Auto focus and noise

[Noah Kadner]

It might be an issue if it’s so loud you pick it up on recordings. As an aside, most pros do not use autofocus because it can often search during a shot- ruining the take. It’s best to keep it on manual, using push focus and a good monitor to keep things sharp.

Noah

[Christopher Pavsek]

i guess i was wondering more if this meant something was wrong with the camera.

i seldom use autofocus unless i’m chasing my kids around the house with the camera (mine does double duty as “pro” camera and home movie machine) or if things are just to busy to go manual. but if this is indicating that something is dying in the camera, i’d send it off for repair.

[Noah Kadner]

Well it’s kinda subjective. AF will make some noise always. If it started making a new noise or is incredibly loud then there could be something wrong.

Noah

[Tim Scarpino]

[Christopher Pavsek] “I’ve noticed recently that my relatively new DVX100a makes an odd sort of grinding or low-level whirring noise when using autofocus. it’s loud enough to be noticed by someone 10 feet away. is this normal?”

If you’re hearing from such a distance, I’d stop using it and have the camera serviced. It ought to be fairly quiet.

On a related note, one of the “liberating” consequences of the DV revolution is the ability of anyone to have one of these cameras, perhaps with “different” levels of knowledge amongst the users. This leads to all manner of, how shall I say, asthetic quality.

In my mind, and 20+ years a videographer, there simply isn’t a need to use auto focus. All you need do is ZOOM IN AND FOCUS on your subject, and that subject will always be in focus if the distance between the subject and camera doesn’t change.

As for “chasing the kids around the house”, just stay wide, and you’ll ALWAYS be in focus, unless one of them wants to blow their nose on your camera. And certainly, if you feel the need to zoom, determine the general distance between the subject and the camera, then ZOOM IN AND FOCUS on a subject at the far end of that distance (maybe 10-15 fee), and you’ll have plenty of focal length to “play” with.

Or so I think,

Cheers,

Tim