This article explains how to fix the Amcrest PTZ autofocus hunting.
If you are here, chances are you are trying to use the camera's zoom, but the autofocus doesn't work correctly when zooming too much into the target.
Don't worry. This is not a problem with the camera but just an adjustment.
The Amcrest PTZ autofocus issue [not really]
The term focus hunting is used when the camera keeps trying to adjust the focus on a subject but fails, and the final image is blurry. That's not good, huh?
I have an Amcrest 4MP PTZ camera model IP4M-1063EW-AI, and I faced this issue when trying to zoom into objects in an indoor environment.
The image below shows an example of the blurry image from the camera.
[ Click the image to enlarge ]
As you can see, the American Flag is auto of focus.
C'mon, I don't want to see a blurry flag. Let's fix this issue. 🙂
How to adjust the Amcrest PTZ autofocus
PTZ cameras have optical lenses that are adjusted by an internal motor.
To get the focus working, the camera's software (firmware) uses an algorithm with different factors, including the minimum distance to the subject.
Some cameras (such as the Amcrest IP4M-1063EW-AI) have a distance adjustment in the setup menu so that you can fix the "zoom hunting issue".
The following picture shows the menu where you can set such as distance.
[ Click the image to enlarge ]
By default, the camera has the focus limit set to "auto".
Just change this parameter to a 1m or 10cm value and make sure the focus mode is set to auto or semi-auto (don't use manual focus).
And it's done. Now your PTZ camera will be able to use the auto focus correctly.
See how the image is much better now. No blurry image anymore.
[ Click the image to enlarge ]
And that's it. Pretty simple, huh? 🙂
Now the American flag looks much better.
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