Fuji X100 Manual Focus

Before I make a complete dork of myself in taking my X100 back to the shop for repairs, I thought I would check in here...

It seems to me that my manual focus is not working... at all. That is, when I set the side switch to MF and then rotate the focus ring, the lens does not move in and out, as it does during AF. What I am wondering is if there is something critical I have missed in setup that means I am not using MF when I want to. I was sure it was working in the past at some point (I don't actually use it very much at all, but the other night there was something I was having trouble nailing on AF... and MF just failed entirely)..

So... am I a twit who has missed something critical, or am I returning it for repair asap?
 
What happens when you hit the AF button on the rear while in MF mode?
Not much. No change in focus, but the screen shows a green box with arrows on all four sides (The one you use for choosing a focus point) .

I've just played with MF again, and I can get focus (well I seem to) but its making some awful ticking noises, as if the lens is trying to move but unable to. The distance bar on the LCD screen shows that theres movement... but the lens remains static.

[edit] the lens noise is the same as the one you get with AF-C (which I have never used until just now, to check)
 
OK so at worst there might be a mechanical issue between the ring and the focus mechanism. But before you get concerned - have you tried battery and card out, warm up both and then both back in and fire her up? It might just be the cold....don't laugh!

Sounds stupid but I just - literally!! - had a cardiac stopper with the X10. Turned it on..."Focus Issue"...off/on..."Focus Issue". Change to MF...no change, no engagement. Persisted for a minute or two. Took everything out to the other room (where the fire's on) and warmed them up, after a couple of on/off cycles no more reported "Focus Issue" but just no focus - both AF or manual. Eventually she is working again, as is the MF a little time after again. Just noticed how cold it is back here where I store my gear. Film gear's still fine but the X10 didn't seem to like the very cold very much. Tender little soul. But now that it's warm the mechanism seem fine.
 
OK so at worst there might be a mechanical issue between the ring and the focus mechanism. But before you get concerned - have you tried battery and card out, warm up both and then both back in and fire her up? It might just be the cold....don't laugh!

Sounds stupid but I just - literally!! - had a cardiac stopper with the X10. Turned it on..."Focus Issue"...off/on..."Focus Issue". Change to MF...no change, no engagement. Persisted for a minute or two. Took everything out to the other room (where the fire's on) and warmed them up, after a couple of on/off cycles no more reported "Focus Issue" but just no focus - both AF or manual. Eventually she is working again, as is the MF a little time after again. Just noticed how cold it is back here where I store my gear. Film gear's still fine but the X10 didn't seem to like the very cold very much. Tender little soul. But now that it's warm the mechanism seem fine.

I'll try anything! I'll get back on this one...

I'll check on this tomorrow morning. If the distance scale is moving, you are changing the focal plane. Maybe the lens just doesn't move that much?

Maybe, but it should move a BIT. As I noted earlier, I do seem to be able to focus (at least in macro, with manual) but its taking multiple rotations of the focus ring. Just seems wrong to me.
 
Sorry to break it to you Sue but this is entirely normal....and a common gripe of many X100 owners - both current and former

My first reaction to this was something I cannot type here, and maintain any semblance of dignity. I'm going to assume that everything I am experiencing is normal, and my conclusion, therefore, is that I shan't be doing much in the way of manual focus. Its a pest.

Thanks, Mark :-/
 
MF on the X100 is much like using a 'down' escalator to get to the first floor... with two weak midgets hanging on to your legs for dear life.

If you want a closer view of what Manual Focus is not accomplishing while you furiously twist away at the lens, press this button while in MF mode -

ukvB3.jpg


It pulls up a blown up blurry view of what you suspected all along, that MF implementation on the X100 is a cruel joke by Fuji's most sadistic employee, who obviously moonlights as a serial killer.
 
MF on the X100 is much like using a 'down' escalator to get to the first floor... with two weak midgets hanging on to your legs for dear life.

If you want a closer view of what Manual Focus is not accomplishing while you furiously twist away at the lens, press this butting while in MF mode [...] It pulls up a blown up blurry view of what you suspected all along, that MF implementation on the X100 is a cruel joke by Fuji's most sadistic employee, who obviously moonlights as a serial killer.

I'm picking up some negative energy here Rajiv. I know, I know, it is a subtle art and you'd be right if you guessed that I'm a clairvoyant on the weekends. ;)

The world's worst implementation of MF was one of my primary reasons for selling my X100. Such a tease having something that looks so much like a rangefinder and acts so little like one. Sad to think that Sigma got this a lot more right than Fuji.

Sue: The only work-around that makes this even tolerable is to consider the MF around the lens as a super-fine focus adjustment. So leave in MF, press AEL/AFL to get you close, Rajiv's button to zoom in and the ring to get it spot on..... sorry otherwise, the focus ring is just something to fiddle with while you wait for a scene to unfold in the VF :dash2:
 
I have found that with the latest firmware 1.30 MF has improved. Using the AFL button with or without the zoom generally fixes the focus. When turning the focus ring try not to spin it, be gentle and the focus will adjust better. With macro use the AFL button and with zoom turned on, move the camera in and out to achieve the desired focus point. Lastly AF with 1.30 is so good I rarely use MF these days.
 
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