The "push to auto-focus" function took me a bit of head-scratching to figure out. The good news is that it works just fine once you know how it works. Once you realize what is going on, it makes sense that Sony did it the way that they did.
Here's what is going on with the focus wheel:
There are two positions on the focus wheel: A and B. You get to these by sliding the focus ring forward and back, just like on an EX1. In the slid back (or A) position, the focus ring has start and end points and feels very much like a pro camera focus ring with exact positions for various amounts of focus. In the forward (or B) position, the wheel spins continuously and is more like what you would expect on a DV or HDV camera.
The way the camera comes configured, the A position is manual focus and the slid forward B position is auto-focus. Well the A position is always manual focus, but the B position is actually programmable and does not necessarily have to be set for auto-focus.
The "push to auto-focus" function cannot be set up in the A position and if you think about it, it makes sense. To do this they would have had to add a servo motor or something to actually move the wheel to the correct position. Adding a servo motor would have also added resistance. It is just something that can't realisticly be done.
You can set up a "push to auto-focus" function in the B position however. The way you do it is to assign the B position to manual focus, then assign one of the programmable buttons to "push to auto-focus". The most practical way to do this is to assign two buttons, one to turn autofocus in the B position on or off, and another to "push to autofocus".
If you set up the "push to auto-focus" this way, it acts exactly as it should. You have the focus wheel in the forward B position and assigned to continuous turn manual focus. You zoom in to what you want to focus on, press the "push to auto-focus" assigned button until it focuses, let go of the button, zoom out and start shooting.
Here's what is going on with the focus wheel:
There are two positions on the focus wheel: A and B. You get to these by sliding the focus ring forward and back, just like on an EX1. In the slid back (or A) position, the focus ring has start and end points and feels very much like a pro camera focus ring with exact positions for various amounts of focus. In the forward (or B) position, the wheel spins continuously and is more like what you would expect on a DV or HDV camera.
The way the camera comes configured, the A position is manual focus and the slid forward B position is auto-focus. Well the A position is always manual focus, but the B position is actually programmable and does not necessarily have to be set for auto-focus.
The "push to auto-focus" function cannot be set up in the A position and if you think about it, it makes sense. To do this they would have had to add a servo motor or something to actually move the wheel to the correct position. Adding a servo motor would have also added resistance. It is just something that can't realisticly be done.
You can set up a "push to auto-focus" function in the B position however. The way you do it is to assign the B position to manual focus, then assign one of the programmable buttons to "push to auto-focus". The most practical way to do this is to assign two buttons, one to turn autofocus in the B position on or off, and another to "push to autofocus".
If you set up the "push to auto-focus" this way, it acts exactly as it should. You have the focus wheel in the forward B position and assigned to continuous turn manual focus. You zoom in to what you want to focus on, press the "push to auto-focus" assigned button until it focuses, let go of the button, zoom out and start shooting.