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Manual Focus Anonymous
How many people here still manual focus for the most part?
>> Anonymous
I do. Even sometimes on an F100
>> Anonymous
I'm into manual. It feels great when you got yourself a nice picture using manual. It likes baking yourself. Everything made by hand just feels better. I have been thinking to buy only manual focus lenses from now on.
>> beethy !vW/UaE6zYU
I dropped my 50mm f/1.8 a while ago so I'm forced to use manual focus on it now.
It feel different but not in a bad way. Though I don't see myself using manual focus much on my other lenses on my 400D since the viewfinder is so damn small.
>> soulr !lK4GD5SleY
I do on film cameras(split finder SLR's and rangefinders), its pretty easy and fast and doesn't really bother me, in fact i prefer it to autofocus, its the feel i guess.
>> Anonymous
I manual focus all the time since I personaly like the feel of doing it yourself, and doing as much as i can before my eyes start getting too old.
>> Anonymous
I have only ever really used manual focus (Rolie 6008, Mamiya RB67, Pentax MX) but after having used my 400d for a year I kind of miss that part of taking photos, I am thinking of switching to a d700 with a nice Zeiss prime manual focus.
>> Anonymous
on a manual focus cam - yeah
on an af cam - nah
>> Anonymous
>>248609
I agree if you mean focusing an AF lens (particularly Nikkors). But using manual focus lenses on an AF body has a bunch of appeal
>> Anonymous
I focus manually on my Nikon FG because, well, it's manual focus only and has a hueg split-prism viewfinder. On DSLRs with their small, plain matte viewfinders I use AF whenever possible - otherwise it's really slow, less accurate and I end up with red eyes after a couple hours of shooting.
>> Anonymous
I use MF almost exclusively, even on my D200. I only own two AF lenses anyway.
>> Anonymous
See if i switch to either a d300 or d700 I feel it's a kind of a waste of a great feature - 51 point AF. But I miss my Zeiss lenses.
>> Anonymous
manual focus? on a crop cam with those viewfinders? no thanks
>> Anonymous
meeeeeeeeeeeeee

I shoot probably 85% with MF Takumars. It's a pain on my DSLR, which doesn't have a split-prism, but it's possible.

Incidentally, I don't know why camera companies today can't make a finder as good as the one on my old Spotmatic. An SLR with a 0.97x finder (and that's real, not this 0.94x on crop crap which is really only about 0.6x) and close to 100% coverage. They could do it back in the 70s, why not now?

Incidentally, most new lenses have a terrible focus feel. The USM lenses don't have a direct connection to the focusing helical, which is a big ergonomic no-no, and the micromotor and smaller lenses just feel loose and crappy and un-damped. For the people with new DSLRs and auto lenses: using a smooth, well-oiled and well-damped MF-only lens is an experience not to be missed.
>> Liska !!LIVFOETqL8j
>>248602

I have to manually focus with my wide angle, or it doesn't focus properly at all. kills my eyes - with models, etc, though or moving objects, i need to stick with the automatic.
>> Anonymous
>>248623
>An SLR with a 0.97x finder and close to 100% coverage
What Spotmatic is that? Typical SLRs of that time had 0.8-0.9x magnification and 90-95% coverage.

>They could do it back in the 70s, why not now?
1) Some light is split to the AF system, and modern metering systems probably also eat more light than Spotmatic's.
2) On an APS DSLR you're dealing with a focusing screen more than 2 times smaller. So if you put magnifying prism or some lenses in there so the image appears as big as on a film SLR, it will be too dim.
3) For full-frame DSLRs, 0.86x vs. 0.76x is not a big issue, more so because most people use AF anyway.
>> elf_man !!DdAnyoDMfCe
For the most part? No. With my macro lens? Yes, which has certainly given me quite a bit of practice.
>> Anonymous
My bad. I remembered reading on some forums about those numbers -- found em again and it was for the MX.
http://photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/009fvi
".97x magnification and 95% coverage".

Based on other tables, the spotmatic I shoot with is .88x and about 93% coverage. The .88x is what does it for me -- significantly larger than even the pro-level finders today. And yes, it's a lot brighter, because it has no AF system and the metering reads directly from the ground glass (no splitting).

Oh well. Guess they just can't do that anymore. The D700's finder is pretty good, though, and the 1Ds is quite nice.
>> VF-19
>>248623

If your DSLR can take interchangable focusing screens, you could get a split image focusing screen. From what I understand, it screws up the center spot metering, but doesn't effect the rest of the exposure calculation.
>> Anonymous
Well, I can only MF on the 105mm 2.5 ais with my D300, and whenever I pull out an old 14mm 3.5 Sigma. And whenever I can take out a friend's Hasselblad for a spin, manual focus all the way.
>> Anonymous
I MF on my B&W camera....way easier than on my EOSs.
>> Lynx !!KY+lVSl0s2m
Manual Focusing right now on a D40, I hate it, the viewfinder is just too small. But it's slightly worth it with a 50 1.4
>> Anonymous
I use rangefinders for most of my work so yep, its all manual focus for me. On my DSLR I only use it out of habit.
>> Anonymous
>>248623
nevermind the numbers, the spotmatic's finder was just awful. Almost every other jap M42 body has a nicer finder.
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
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I use a Canon 5D with the EE-S screen (necessary for anything faster than f/2.8, seriously) and not a single Canon lens. Everything's manual focus, from the lensbaby to the nikkor primes (20 f/2.8, 28 f/2, 35 f/1.4, 50 f/1.2, 55 micro f/3.5, 105 f/2.5, 135 f/3.5, 180 f/2.8 and 300 f/4.5).

No aperture coupling sucks and would make using the lenses a lot easier, so I really am jonesing after a D700 really badly, but I just can't come up with the bucks for it. Stop-down metering is quirky and often difficult in shooting situations. Generally though, I find it's not bad, because the times I'm able to stop down (bright sunlight, etc), sometimes the viewfinder is clearer and easier on my eye than the actual scene. In Texas, anyways.

The whole way I'm using the 5D and these lenses seems like a little blast to the past. It's a challenge but I think it builds ability, or at least proficiency with a number of hand-eye-mind coordination tasks. I miss autofocus, but I'll have it some day. Probably soon, seeing as I can check out Canon glass from the photo-j department. I think they have a bunch of 70-200 2.8 ISs and the 85L and shit. Can't wait until I'm in a photo class again...

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeCanonCamera ModelCanon EOS 5DImage-Specific Properties:Horizontal Resolution300 dpiVertical Resolution300 dpiImage Created2008:08:31 17:27:46Exposure Time1/80 secExposure ProgramManualISO Speed Rating400Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModeUnknownFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryRenderingNormalExposure ModeManualWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandard
>> Anonymous
>>248661
I love it. Go die.

>>248664
JESUS CHRIST SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT YOUR GEAR! WE DO NOT GIVE A SHIT HOW MANY LENSES YOU HAVE AND WE ALREADY KNOW BECAUSE YOU POST THAT FUCKING LIST IN EVERY GODDAMN THREAD RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE
>> Anonymous
>>248664

This pic is no good. It's oversaturated, the white balance is too yellow, it's murky, and there's a mystery finger pointing at her groin.
>> Anonymous
I do. But then again, I use a Chinon CM-4s with 50mm f/1.7 lens. With a broken aperture (stuck on f/1.7).

And I still prefer it to my Canon EOS when shooting film.
>> eku !8cibvLQ11s
I've got some old manual focus lenses which I would like to use, but focusing with 30D is a pain in the ass. I can get the focusing almost right, and that's best I can hope.
If I would have the money, I would upgrade to 40D and buy some screens.
>> Anonymous
>>248670
He's talking about gear, in a gear thread... fuck off troll
>> sage sage
>>248670
Was it your first camera?
Halo players have similar opinions of their first FPS.
>>248664
99/10
>> i - !EoFJjFcCco
I rarely use manual, mainly because there are few situations I've run into where I haven't been able to use auto, but also because I actively avoid manual due to the teeny-teeny viewfinder on my lolrebel.
>> Anonymous
I still do, both on film and digital.