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Today's discovery
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 5:16 am    Post subject: Today's discovery Reply with quote
I'm sure this will be obvious to some, but I discovered a new "feature" using MF lenses with my Sony a6000. Not only does the focus peaking feature show what's in focus, but it also gives you a constant DOF preview. Very neat and very useful! I've had the camera for over a year now and never thought of it because I was shooting 99% AF until recently.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 6:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
welcome to manual focus on sony alpha Wink

ou have also a "magnifying" mode for focusing only
You have to press a button, the magnifying mode set to x4.8 , press again it go to x9.6 press again it will back to normal


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
thebbm wrote:
welcome to manual focus on sony alpha Wink

ou have also a "magnifying" mode for focusing only
You have to press a button, the magnifying mode set to x4.8 , press again it go to x9.6 press again it will back to normal


Thanks, I was aware of this and do use it. However I notice that the peak focusing doesn't show up when I magnify. Is that just the way it works or is there some setting I need to change?


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
No, it's the same with my NEX 7. The focus peaking doesn't entirely disappear, it just becomes very dispersed and sometimes entirely vanishes from the magnified view.

Since the aperture is being operated manually when using MF lenses on a mirrorless, it just makes sense that you'll be seeing everything in focus within the DOF when the lens is stopped down. Also, using the lens's hyperfocal scale is a handy way of getting everything you want in focus without having to visually focus the lens.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Focus peaking is basically an indicator of the sharpness (abruptness) of image transitions. It is an indirect form of focus detection, based on the fact that, in general, transitions are smooth in an out-of-focus image, but become sharp when the image is critically focused.

If the image is inherently smooth (uniform wall, for example) focus peaking does not work.

When the image is highly magnified, the abruptness of the transitions decreases, what explains why focus peaking stops working.

Since focus peaking depends on the subject's texture, we cannot say that focus peaking is a good predictor of DOF.

The usual implementations of focus peaking work only for transitions in horizontal direction. Transitions in the vertical direction are ignored.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 3:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nice, isn't it? Wink

Now that you're playing with manual focus, assign the Custom button next to the shutter for Manual Focus Assist. This will bump the magnification to better focus on the subject. Zebra should be enabled. Focus peaking set to minimal, and color Red. Live View enabled.
These settings have worked very well for me.

Have fun! Like 1 small


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I always ask myself what the zebra mode do ( I never use it, focus peaking is enough for me).


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I always ask myself what the zebra mode do ( I never use it, focus peaking is enough for me).


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 9:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Shucks, I don't think my NEX 7 has a "zebra mode." Whatever it is. Sounds interesting, though.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 10:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Today's discovery Reply with quote
Roka wrote:
I'm sure this will be obvious to some, but I discovered a new "feature" using MF lenses with my Sony a6000. Not only does the focus peaking feature show what's in focus, but it also gives you a constant DOF preview. Very neat and very useful! I've had the camera for over a year now and never thought of it because I was shooting 99% AF until recently.


Strictly speaking, the constant DoF preview is associated with "Manual Aperture", or lack of "Auto Aperture". There might be some MF lenses that will let you focus wide-open, and stop down just before you shoot.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
thebbm wrote:
I always ask myself what the zebra mode do ( I never use it, focus peaking is enough for me).


I also rarely use it, I think it's for detecting over-exposure. When you blow highlight (your exposure loses detail in highlight area), it will show a zebra overlay to warn you.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 10:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
eno789 wrote:
thebbm wrote:
I always ask myself what the zebra mode do ( I never use it, focus peaking is enough for me).


I also rarely use it, I think it's for detecting over-exposure. When you blow highlight (your exposure loses detail in highlight area), it will show a zebra overlay to warn you.


I tried it a few times and found it quite distracting. Also, you can see the "blown" areas in one of the review modes. I find that somewhat more helpful at times.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
On my Canon, blown areas blink. I guess I was thinking my NEX 7 does the same, but I don't specifically recall at the moment. I just looked through my NEX's menu system and wasn't able to find anything related to this. Odd.

Last edited by cooltouch on Wed Mar 23, 2016 10:34 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 10:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
On my Canon, blown areas blink. I guess I was thinking my NEX 7 does the same, but I don't specifically recall at the moment.


Zebra mode, blinkies - whatever it takes to get an image sharp. Aren't we lucky to have such aids in these modern cameras when our predecessors only had the Mk1 eyeball
OH


PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Zebra is one of the best ways to nail exposure according to this video. Although it is aimed at videography, I found it very useful if you have the time to watch

https://youtu.be/tKongHZvUjs


PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 2:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Canon 5D Classic overexposure points flash only on this tiny display -- not full screen.



Zebra is useful (and so named) because the image is divided into "striped" sections -- one "stripe" indicates over exposure in Red, one "stripe" indicates under exposure in Blue, and of course there is the unchanged "stripe" indicating exposure is within limits...

Magic Lantern for Canon has a zebra.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 2:43 pm    Post subject: Re: Today's discovery Reply with quote
Roka wrote:
I'm sure this will be obvious to some, but I discovered a new "feature" using MF lenses with my Sony a6000. Not only does the focus peaking feature show what's in focus, but it also gives you a constant DOF preview. Very neat and very useful! I've had the camera for over a year now and never thought of it because I was shooting 99% AF until recently.


Peaking doesn't provide for DOF preview, but if you're stopping down the lens, that will do it and maybe peaking responds. In the case that you might be focusing in a stop downed mode, you will not get as precise a focus. Focus wide open (peaking gets you close, magnification gets you precise), then stop down.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yeah, that's what I do. I find it to be rather confusing, trying to focus with the lens stopped down using focus peaking -- because it becomes very difficult to nail precise focus. The point of focus becomes an area of focus, which I don't like. So I always focus wide open, then stop down.
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