A95 focusing in low light / AF Illuminator

[Wayne Knight]

I just got myself a Canon A95 and I am very happy with it. However, there is one thing that really concerns me. I haven't owned a compact camera before (but I do have a 35mm SLR), so I'm not sure what to expect in terms of autofocus in low light situations.

The A95 has an AF Illuminator which is a small orange light. It seems as if it is supposed to help autofocus in low light situations, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Indoors under artificial light, I simply can't focus, at least not on anything other than light sources or shiny objects. It is too dark, and so I get the 'can't focus' warning.

I notice that the AF Illuminator is not very bright. Also, it doesn't seem to point straight ahead, but slighly upward a bit, though it's still well in the frame. I'd say it's a short distance above center of frame (at a medium zoom).

I can't focus on a person's face because it is too dark, but sometimes I can focus on their lapel if they're wearing a white shirt or blouse, and then tilt up.

Is it normal to have such problems? Is it possible that there's anything wrong with it? Or is it due to settings? For example I have it on ISO100, though on Auto I don't think it's much different.

Is it normal to have autofocus problems in low light?

[Alnath]

Yes it is normal

[KWS]

I got same focusing problem, but noticed that it focuses better when AIAF is on rather than centered or flexi. So i use flexi as default and if i get trouble with low light conditions, i switch to AIAF.
This might help.

[Wayne Knight]

Hi,

I find that AIAF is not very reliable, because it lets the camera decide what to focus on - most of the time it will focus on some bright light in the background if that's the best it can find, rather than the subject.

I did some experimenting with this, and I found that the autofocus likes to be pointed at a shiny object, because the reflections in it pick up enough light to focus on. For example, a glass, a watch, some glasses, maybe even the reflection in somebody's eye. So, when you're trying to autofocus in low light, and you've got it in spot or flexi, then point the spot right at a shiny object the same distance away as the object you're shooting. You can do this while half-pressed, and then re-frame it for the full-press.

The illuminator helps to create a small shiny 'dot' on shiny objects. A glass of liquid works well for creating small sparkly dots to focus on - if you're taking a photo of somebody holding a glass of beer, then focus on the beer!

[ReF]

it seems normal, especially for lower priced cameras. with those kinds of cameras, I find myself shooting at F8.0 while using manual focus most of the time when indoors. Manual focus on that particular camera is pretty easy once you get the hang of it and shooting at F8.0 gives you lots of room for error. Of course, you can still use manual focus with a large aperture, but then it can get a little tricky.

[Alnath]

it seems normal, especially for lower priced cameras.

dont you kid yourself mate, the G6 is pretty crap at it as well.

[ReF]

dont you kid yourself mate, the G6 is pretty crap at it as well.

Wuh? Where did that come from? I never mentioned the G6. I said it seems normal, ESPECIALLY for lower priced cameras. I did try out the G6 briefly, and found that it was quite a bit slower than I expected. That's all I've got to say about this.