Pixiq

You’ve tried to capture the perfect image. The subject is unusual and the composition is striking. The exposure is perfect. Your white balance selection ensured accurate color reproduction. Unfortunately, the picture is a failure. Why? It’s out of focus! Accurate focus often makes the difference between a photograph that’s good and one that’s great. And although you can process your image after the fact in your computer’s digital dark room—crop and resize it, change the white balance, brighten the dark areas and tone down those that are overexposed—focus is one thing that cannot be corrected.

The G11 has a sophisticated and versatile autofocus system. Like many digital cameras, it can evaluate contrasting edges in the image to set focus. But it can also use an incredible face detection technology to seek out faces in the image and set focus by them.

Although the focusing technology is called “auto” focus, to get the best results it is important that you take an active role in choosing the correct settings for the type of photography that you are doing. Those settings include the AF Frame mode (whether or not to focus on people in the scene) and whether the camera focuses just once or continuously.

AF FRAME MODE

The G11 displays AF frames on the LCD so you can see the areas of the scene that are used for focus. Depending on your shooting mode, you may be able to choose from two of three different AF frame modes: Face AiAF, FlexiZone, and Center. The exposure shooting modes use Face AiAF (Artificial intelligence AF) and FlexiZone frames; most Scene modes use Face AiAF and Center frames. , , and use only Face AiAF. Although you can select the AF frame mode through the menu, there’s a quicker way. Press and then use to toggle between available modes.

Face AiAF: This AF frame mode is made up of two parts: Face Detection and AiAF. Face Detection senses faces in your scene and, because the camera assumes those faces are an important part of your photograph, sets the focus so the faces are sharp. Obviously, not all photographs include faces. When the G11 cannot detect a face, it applies AiAF to set focus. The camera evaluates the image at nine different focus points and then it selects one or more to set focus. By using a series of AF points and not just the center of the scene, the AF system can quickly lock onto the subject, even if it is off center. Face AiAF sets not only focus, but also exposure to and white balance to .

When Face AiAF detects a face in the scene, it surrounds the face with a white AF frame. If more than one face is detected, the G11 uses a white frame for the face it deems the most important and up to two other faces are surrounded with gray AF frames. Focus will be set using all frames, with an emphasis on the white one.

But what if the G11 puts a white AF frame around a less important face? In that case, you can use Face Select to switch between detected faces. When the camera is in Face AiAF mode and multiple faces are detected, press . Use to turn Face Select on—the overlay icons on the bottom right show whether Face Select is on or off. When Face Select is on, one orange frame displays, even if there are multiple faces. If the face moves, the frame will move also. If the frame has little arrows on its left and right sides, you can use or to choose another face to set focus on. If the Face Select frame goes away, press to turn it on again.

Once the frame appears around the correct face, press or to confirm your selection. The frame will turn white. Press the shutter button halfway. If the G11 can achieve focus, the face’s frame will turn green and you can press the shutter button fully to take the picture. If the frame is orange, focus cannot be set, so you’ll need to try again. It may be that you are too close to the subject.

If you don't use Face Select, the G11 decides which face to focus on. Press the shutter button halfway and confirm that the white and gray face AF frames are replaced by at least one green AF frame. This indicates that the G11 was successful in focusing on that selected face. If some faces are the same distance from the camera, more than one green frame may be displayed. This means that the camera was able to set focus for multiple faces.

If the camera is unable to detect a face, then when you press the shutter button the G11 will use one or more of the nine AF zones to set focus. A green AF frame will appear if the camera is able to set focus. Press the shutter button all the way to take your shot.

FlexiZone: The FlexiZone AF frame mode lets you control the AF frame that the camera uses to set focus. Some complex (and not so complex) scenes can confuse the G11. For example, a large bright object near your main subject might distract the AF system. By manually moving the focus frame so it surrounds your main subject, you are assured that your subject will be in focus.

Press and use to scroll through 15 different AF point locations. For more accurate positioning, use and to move the AF point in fine increments. Using this method, you have access to many more than the 15 positions offered by . To center the AF frame, press and hold . If you want to change the size of the focus frame (a larger or smaller area will be in focus), press DISP to toggle between small and large frames.

If the G11 detects faces after you press , you can use the faces to set the position of the frame. Press and the frame will move to a detected face. If the camera doesn't beep and the AF frame doesn’t move, then the G11 was not able to detect faces in the scene. If there are multiple faces, press repeatedly to advance through the detected faces. Although this uses the same face detection technology that Face AiAF uses, there is an important difference: Once the FlexiZone focus frame is positioned over a face, it does not move if the face moves.

When the AF frame is positioned around your subject, you are ready to take the shot. Get in the habit of pressing the shutter button halfway to lock exposure and focus, rather than just pressing the shutter button all the way to take the picture. This gives you the opportunity to check to see if the G11 has achieved focus. When you use FlexiZone, you should see a green frame. If focus cannot be achieved, the frame will be orange and you should try recomposing the shot; you may be too close to the subject.

FlexiZone can be linked to the G11’s metering system so that both focus and metering are locked to the same area of the scene. First verify [Spot AE Point] is set for [AF Point] in the menu (page 134). Then make sure the camera is set for spot metering by pressing and using to select . Now when you move the AF frame, the spot metering frame and AF frame should appear in the same location.

Center: When the G11 is in most Scene shooting modes, it uses Center AF frame mode rather than FlexiZone. The camera assumes that the most important part of the image is in the center of the scene, so the white AF frame is locked to the center of the frame. When you press the shutter button halfway to lock in focus and exposure, the white frame will turn green if focus has been achieved. If the frame is orange, the G11 cannot set focus correctly. Reframe the shot and try again. Make sure you aren’t too close.

Just because the G11 sets focus on the center of the frame, your subject does not have to be in the center of your image. You can point the camera so your subject is in the center of the white focus frame, press the shutter button halfway to lock focus and exposure, and then reframe your shot.