Soft focusing issues

[loon]

this past summer i backpacked through western europe and shot many rolls of film. when i got back i became a little bit perplexed as to why a lot of my shots seemed to be a bit soft. it seems like it focused right before my subject. i use a g1 and am wondering if anyone else seems to have the same experience. do you think i didnt stop and focus properly? in one sequence i was shooting an eccentrically dressed brussels man, and took 3-4 shots. when i got my negs back and put them on my computer from a cd, i noticed that in all the shots the man was a bit soft.

i dont know how to insert images here but check this link out.

http://contaxg.com/document.php?id=23575
http://contaxg.com/document.php?id=21565

in both, my subjects are just a tad blurry? any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[sf]

Looks like the camera focused on the background - focusing with those things is a pain. I never could get the hang of autofocus. It's the focusing sensor's size and area that makes it hard to judge. If you happen to have it centered just off the subject, it might focus on the background.

[NoTx]

I would suggest taking a few rolls of cheap film and practicing focusing. You should be able to tell if it is technique or equipment fairly quickly.

[Issy]

Matt,

Did you put the focus brackets [ ] on the main subject, and then re-compose, or just compose and shoot?

The background buildings look in focus, to my eyes.

[pshinkaw]

Since I started playing with auto-focus cameras, I do this a lot. I seem to do it particularly when there is a busy background like a building. I takes a lot of practice and a lot of film to become familiar with it.

One of my cameras is a Nikon ZoomTouch 800. It actually gives you a distance read-out on the LED screen after it focuses. If it says 12 meters when you know it should say 4 meters, you can re-focus. The Nikon also also allows you to preset the focus on the screen and then walk backwards or forwards until you get to the right distance.

-Paul

[Issy]

I know this is something that frustrates G1/G2 users, but I have never had an issue with it. I think because all my SLRs are older Nikons (8008s or FE2) with a single point of focus (in the center), I have no issue focusing on the critial point, holding the button, and then recomposing.

Confirming you did it right is another matter (re: relying on the Contax focus scale for indication, rather than getting a visual image confirmation in the viewfinder)