Help manual focusing?
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Manual focusing wasnt so hard before w/ my fisheye, but now that i have the 50mm 1.2, i can barely get pix in focus, and it takes me forever making me look like a total n00b. the green focus light only comes on for a split second, or it just flickers a little and i never really get a solid green, and even then i still end up w, poorly focused shots. at this point i'm thinking of setting my sights on he 1.4 af.
i have heard of the focus plate you can buy but i don't think i'm quite reasy to mod my camera.
are there any tricks? can i focus trap in manual focus (d300s)
i have heard of the focus plate you can buy but i don't think i'm quite reasy to mod my camera.
are there any tricks? can i focus trap in manual focus (d300s)
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j/k
Can't help you really with manually focusing on the D300 (I've tried but don't bother)
I'd just suggest http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/ ?
They can probably get you set up with a real split prism focusing screen just like in the good old days of manual film cameras.
That would be my trick, not sure if it is the best technique, but it is the only way I have found to get reliable manual focus.
i have heard of that before as well, but then how do you frame a shot like that?
Meaning use the distance marks on the lens to focus on the subject and stop down accordingly for the DoF needed. Since your using digital it will only be a minor inconvenience at first, but after a bit you'll should get really good at judging the distance.
5D2/1D MkII N/40D and a couple bits of glass.
Well, for me, I'm usually using a tripod since once you zoom in, any movement will be grossly magnified.
tripod is needed, or else live view will just be a blur. With the 50d, while using live view, you can use a live histogram to make sure you get proper exposure. So I compose the shot threw the viewfinder, rough focus, clamp the tripod head, then switch to live view, figure out the exposure, then focus as the last step. Take a few shots, then close live view for a minute, try not to leave it open for a long time, because live view heats the camera up, to the point it will affect your images.
i may end up giving up the 1.2 for a 1.4
http://cgi.ebay.com/180-Split-Image-Focusing-focus-Screen-f-Nikon-D80-D300-/110574491226?pt=Digital_Camera_Accessories&hash=item19bec0d65a
I'd look around though that's just an example. There are 90 and 45 degree splits as well
That is very interesting, I wonder how accurate those are? Is focus going to be spot on, or just relativly close?
I would think the ones posted in the link above (for much more money), would be more accurate, does anyone know if these all work the same way, with the lines matching up with correct focus?
Also, wiki says that using a microprism/split screen is only good in good light, that focus is impossible in low light, so I take that to mean, in the real world, they are only good in bright light
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focusing_screen
(note pictures of what the split screen looks like)
Why havent I read about these microprism/split screens in any books
They're dead accurate in the center where the 2 parts merge, but its hard to do with some things that have organic shapes so you don't know if its perfect or not, and yes low light can be a bitch (pardon me lol) For stuff like buildings and other straight stuff its %100 accurate as long as you have the ability to line up a straight line
I bought one since my original focusing screen somehow just fell out one day and was gone for good and it is nice to have the option anyway even with the drawbacks. I wasn't doing any better with the regular screen anyway!
Many film cameras have them too
Yeah I'd try out a $25 screen before a $11000 upgrade, lol
I generally switch the lens from AF to manual focus and use the camera's AF confirmation. That will generally work nicely even in low light.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
I will quote SGphoto on the first post in this thread
When you cant get autofocus to work during certain situations, or using a manual focus lens during certain situations, or are using manual focus with extension tubes or teleconverters, etc, 99% of the time that green confimation light is less then helpful. (at least on my 50d
Actually, I want to punch that green light when I am trying to focus to something close with the 400 (within focus range), and that damn green light just blinks at me :bluduh
No. Not tiny, impossible...well..okay, not impossible, but thanks for getting us there!
You want to shoot f/1.2 on the fly? if that is the case, then the only response that would work and would make sense is the "learn to Scale" focus that 20Dnoob wrote about. That is how I do it when shooting fast objects, such as fly-by's of birds that are checking me out..they are so fast, I cannot even think about following and focusing. I have to pre-focus and estimate when they are in range. Works pretty darned well.
But really, f/1.2? Gees!...tripod, live-view, lock the mirror, stand on one foot, pray..etc~
I know, I'll trade him my 1.8 for his 1.2
wait a minute, you are both tacking shots at us, when NO ONE ever said they were trying to focus at f1.2? (but maybe I am missing were they said that).
I understand that "learn to scale" is going to be your only option in certain situations, and is good as a last resort, but do you really think it gets you better results then any of the other methods that have been suggested? I dont think that is the case, so please dont act like we are all dumb
This is an open thread. No one is taking shots at anybody, that I can see.
My take was, that is what the OP was saying was giving him a hard time, a 50mm @f/1.2...I figured he wasn't having the prob at f8.
I was replying to the OP, and he asked for suggestions. Simple as that.
Offering alternative suggestions is normal and expected. also, should someone have special insight to a fix for a certain prob, suggesting alternatives is the way through to the heuristic. And of course, there is always more than one way to make potato salad.
Personally I've had good luck using Lv when manually focusing. And Ziggy's suggestion for the focus confirmation light is a good idea too, But based on my assessment of the OP's issue with the lens, I think trying to focus @ 1.2 on the fly, is rather hard if not near impossible.
Perhaps I ought to have asked him to clarify @ what f-stop he was having issues or if that was relative.
Sorry, I was just being cheeky
okay, sorry I was misunderstanding
okay, I am bad with humor
Or you're asleep. . . .
In poor light that momentary AF confirmation or even the little "twitter" of the AF confirmation light is all your gonna get, but I still think it is more accurate than a replacement viewfinder screen.
If you are shooting at f1.2 DOF is razer thin, meaning that you need to use the most accurate and most sensitive AF dot for the confirmation, usually the center AF dot. The problem is that "any" focus-then-recompose will shift the critical focus plane and render the area you just sampled out-of-focus.
The better solution is to set the lens to manual focus, AF confirm, take the shot without recomposing, then crop in post for composition. Yes, you lose a lot of the image but that will retain your focus accuracy.
If your camera has live view with magnification that can be invaluable because now you are viewing the image directly off the image plane, and you have the opportunity to see the focus accuracy anywhere in the image.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
I use a lot of MF lenses on my D300 & D200. It just takes a little getting used to. I would not bother changing screens. If you are looking through the viewfinder, the "green dot" will assist you, but the sharpness of the image should be your main criteria. If f1.2 is tough, try using f2.0 or more until you get used to it
This isnt my thread, so I wont go on trying to explain why the confirmation light wont work in many situations (the ones that requre me to MF), anyway, great advice. I think I will be adding a focus screen, so then I will have a 6th way to focus (unless there is a reason NOT to change the screen?)
If you have butterfingers you'll end up scratching and ruining both the original screen and the add in
Make sure you have a place to put the old one, like a plastic case or something, they're very sensitive to damage.
i never heard of bracket focusing untill i started asking about this topic but i guess thats worth a shot too. i still want a 1.4 though lol
This was taken with my RF using my 50 1.1 @1.1 at somewhere between 5-6 feet giving me about 2½-3¼(roughly) inches of in focus area. Nothing special I know but I'm still getting used to MF and no little dots in the VF to help so everything is still practice.
Good luck.
5D2/1D MkII N/40D and a couple bits of glass.