5.2 focus and exposure lock

[thirddoor]

Since upgrading to 5.2, the focus lock appears to also lock the exposure!
Just to be sure I'm doing it right... Click frame and start, shutter icon in viewport represents focus... click to change focus target (still autofocuses), click again to lock focus (tiny padlock appears in lower left).
WB button is for white balance. If button says 'auto' it's on auto, if button says lock, it's on lock (or is it the other way around??).
If I lock what I think is the focus, it also locks the exposure.
White balance lock/auto has no effect.

It would be helpful if there were some instructions somewhere!

Anyone else having trouble?

This was a great app before, why the change!?!

[xyster]

Notice there are two reticles - one is focus (square bracket), second is for exposure (iris). By default both are linked. Pinch them apart to separate and unlink them. Now you can position and lock each of them individually.

Previously, setting the exposure lock and location was not clear. Now both focus and exposure lock and location are very clear and easy to set.

WB is locked when the button says 'lock'. I'll investigate your claim of it not operating correctly.

Let me know if it all makes sense now.

[thirddoor]

Ahhh, I didn't realize they were locked together and needed to be separated by pinching!

Do you have instructions posted somewhere? I couldn't find anything.

Thanks for the clarification.

[xyster]

We just wrote the instructions in this topic...

More seriously, I'll post up specific instructions if this proves to be a continuing problem.

[User]

Hello! Great app, I have used it alot, but since upgrading the exposure changes as soon as I hit Start, cancelling the exposure lock. Let's say I set exposure for a brightly lit scene, and lock it, as soon as I press Start the exposure changes and the whole scene gets brighter by a few steps. Always overexposing.

[xyster]

Hello,

I tested exposure lock again and it works for me.
Your description seems to imply that the exposure is indeed locked as the result is over exposed. If the exposure were not locked, the shots would be auto exposed and hence not over exposed. What am I misunderstanding here?

[User]

Hello, and thanks for the reply. I'm sorry if I was being unclear, even when I lock exposure it seems to switch to auto exposure as soon as I press Start. The reason I said it is "over exposing" is because that is what is happening, it changes from locked exposure to auto exposure, and in the process it over exposes. Here are sample screenshots of what I mean:





The second photo is out of focus because the phone moved as i took the screenshot.

[Thirddoor]

I get the same thing... but only if I move the camera after setting the exposure/focus.
If I lock either/both and then move the camera to change framing, when I hit Start, it re-samples both exposure and focus.
SO, the only way to make it do what we want is to frame it in the original spot, hit start, THEN move the camera to re-frame.
Hope that helps clarify the issue.

[xyster]

Ok. I think I may have found an intermittent issue (I'm not sure of the cause yet). It appears that sometimes the exposure doesn't lock at all. When this happens, try unlocking and then relocking the exposure and ensure it is locked. That should resolve the issue when it happens.

In the meantime, I will investigate the issue.

[User]

Ok, great! Will try that. Thanks again for a very nice app, I use it all the time! I actually use my iPhone more because of this app!

On a non-related matter, it would be very cool to be able to hide or minimize the info/text overlay which is shown on the display (like on my second photo above) once we start the shooting. For stop-motion work it can get a little in the way and obscure the visibilty.

[chuckieduckie]

Wonderful app but the exposure lock no longer works for me either since update. Focus is perfect, at least I haven't seen the same errors as with the exposure. I have an iPhone 4s on OS 5.0.1

[xyster]

I have looked into this issue and I'm fairly certain it is a bug that was always there. I believe that previously the bug did not happen so often because the exposure lock was not as easy to play with and so the bug got triggered less.

I'm looking into how to resolve it but it is not simple as it appears to be an Apple bug and there is no easy way around the problem aside from Apple fixing the underlying bug (I'm trying to make that happen too).

The workaround at the moment is to simply ensure the exposure is indeed locked (by waving your hand in front of the camera, for instance) and then unlocking and relocking it if it is indeed not locked properly. It's not ideal but it is a workaround.