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The key sentence in [url="http://www.sansmirror.com/newsviews/galapagos-focus-testing.html"]Hogan's article[/url] is: "This just goes to show that phase detect autofocus does indeed have its advantages."



It is indeed disappointing that Nikon is not able to employ phase detect AF on the actual sensor for low light conditions. I suppose we either need more sensitive or simply more phase sensors on the imaging plane. At the current stage of development, Nikon's contrast AF has still a long way to go.



[url="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikonv1j1/page8.asp"]Regarding Nikon's contrast AF in low light[/url]: "The problem is that even in average interior room light, both cameras struggle to find that lock. They rarely give up completely (and built-in AF illuminators are on hand in both cameras) but we've been surprised by how FREQUENTLY THEY FALTER." Compare this to [url="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmcg3/page9.asp"]Panasonic's contrast AF in low light[/url]: "Of course, the Achilles heel of any contrast-detection AF system is low light, poor subject contrast or a combination of the two. Overall, we found performance in these environments to be ON PAR with that of entry-level DSLRs."



This is not new. We'll see if Canon has made huge strides in this department, but I seriously doubt it.