Auto Focus with Filter Settings

Sequence Generator Auto Focus
1

I am running SGP version 3.0.3.94. I am in the process of setting up the Auto Focus to use the LUM filter and the focus pt offsets for all my other filters. However, I am little confused about the settings.

I have checked the ‘Auto adjust focus per filter’ on the main Focus tab in my equipment profile. I have also set up the focus pts for each filter in the Filter Setup and set the Focus with Filter to be LUM for all filters. What I am not sure about is whether I need to also check the ‘Auto focus with filter’ option in the Auto Focus setup. The tool tip for the ‘Auto focus with filter’ option indicates that this should only be used if my filters are parafocal. My filters are close, but not exactly parafocal. I checked the manual and it does not show the column in the Filter setup for Focus with Filter (this must be a recent addition).

So my questions is do I need to set the Focus with Filter in the Filter setup to LUM AND check the Auto Focus Option to Auto focus with filter: LUM, OR is just setting the Focus with Filter in the Filter setup sufficient?

Thanks for the clarification.

AJ

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2

I’ll cop to not knowing what the “correct” way is. But :

  • In Control Panel -> Focus -> Autofocus Options I have “Autofocus with filter:” set to “Lum”
  • In Control Panel -> Filters I have “Focus with filter” set to “Default” for all filters.

This works for me reliably and consistently, and has for well over a year now, both in 2.x and 3.x

3

Just a note adding to what “gboulton” has said.

You’ll have to have focused using each individual filter at least once to get the count offset between each filter. It will be more reliable to do this more than once so that you obtain a good mean offset for each filter, of course, but one pass will get you in the ball-park.

Having done this, you enter the resulting value for each filter in its position count column. This will enable SGPro to calculate the correct offset per filter when using the default filter, i.e. Lum, during an auto-focus on any particular night.

The fact that the Lum focus position will differ from you’ve previously entered does not matter, since the stored values are only used to derive the offset during this mode of operation.

I hope this has not confused things for you?
Cheers Dave

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4

Thanks gboulton an Dave. This is what I thought and it sort of makes sense. I guess the Focus with filter in the filter setup is just in case you want to focus a filter with something other than the default. Not sure what use case would need that, but I guess it must have one. I was just confused by the tool tip for the Auto focus with Filter option saying the filters must be parafocal. I already focused each filter seperately so I know the relative focus posotion for each filter. Thanks for the clarification.

Andrew J