Article ID : 00108204 / Last Modified : 07/12/2018

Why is it difficult for the camera to focus automatically?


    • When a subject appears too close to the camera




    The digits indicated here show first the maximum aperture (3,5f - 6,3f) and then the minimum focus distance (4,3 cm - 129 cm), depending on how much the lens is zoomed in or out. This means that when the camera is zoomed out, taking pictures in wide-angle, the minimum focusing distance is 4,3 cm. If the camera is zoomed in to the max, taking pictures of subject farther away, the minimum focusing distance is 129 cm.


    If it is still difficult to find the focus, try the following operations:

    IMPORTANT: Supported functions or function names vary depending on your product. For details, refer to the manual.

    • When you press down lightly on the shutter button, a green frame is displayed around the area that is in focus (Focus-lock). If you want to focus on a very tiny subject or a small area, move the AF range frame to the desired point on the monitor using Flexible Spot.
    • If the problem persists, try locking the focus on another object as close as possible to your original subject and recomposing the image, or use the manual focus.
    • When Lock-on AF is set, you can automatically keep moving subjects in focus.
    • When you shoot dark scenes or under backlit conditions, use Superior Auto.
    • When you shoot night scenes, use Night Scene or Hand-held Twilight in Scene Selection, or Center in P (Program Auto) mode. When you shoot night scenes including people, use Night Scene or Night Portrait.

    NOTE: If you are using a DSC-RX10 Series or DSC-RX100 Series

    • If Focus Mode is set to Continuous AF (AF-C), the product will continually adjust the focus and maintain focus on the subject while the shutter button is held halfway down. Although it may seem that the focus is not locked when you are holding the shutter button halfway down, this is not an issue. The lens moves or the angle of view changes on the monitor in order to adjust the focusing position, so you can shoot without worrying that the image will go out of focus.

    • When Focus Mode is set to AF-S (Single-shot AF) or AF-C (Continuous AF), make sure that the subject on which you want to focus is inside the green frame.

    • The MF Assist and Peaking Level functions make manual focusing easier. For some models, MF Assist and Peaking Level functions are not available.

    If the lens is dirty, try cleaning your Cyber-shot camera .
    If the problem remains unresolved, and the camera can still not focus properly, the product may need to be sent in for service. If you believe this to be the case, please contact us for further assistance.