusing....I think I bought one:biggrin: I was down in Port A this weekend and I could not get this thing to focus at all with the 3x lens. Tried several different distances. After I removed the 3x I was able to get some pretty decent shots.
This lens was part of a package deal on the internet. I assumed that since I was looking at the S5is, and this was shown as a accessory for that camera, it would be a good match. 
Holding the camera steady was a challenge with the lens installed, like you said even on a tripod I could not get the focus.
Thanks again for the info guys.
I really do like the camera though. Lots of nice features for me to experiment with and the auto function is great so Vickie can use it for doing her real estate stuff.
Fred


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## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

Yep, I bought my piece of junk the same way, as part of a package.

If you want the "real thing" and would spend about $110.00 or so....go to Amazon or Ebay and buy a brand new Sony VCL DH1758 tele-converter. I assume that you already have a 58mm lens extension ( be careful, there are some 52mm lens extension/converters out there). If you do, you are in business.

If your package included a 52mm lens extension to hold the junk lens, then you will have to buy a 58mm... for either the Canon or the Sony t/c s. They are only ten or twenty bucks. Keep the 52mm and you can use it for filters, etc. in the future.

Don't worry a bit that the lens I am recommending is a Sony. On the Canon S3is/S5is forum...the two most well regarded t/c's are the Canon 1.5 magnification lens and the Sony at 1.7. I've posted many pictures here taken with the S3is and the Sony VCL-DH1758 set-up. You can check out my Flickr site shown below. Almost everything after April of this year, that needed a t/c, was taken with the S3is and the Sony paired up.

regards, Rich

p.s. If you want to know what your camera can REALLY do ( you will be amazed) read Katz's White Paper ---LINK shown below--. While it is geared to the Sony cameras..there is NOTHING that I cannot do the same with either my Canon or my Sony. The Canon has some features (flash; faster shooting ) that are better than the Sony. The Sony has a brighter LCD and EVF. His paper was originally written with the Sony H2 and H5 series in mind. The Sony H7 & H9 (newest releases) do not compare favorably with the H5 or H2, IMHO.

http://www.aakatz.com/whitepaper/


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## stargazer (May 24, 2004)

Thanks Rich.....Ive already been hunting, LOL. The white paper looks to be some great info. Ill get to reading.

Fred


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