How to get "faster" in manual Focussing....

[Tom466]

So I am new to those old Lenses and MF, but it is real Fun to me playing around with them. Are there any Tips how to get faster and safer in getting Things, Objects and especially moving Objects in the right manual Focus. The E-PL2 has no "Focus Peaking" like other Cams for Example. .... (but next Year I am getting myself the Olympus OM-D E-M10, wich has the "Focus Peaking Feature"

Thanks for your Help, Tips and Ideas.

Tom

[miran]

In my experience focus peaking doesn't help to focus faster. I use focus peaking only when I have enough time to zoom in and fine tune the focus. To focus quicky I usually turn focus peaking off and rely on the fact that the EVF starts to flicker a tiny little bit when you find best focus. The same is true for the back LCD but to a lesser extent.

[cooltouch]

What Miran said. I use focus peaking on my NEX 7 to get me close, then I double check focus using the image magnification function on that camera, which enlarges to 5.9x and 11x. I find this plenty sufficient. 11x is really a handful when trying to hand-hold this camera.

Also, I'd just say this: practice, practice, practice. Back in my film days, I bought plain matte ground glass focusing screens for all my cameras that would take interchangeable screens. I still follow this practice. I initially bought the plain matte screens so it would be easier to use my Sigma 600mm f/8 lens. And I had a couple others that were f/5.6 lenses and a few others that were f/4. With all of these lenses, the standard microprism/split image focusing aids no longer worked very well and had in fact become a nuisance, just getting in the way of my trying to focus and compose. I found that with a bit of practice I got quite fast with plain matte screens, which is why I still use them.

One of my techniques that you might try is rocking the lens to achieve focus. By rocking, what I mean is you turn the focusing collar in both directions from the exact point of focus, reducing the degree of turn with each rock until you settle on that precise center point. It's like what a pendulum does -- it swings back and forth until finally coming to rest at its point of equilibrium. I find this works best when lenses are wide open and not stopped down a ways because that extends the depth of field, which makes it more difficult to determine the precise point of focus. But by the same token it makes things easier as long as I'm willing to trust the DOF the lens is showing.

[Attila]

Magnification is only what accurate really, for example on portrait shoots I check blood lines in white part of eye, if I see it , shoot will be deadly accurate if not either lens is crap or need try more to have accurate focus.

[dwijip]

Also It really helps that you know your lens inside and out. How sharp it is at what f stop and focal length and whether it goes past infinity etc. Which I guess all come with practice

[cooltouch]

Wow, Attila, I'd never thought of focusing on blood vessels in the eye. I'd always contented myself with trying to get the reflections sharp -- but I can definitely see how blood vessels would give you a better focal point, since some reflections can be diffuse.

[Attila]

I am glad I could give you a useful hint

[mo]

[56 DIN]

[duckrider]

[visualopsins]

[mo]

never would I beat my cat,she likes to sit and pose ,well make that sleep and there's my chance I just have to get her to look my way.I guess that is the key as well to "quick focusing" is know your subject and take plenty of images!Thankfully digital affords us this luxury.
Not quite the blood vessel focus,taken with the G1 and Canon 100/3.5 FL

[16:9]

Each type of subject is a law unto itself: if you want to get good at shooting cats, shoot a lot of cats.