[dadipentak]

In my experience:
1. CIF often doesn't work in low light/low contrast situations.
2. Sometimes, it works only when adjusting focus one way (nearer to farther, I think.)

[thechumpen]

Read my manual and additional old posts on CIF. It seems I'm doing everything right, but I cannot get the camera to fire ?

-set CIF to ON position on custum setting menu
-focus on target area and set camera focus lever to AF.S
-press shutter release button fully

I have been using this with a Pentax A 50mm. You need to have the body set to AF rather than MF for it to work. That should then work with the settings you have above, or at least it does on my K-r. You keep the shutter button held down and it will fire when in focus.

[Barry_S]

Instead of holding the shutter button down use a cable release. I just focus on my spot, lock the cable release, i use the burst mode. Let it fire away when ever something go into focus. You don't have to stand there with it. Watch football and let the camera fire away. I used a old 70-200 lens.

[thechumpen]

Instead of holding the shutter button down use a cable release. I just focus on my spot, lock the cable release, i use the burst mode. Let it fire away when ever something go into focus. You don't have to stand there with it. Watch football and let the camera fire away

Interesting option. What do you use this for? Is it for stuff like shooting animals that wander into a certain spot e.g. pointed a bird feeder?

[Barry_S]

I just started messing around with it. I point in the area of the bird feeder, try to catch then coming into the feeder in flight.

[zman]

Instead of holding the shutter button down use a cable release. I just focus on my spot, lock the cable release, i use the burst mode. Let it fire away when ever something go into focus. You don't have to stand there with it. Watch football and let the camera fire away. I used a old 70-200 lens.

Have been trying to get CiF to work but still having difficulty. I can get it to work by holding down the exposure button and focusing in on my subject.

What I really want CiF for is to be able to set it up and leave it, just like your method at the birdfeeder. I tried another attempt today by focusing on the street and seeing if a passing vehicle would set it off. No Luck

Here's what I'm doing :

-K7 on tripod with CiF turned "ON" in menu
-Pentax A135mm manual lens focused to region of interest / green hexagon focus confirmation showing
-focus switch on K7 body set to AF-S
-spot focus & Av set on camera
-cable release engaged and locked

After focusing to the region of interest the shutter will take one exposure. If set to burst mode the camera just keeps firing away. My test using the above mentioned settings with burst mode off didn't activate the shutter despite vehicles driving by. It's a bright & sunny day. What am I doing wrong ?

[thechumpen]

Have you set the focus switch on the body to AF rather than MF? I'm talking about the actual physical switch rather than the AF mode in the menu system. Most stuff says to set it to MF when using a manual lens but it needs to be on AF for CIF to work.

[Barry_S]

Tested in different modes.
Found when set to single shot, it takes only one shot and then have to be reset.
Slow burst it would take a couple shots together, but it would go off again when move into the zone again.
Same with high burst.
I push the camera button down all the way and hold while I lock remote.
The camera seems to have to process the shots before going off again, bit of lag.
Slow mode only took two shots when I walked into the zone.
You can try what I did and see what happen. Put the flash up then you can tell when it's going off, triggering it yourself.

Manual Len you need to use manual mode not av sv ....
Af.s set
Button half dw
Focus light flash beeps, don't let up on button
Then push the button all the way down hold
Lock remote

Hope that helps

[thechumpen]

As far as I can see setting the switch on your body to MF is only there for when you want to use a "modern" lens in manual mode i.e. turn off auto focusing.

For a manual lens it doesn't seem to make a difference whether you have the switch on AF or MF. However, for CIF you need to set it on to AF. At least that's how it works on my K-r anyway...

[boriscleto]

As far as I can see setting the switch on your body to MF is only there for when you want to use a "modern" lens in manual mode i.e. turn off auto focusing.

For a manual lens it doesn't seem to make a difference whether you have the switch on AF or MF. However, for CIF you need to set it on to AF. At least that's how it works on my K-r anyway...

If you are using a MF lens, and you have CiF set, then it no picture will be taken unless the camera has a focus lock (green hexagon) while set to AF.S. If you set it to MF you can take a picture without a focus lock.

[zman]

While my experimentation with CiF is still a work in progress, a positive result of re-acquainting me with my MF lenses has occurred. Yesterday I went out to a local nature preserve with my K7, Pentax A*300 lens, and this years Xmas gift, a Manfrotto monopod. In the past, getting a steady shot hand-held using my long lenses was difficult for me. Using the combination of CiF and the monopod, all of my recent shots were quite good. CiF is an awesome tool and has proven to be very useful. I'll continue to try to get CiF to work by having the shutter release when the object enters the focus zone. It'll keep me busy during the winter. I've included a few of yerterdays shots as well.

Thanks to all for your help & suggestions.

[devouges]

Well..... I am trying this on my K5iiS and all it ever does it fire immediately...... even when way out of focus.......

[nparsons13]

Well..... I am trying this on my K5iiS and all it ever does it fire immediately...... even when way out of focus.......

I was having the same problem with my K5IIs, and then I remembered Na Horuk's post #14 above. I was trying to do CIF with an M42 screw-mount lens, and most M42 lenses have painted or coated lens mount rings, so they don't short out the contact pins on the camera's mount face (like the plastic-mount lenses he mentions). I switched to an SMC Pentax lens with the shiny chrome mount ring, and the CIF works exactly as advertised.

[jhmos]

Tried to get CIF working today with a Pentax A lens. I found that if in 'Button Customization' 'AF Button' was set to AF2, CIF would not work, had to be set back to AF1 to work properly.