Okay Minolta users is there a viable way of shutting off the eyestart for autofocusing in the 9xi? Presently if I leave it on when wearing it around my neck it stays in focusing mode constantly and eats batteries for breakfast.

-- Gary Wilson (gwilson@ffca.com), August 11, 1999

Answers

You'll need a Custom Function card to turn it off. It should be around $20.00, and there are many other functions on the card as well.

-- Long Huynh (huynh@jhu.edu), August 11, 1999.

I'm sorry, but the custom card for the 9xi will not allow you to shut off eyestart. I have the 9xi and the custom card and I wish it did.

-- Henry Richardson (henry_richardson@hotmail.com), August 11, 1999.

Wait, maybe I'm wrong, but don't you have to press the metal strips on the grip to turn on the eyestart feature? I thought the strips are used for safety from accidental focussing.

-- Yusuf Apsoro (y.a.r.apsoro@lr.tudelft.nl), August 12, 1999.

Henry, correct me again if I'm wrong. I'm looking at the instruction for the Custom Card, and function number 7 control the eyepiece sensor activation. If set to 1, the sensor is activated by the main power switch; if set to 2, it's activated by the grip. I remember playing with the controls and telling myself that this custom function is very cool!

-- Long Huynh (huynh@jhu.edu), August 12, 1999.

Long, you are right about function 7, but the question was whether eye-start can be turned off. It can't. You can change the way it is activated with function 7 though. My experience with the 7xi and 9xi is that even when eye-start is set to only be activated when the grip sensors are touched and the camera is held up to the eye that it will sometimes start focusing even when it is just hanging from my neck without my hands on it. Not always, sometimes. With the 700si, 800si, 9, etc. it is nice because eye-start can be completely turned off. Sometimes eye-start is very nice and sometimes is a pain in the neck. I like the fact that the newer bodies give you a choice.

-- Henry Richardson (henry_richardson@hotmail.com), August 13, 1999.

Henry, I finally understand your first response. I interpreted Gary's question as to solve his problem. You are right; the eyestart itself cannot be turned off. My 9xi, though, never activates the eyestart without the grip when it is set to be activated by the grip.

-- Long Huynh (huynh@jhu.edu), August 14, 1999.

If you dont like the eyestart just dont press the two bars in the right front side of the camera when holding it. It's as simple as that.

-- Rui Nunes (rnxxx@mail.telepac.pt), November 11, 2001.