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Peak focusing for MF lens
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 9:24 am    Post subject: Peak focusing for MF lens Reply with quote
Hi Folks,

Is this focus confirmation assist "ON" all the time even when you are using MF lenses? So you don't need an AF chip?

Does the camera zoom in or is it just in normal view mode?

Thx


PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
peak focusing always ON specially with MFlenses. for make sure its on focus I still zoom in specially on thin dof


PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
No Nex adapters have chips (apart from Minolta AF perhaps?) so peak focusing is a great help. It doesn't zoom in by default. While useful, it's not fool proof and is only 60-70% accurate for pin sharp images. Also, it's still nigh on impossible to focus accurately in bright light using the rear screen Sad


PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It can be enabled in AF, DMF and MF, and does not disable focus enlargement. But it is no AF or AF substitute, merely a focusing aid.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
ManualFocus-G wrote:
No Nex adapters have chips (apart from Minolta AF perhaps?) so peak focusing is a great help. It doesn't zoom in by default. While useful, it's not fool proof and is only 60-70% accurate for pin sharp images. Also, it's still nigh on impossible to focus accurately in bright light using the rear screen Sad


Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad I thought this was my answer for my future MF photographic pursuits!! Looks like I make hang on to my G1 for another while longer.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
When using NEX lens in MF-mode, the LCD zooms in automatically always when you rotate the focus ring. I wish it did that with MF lenses too, but I guess it's not possible for camera to know when you're focusing.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 1:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
stingOM wrote:
ManualFocus-G wrote:
No Nex adapters have chips (apart from Minolta AF perhaps?) so peak focusing is a great help. It doesn't zoom in by default. While useful, it's not fool proof and is only 60-70% accurate for pin sharp images. Also, it's still nigh on impossible to focus accurately in bright light using the rear screen Sad

Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad I thought this was my answer for my future MF photographic pursuits!! Looks like I make hang on to my G1 for another while longer.


StingOM it still might be Wink
ManualFocus-G, even though the peak focusing is not always that accurate, I have been thinking that the high res LCD + enlarging alone make a NEX better for even critical focus than most, even any dSLRs? What's your take?
Well, not using LCD in bright sunlight, but then hopefully using the most likely exceptional good EVF of the newest NEX, external of 5N and internal of NEX7.

the Ricoh GXR + M module is reported to have similar focusing aids and there an external viewfinder for it available too


PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 5:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ManualFocus-G wrote:
No Nex adapters have chips (apart from Minolta AF perhaps?) so peak focusing is a great help. It doesn't zoom in by default. While useful, it's not fool proof and is only 60-70% accurate for pin sharp images. Also, it's still nigh on impossible to focus accurately in bright light using the rear screen Sad
That's when you have to take your M-glass off and put it on the rangefinder with film Smile


PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
stingOM wrote:
ManualFocus-G wrote:
No Nex adapters have chips (apart from Minolta AF perhaps?) so peak focusing is a great help. It doesn't zoom in by default. While useful, it's not fool proof and is only 60-70% accurate for pin sharp images. Also, it's still nigh on impossible to focus accurately in bright light using the rear screen Sad


Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad I thought this was my answer for my future MF photographic pursuits!! Looks like I make hang on to my G1 for another while longer.


Oh no, magnify scene and use peak focusing or/and an LCD viewer 100% accurate. My success ration is near 100% much , much more than before with any chiped adapter or split screen. With built in 7-14x magnify function + LCD viewer you can miss any images , peak focusing is a plus.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 7:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
stingOM wrote:
ManualFocus-G wrote:
No Nex adapters have chips (apart from Minolta AF perhaps?) so peak focusing is a great help. It doesn't zoom in by default. While useful, it's not fool proof and is only 60-70% accurate for pin sharp images. Also, it's still nigh on impossible to focus accurately in bright light using the rear screen Sad


Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad I thought this was my answer for my future MF photographic pursuits!! Looks like I make hang on to my G1 for another while longer.


Oh no, magnify scene and use peak focusing or/and an LCD viewer 100% accurate. My success ration is near 100% much , much more than before with any chiped adapter or split screen. With built in 7-14x magnify function + LCD viewer you can miss any images , peak focusing is a plus.

+1
if we're in hurry for fast moments, peaking level is better than any AF chip confirmation


PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
IAZA wrote:
Attila wrote:
stingOM wrote:
ManualFocus-G wrote:
No Nex adapters have chips (apart from Minolta AF perhaps?) so peak focusing is a great help. It doesn't zoom in by default. While useful, it's not fool proof and is only 60-70% accurate for pin sharp images. Also, it's still nigh on impossible to focus accurately in bright light using the rear screen Sad


Crying or Very sad Crying or Very sad I thought this was my answer for my future MF photographic pursuits!! Looks like I make hang on to my G1 for another while longer.


Oh no, magnify scene and use peak focusing or/and an LCD viewer 100% accurate. My success ration is near 100% much , much more than before with any chiped adapter or split screen. With built in 7-14x magnify function + LCD viewer you can miss any images , peak focusing is a plus.

+1
if we're in hurry for fast moments, peaking level is better than any AF chip confirmation

+1
Agree . for focusing in bright sun it's necessary to manually enable the "bright sun LCD" setting and to use a hood specially designed ( you find it cheap on bay) this helps a lot.
You should try such a camera.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 2:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sting

Use NEX and G1? Those lenses will react differently, but you also have a back up camera and the larger lenses are wider than on the m4/3. Depends on the kind of photography you want. Birding and the G1 will probably be better? Crop factor.


PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ManualFocus-G wrote:
No Nex adapters have chips (apart from Minolta AF perhaps?) so peak focusing is a great help. It doesn't zoom in by default. While useful, it's not fool proof and is only 60-70% accurate for pin sharp images. Also, it's still nigh on impossible to focus accurately in bright light using the rear screen Sad


Don't Nex cameras have liveview with x10 magnification like recent Canon EOS cameras?


PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
yes they have but with peak focusing (works like an overexposed areas) you can see focus on rare lcd without magnifing or you can see it better than with magnify only.


PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The focus peaking is optional regardless of the lens on the camera. You can select the amount as either low/medium/high, I've only had it on high so I'm not sure what the others do. The MF assist zoom you can turn on or off as well. It goes to 7x with an option for 14x. For close up photos this is too far and it's annoying that there's no 2x/3x option.


PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't like the focus peaking function...it doesn't seem accurate enough to me. I want tack sharp photos and I'm not sure that gives me those sort of results. Zooming in 10x definitely helps though Smile


PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi,I have finally found a solution to ensure accurate focusing when I shoot macro flora with my Pentax K20D. I almost always mount camera on a macro 4way focusing rail + tripod,compose shot,manually focus as close as visually correct and then use my newly purchased Schneider Kruesnach 3x magnification lupe(adjustable magnification) to make small,final adjustments.Over many years I have purchased many focussing aids including Hoodman,which has atrocious optics for the price,and not one was completely satisfactory,tada! welcome to Schneider which has two exchangeable hoods,one solid, allowing in no light in bright sunshine and one that is opaque which allows sufficient light in under overcast conditions and being 3" square fits over screen beautifully.During trial shoot using this magnifier every shot was pin sharp even with my Tamron 180mm 2.5 macro wide open,the only drawback that may deter some users is price $160,but then you are getting Schneider optics.It also works beautifully on my many film cameras 35mm,6x6 and my 4x5 and also use it on my NEX5


PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ManualFocus-G wrote:
I don't like the focus peaking function...it doesn't seem accurate enough to me. I want tack sharp photos and I'm not sure that gives me those sort of results. Zooming in 10x definitely helps though Smile


I look peak focusing on zoomed picture Wink


PostPosted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think focus peaking takes a little getting used to. I always have it on and set to max in colour red. It works better in b&w.

Some say that reducing in camera sharpness also helps for critical focus. That may sound like a bad idea to some but remember that sharpening is generally best done in pp anyway. I've yet to test it out myself.

Also I think the more you stop down the lens the harder it is to know where the best focus point will be. This is why it is best to also zoom in and fine tune.

I think focus peaking is more about getting nearly there faster and for that it is excellent.


PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 2:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
during my first days with NEX it was a mix of being thrilled how well focus peaking worked, how precisely it made me focus, and of being stunned by how much off I was at other times.
Soon I realized that I was spot on when doing difficult focusing with the lens wide open, but missed it with the lens stopped down. It became apparent that:

focus peaking works best with the lens wide open

the shallower the dof, the better! what a difference it makes, and how well it works then!!! with the lens stopped down, deep dof, focus peaking shows a lot to be in focus and makes it very hard to see where the actual, precise focus was

see the combined tips on how best to use focus peaking:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1042&message=40063490
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