How to Sony focus/get details on white items in Sony A300.?

Question

I have my Sony A300 set in manual mode as I have studio lights. I am taking pictures of a white item with some detail. First, it won't focus on the middle. I have to focus closer to the side. The detail on the front is basically gone - visible only on the sides. I can't correct in photo processing software. Any ideas on how to get it first to focus properly, then how to make the white not so white so detail is visible.

Answer 1

The problem is with how SLRs focus. What they do is look at a very small portion of the photo and decide if there's contrast. A computer will evaluate areas of different colour and decide if there's a sharp dividing line between them. The problem with this is that if you're photographing something of  a solid colour (like your white object) or something with very soft shadows there will be no good dividing lines to evaluate.

Unfortunately you'll need to manual focus.  

Answer 2

Try using the manual focus.The studio lights are to bright.

Answer 3

You can switch to manual focus but that doesn't solve the blown white. If you're using a scene mode, auto mode, or one of the "P A S" modes then dial in a negative EV or switch to a lower ISO until some detail returns in the whites. You can use Live View and the live histogram to assist you. If you're in the Manual mode, meter the scene and adjust either one or a combination of the three exposure settings to your liking.

Alternatively, you can try switching the metering mode to spot. Spot metering isolates the metering area to a very small center portion. This will give you an accurate exposure of whatever you're pointing at and ignore everything else in the scene.

If this doesn't solve your focus problem (if there are literally no details to focus on) you can try locking focus on an edge then repositioning the camera to the desired spot. You can also use manual focus as suggested above. Try using it with Live View if you're having trouble with the viewfinder.