calling jack54 and others Sony H50 HELP

jack54, your review with pictures is outstanding, thank you for all the effort required for such a detailed review. Now if I can just get close to the quality of your shots I'll be delighted and my wife will think I'm Ansel Adams.:D

All others I would like to hear from you also. Since I'm new here I don't know many by posting/reputation, but I value any help offered.

I just got my new H50 and started shooting in the back yard.
My problem is trying to find the correct mode/ setting for max tele on birds sitting on the feeder.
All pictures seem to be focusing on the front edge of the feeder and I have not found
the manual focus. If there is one.
The focus rectangles all seem to be on the feeder.
Photo shows the woodgrain in OK detail. This was shot on tripod from approx 15 feet.
This is the 9M image size reduced to 800x600 for posting.
Thank you for all suggestions and directions.
Attachment 59050

Well I am not personally familiar with the H50 - but the best option for you to solve your focus problem is to change the auto-focus type to 'spot', then the center of the frame is where it will all auto-focus to. You will need to focus, then frame, rather then frame, then focus, but I prefer this style and I like the speedy control it gives me. Manual focus is cumbersome and difficult in point and shoots, but they are great with the manual ring lens. I think spot-focus will give you the control you are looking for. As far as the mode goes, go with aperture priority (A), and shoot for an aperture between 5 and 6.3 on that lens (or as low as 2.8 for more narrow depth of field). Make sure the ISO is keeping you above 1/80th of a second shutter speed, preferably above 1/160th. So if you are getting 1/40th of a second at ISO 100- try ISO 200 or higher.

In that shot, from the angle you are shooting at, getting all that in fine, crisp detail would be a challenge, focus clarity tends to fall back behind the central focal point, so if you wanted the wood grain in detail from that angle, you would have to focus at the left corner of the feeder, this would leave the bird somewhat soft. If you focused on the bird, the wood grain would be in much less detail. As it is, the focus was set right between both extreme angles, giving the compromised focus clarity.

Thanks Anbesol,
The manual shows spot metering but does not indicate spot focus.
I'm still experimenting and tried manual mode 125 @ f 8 ISO auto and got the little Brown headed Nuthatch again. It is a little better but not what I would rate very high. What say you about this one?
Attachment 59053