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How to Autofocus with the Panasonic EVA1

Ten years ago, I don't think any of us could have predicted that any of us could look at a new sub-$10,000 cinema camera, marvel over the specs sheet, and then stop for a second and ask: "but how good is the autofocus?" We live in that world now. Continuous autofocus has revolutionized the videography and documentary fields, and we are quickly coming to accept that as normal. Too bad the Panasonic EVA1 didn't get the memo. 

Step 1 - Is Your Lens Compatible? 

The short answer is probably, because Panasonic has done a good job supporting lenses with all motor types. USM, STM, it’s all good. But check their official listings just to be sure. Keep in mind those are the lenses they have confirmed, but yours may work even if it is not listed. When in doubt, test it and find out. 

2 - Assign AF to a Button. 

Autofocus isn’t mapped to any buttons out of the box, but that’s easy to fix. Just go to System Settings>User Switches. Once there, choose a button to map it to and exit out of the menus. May we recommend #6?

3 -  Press That Button. 

If you did everything properly, the camera should automatically (try to) find focus in the center of the screen. Note that this is not continuous autofocus, just push-AF. You will have to press that button again every time you need to adjust. But that's all it takes!