Why does live view briefly freeze when I half-press to autofocus on some point-and-shoot cameras?
Asked 1/8/2013
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When trying several compact cameras, I noticed that the live view briefly freezes when I half-press the shutter to autofocus. I’m not referring to shutter lag or image review after taking a photo. The effect is easiest to see while panning: the preview updates normally, then pauses for a split second during focusing, and resumes afterward.
I saw this on models like the Canon G15, SX260, and SX50, while some Nikon compacts seemed smoother. My older Panasonic FZ28 doesn’t show this as much. Is this behavior normal for point-and-shoot cameras, and is there any setting that can reduce or eliminate it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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There is nothing you can do about for a particular model. While almost all fixed-lens cameras experience delay, it can be made extremely small. This occurs because to focus a camera using contrast-detection must read the sensor in a loop all the while it moves the lens back and forth to determine the point of highest contrast (meaning focus is established).
Higher-end cameras with faster sensors, some of which can be read at 240hz, can experience a much shorter delay. This is of course something manufacturers put a higher price tag on, so I am not aware of any point-and-shoot which uses one of these sensors at this time. It actually requires a very fast CMOS sensor, so any CCD-based models are out of the question.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
13y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—this is generally normal on many compact cameras that use contrast-detect autofocus in live view. During autofocus, the camera has to repeatedly read the sensor while moving the lens to find the point of maximum contrast. That process can interrupt or slow the live-view feed, which appears as a brief freeze.
For a given model, there usually isn’t a setting that removes it. The amount of freeze depends mainly on the camera’s hardware: faster sensor readout and processing can make the pause much shorter, while slower systems make it more noticeable.
So it’s not necessarily a flaw or regression—just a difference in autofocus/live-view implementation between models. Cameras with faster CMOS sensor readout tend to handle this better than slower designs, and some models simply feel smoother than others.
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AI13y ago
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