So I just bought my Mavic and have only taken it for one short flight.

I have the Phantom 4 since before and have been ogling the Mavic Pro for almost a year now.
Finally I got one. :-)

I do have an RTFM question though.

In the early days of the Mavic it was said that you needed to focus manually.
Now it seems like my Mavic is continously working the Auto Focus by itself.

Is that correct or do I need to manually focus when distance to an object changes?

Regards
Georg

For as far as I know you have to tap the screen to focus...

If you find a way to continually have it auto-focus I'd love to know.  I did a whole flight video the other day out of focus because at launch it focused on something then kept it.  The small ipad screen looked like it was in focus, however when played back at 4k it wasn't even close.  
I chalked it up to a rookie mistake but if there is a way to set it to continuously auto focus I'd love to know.

I thought the latest firmwares had the option to auto/manual focus?

That's great when MP is AF continuously but  if not, instead of tapping the screen just assign C1 or C2 button to focus.

The Mavic has an Auto Focus-Continuous (AFC) mode that needs to be activated in the camera settings. It triggers an auto focus every 10s about.
I'm not sure, but it's more a function of DJI GO than a native function of the Mavic.  I can't recall or find when that option appeared but it was not there when the Mavic was released.   

I have IT on C1 for now and pressed it a couple of times during my first test flight
not being sure if I had to or not. I guess that beyond a few meters it does not matter.
It would focus on infinity. What is the distance limit for when you actually need to re-focus?

ars.fabula Posted at 2017-8-21 11:37
The Mavic has an Auto Focus-Continuous (AFC) mode that needs to be activated in the camera settings. It triggers an auto focus every 10s about.
I'm not sure, but it's more a function of DJI GO than a native function of the Mavic.  I can't recall or find when that option appeared but it was not there when the Mavic was released.

Every 10 seconds? That not continuously. That's sporadically. :-)

I use auto focus then when it look good I switch over to Manuel so it holds there

Just to get some terms right. Mavic have always had both manual and autofocus. But later they added a second "continuous" autofocus mode (AFC), working as some kind of (intelligent?) periodically/sporadically re-focusing.

To use the normal/classic AF option, make sure AFC is off and tap the screen (or assign C1/C2 buttons) to focus.

In comparison, the old Phantom 4 models don't have a focus option. They have fixed-focus cameras.

If you turn AFC off and focus at something at a distance of approx. 2.5-3m (and KEEP it there), Mavic will work very much like the classic Phantom 3/4 models having everything sharp from approx. 2m to infinitive (Small sensor cameras has pretty big field-of-depth).

Focus is essential to capturing sharp images. To enable auto focus:
1. Tap the screen in the DJI GO app camera interface.
2. Long tap the screen to enable auto focus when using ActiveTrack, TapFly and Gesture modes. (This function needs to be enabled in General Settings)
3. Focus at the center by pressing a customizable button. C1 is set by default and can be used during normal flight or while using Intelligent Flight Modes.

george_007 Posted at 2017-8-21 13:15
Every 10 seconds? That not continuously. That's sporadically. :-)

Sometimes you don't  want it to continually focus, especially with video, since it will be noticeable (briefly goes out of focus while it focuses).

StigNygaard Posted at 2017-8-21 22:35
Just to get some terms right. Mavic have always had both manual and autofocus. But later they added a second "continuous" autofocus mode (AFC), working as some kind of (intelligent?) periodically/sporadically re-focusing.

To use the normal/classic AF option, make sure AFC is off and tap the screen (or assign C1/C2 buttons) to focus.

Dear StigNygaard,

Very good explanation. Thanks.

StigNygaard Posted at 2017-8-21 22:35
Just to get some terms right. Mavic have always had both manual and autofocus. But later they added a second "continuous" autofocus mode (AFC), working as some kind of (intelligent?) periodically/sporadically re-focusing.

To use the normal/classic AF option, make sure AFC is off and tap the screen (or assign C1/C2 buttons) to focus.

Very clear explanation with good tips! Thanks! :-)

In DJI GO 4 I can see a small square saying "AFC/MF". Can I change that to say "AF/MF" instead, meaning i disable AFC and only Auto Focus using C1?I understanding that pressing that square will switch between the two modes displayed, in my case switch between AFC and MF. I would like to switch between AF and MF instead. Possible?

george_007 Posted at 2017-8-22 13:56
In DJI GO 4 I can see a small square saying "AFC/MF". Can I change that to say "AF/MF" instead, meaning i disable AFC and only Auto Focus using C1?I understanding that pressing that square will switch between the two modes displayed, in my case switch between AFC and MF. I would like to switch between AF and MF instead. Possible?

So, why wouldn't I want to have focus setting set to AFC all the time??  If that feature works good then why mess with manual?  This is something I have been wondering about...

fansb81208c1 Posted at 2018-3-27 08:29
So, why wouldn't I want to have focus setting set to AFC all the time??  If that feature works good then why mess with manual?  This is something I have been wondering about...

"So, why wouldn't I want to have focus setting set to AFC all the time?? "

It can spoil the shot if it auto-focuses while recording a video.