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09/01/2015 01:04:28 PM · #1 |
Originally posted by Neil:
Now imagine being able to do that even when looking through the viewfinder! Therein lies the beauty of mirrorless. |
Yeah, that seems pretty slick. I still need to get my hands on one to play with it! |
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09/01/2015 11:27:08 AM · #2 |
Originally posted by Neil:
I haven't gotten to the point of selling my SLRs, but I'm close! |
I'm not so close... but I can see the day coming. The only real use for the mirror is to support the phase detection AF system and the metering system. Once mirrorless AF performance reaches parity with what's possible with current phase detection systems, there will be no reason to have a mirror box. I, for one, will not mourn its passing. I am looking forward to the flexibility, mechanical simplicity and weight reduction that mirrorless enables.
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09/01/2015 10:24:08 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by smurfguy:
Oh man, for manual focus, I'm absolutely nailing portraits with manual focus using live view with 5x / 10x zoom (as described in this video at 2:37 to 3:11).
I switch to live view, compose the shot, move the rectangle over the subject's face, zoom in, adjust focus and bam, nail the eyes (almost) every time! |
Now imagine being able to do that even when looking through the viewfinder! Therein lies the beauty of mirrorless.
Also, with mirrorless, you have focus peaking, which works like a charm.
I haven't gotten to the point of selling my SLRs, but I'm close! The Fuji glass is great, and of course, with mirrorless, you can also use SLR lenses from any manufacturer. (If the X-T1 had built-in IS, I think I'd be there!)
Message edited by author 2015-09-01 10:25:06. |
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09/01/2015 09:27:30 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by Mike:
im looking for a good manual focus wide angle lens preferably around 14mm for use on a canon 5dii. i'm looking at the rokinon 14mm but i was wondering if any older legacy lenses would fit the bill. |
Someone may chime in to prove me wrong, but that ultra-wide focal length is something that was not producible without very significant compromises using older lens technology. The Rokinon may well be one of the best choices out there.
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09/01/2015 08:47:40 AM · #5 |
im looking for a good manual focus wide angle lens preferably around 14mm for use on a canon 5dii. i'm looking at the rokinon 14mm but i was wondering if any older legacy lenses would fit the bill.
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08/31/2015 11:26:01 PM · #6 |
Oh man, for manual focus, I'm absolutely nailing portraits with manual focus using live view with 5x / 10x zoom (as described in this video at 2:37 to 3:11).
I switch to live view, compose the shot, move the rectangle over the subject's face, zoom in, adjust focus and bam, nail the eyes (almost) every time! |
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08/13/2015 11:30:23 AM · #7 |
For me, being a gear-head / junk collector, there are too many oddball and oldies that I enjoy to even do a quick overview here.
The one lens that's totally different from anything else that I normally shoot with is an old B&L 1918 Series C for 4X5 camera.
It's about 140mm with the whole lens, and around 65mm or so with the front element removed for soft focus shooting.
I machined a threaded adapter to put it on an ordinary bellows attachment so that I could focus it.
Here's a sample of what it can do that is not within the realm of most lenses.
Speaking of "magic lantern", I also adapted the lens from a Balopticon projector to work with my D7000 by using some PVC pipe and a telescope focusing tube with Nikon adapter.
The images are pretty messy on the crop sensor re CA and sharpness, but it still has a particular sort of softness that I like for certain subjects and lighting conditions.
Here's one shot into the setting sunlight on the local river.
Message edited by author 2015-08-13 11:34:35. |
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08/13/2015 10:18:53 AM · #8 |
| Ooh, I'd forgotten about Magic Lantern. I see they've now got more still features - I might have to play with that! =D |
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08/13/2015 08:20:12 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by smurfguy:
...Fritz, did you zoom in while in live view mode? |
No, and I'm sure that would help. When I'm documenting things @ work, I'm pretty much always shooting hand-held, and I need to frame as well as focus, so magnification isn't a good idea. I do like the freedom of live view for not having to have my face plastered to the camera, but the low resolution of the rear LCD is a problem. Focus peaking, ala Magic Lantern would probably provide a good solution, but I don't want to install the hacked firmware on that camera.
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08/10/2015 09:33:35 PM · #10 |
Lol, Paul, I see what you did there.
Fritz, did you zoom in while in live view mode? On my camera, that zooms the live view into 5x or 10x - perfect for macro work. Then the stick lets me move the zoom around to check focus in various places. I found I also have to be in manual mode to be able to fully control ISO, shutter, and aperture (other modes it automatically adjusted ISO.)
Message edited by author 2015-08-10 22:12:21. |
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08/10/2015 08:33:37 PM · #11 |
$3.99/Dozen at Oriental Trading Company 
    
 ->  Shot through the diffusion panel of a fluorescent light fixture. 
Message edited by author 2015-08-10 20:46:40. |
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08/10/2015 07:44:54 PM · #12 |
I had the opportunity to mess with Live View focus for a little macro work this afternoon, documenting an issue at work. I went back to the viewfinder. The rear screen just doesn't give me as good an indication of the focus plane, probably because of the relatively low resolution.
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08/10/2015 12:44:55 PM · #13 |
Yep, that was exactly my experience. It was, "huh, that's a little better I guess." The other thing that had me down was that I got it shipped form Amazon, and the package had clearly been opened, and there were a few specks on the screen, so my negative impression wasn't entirely the EG-S's fault.
But again, I've was surprisingly impressed with live view focus when zoomed in. However, I'd want to see both the full crop and a zoom-ed bit (ideally I could move the zoomed-in bit.) Apparently some cameras do this? Looks like this feature is called "dual mode" on the Fuji XT-1. Do the Sonys have this? Seems awesome! |
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08/10/2015 12:13:36 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
Do make sure that the camera diopter is optimized for your vision. I found this to be more critical with the EG-S than the standard screen. The EG-S also took a little while to get accustomed to, but I can definitely say that my MF hit rate has jumped dramatically with the EG-S. Not that manually focusing a fast lens can ever be mistaken for "easy."
I will have to try using live view, although I am very much a viewfinder kinda guy. |
it is, i noticed a difference, i was just expecting to see a marginal increase in the ability to manual focus through the viewfinder. when i first looked through it I checked to make sure i bought the right one. :)
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08/10/2015 10:47:55 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by smurfguy:
Quite honestly, this has me even more interested in checking out a mirrorless, probably in the Sony lineup. I actually think I'm more thoughtful composing on the LCD (though admittedly I've only tried it briefly, and action could be harder.) |
I'd make sure you try one out in a shop for a bit before going for one. I love the mirrorless cameras from Sony, Fuji and Olympus and they are much better the dslr's in many ways but there are many ways in which they lag behind such as auto-focus etc. |
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08/10/2015 10:43:41 AM · #16 |
Originally posted by Mike:
Originally posted by smurfguy:
Yep. I just received the EG-S super precision focusing screen, and I wasn't that impressed unfortunately. It was a little better, but not much. At the same time, I discovered and played with live view for focus, and it's pretty amazing, even without peaking.
Quite honestly, this has me even more interested in checking out a mirrorless, probably in the Sony lineup. I actually think I'm more thoughtful composing on the LCD (though admittedly I've only tried it briefly, and action could be harder.) |
same here, i installed mine and i expected to see more of a difference. its definitely easier to hit focus manually but I'm sort of under whelmed. of course it is easier to visualize the wide open DOF before you take the shot. |
Do make sure that the camera diopter is optimized for your vision. I found this to be more critical with the EG-S than the standard screen. The EG-S also took a little while to get accustomed to, but I can definitely say that my MF hit rate has jumped dramatically with the EG-S. Not that manually focusing a fast lens can ever be mistaken for "easy."
I will have to try using live view, although I am very much a viewfinder kinda guy.
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08/10/2015 09:01:55 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by smurfguy:
Yep. I just received the EG-S super precision focusing screen, and I wasn't that impressed unfortunately. It was a little better, but not much. At the same time, I discovered and played with live view for focus, and it's pretty amazing, even without peaking.
Quite honestly, this has me even more interested in checking out a mirrorless, probably in the Sony lineup. I actually think I'm more thoughtful composing on the LCD (though admittedly I've only tried it briefly, and action could be harder.) |
same here, i installed mine and i expected to see more of a difference. its definitely easier to hit focus manually but I'm sort of under whelmed. of course it is easier to visualize the wide open DOF before you take the shot.
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08/10/2015 12:06:28 AM · #18 |
Originally posted by Olyuzi:
it suffers from bad CA that I'm still not proficient at cleaning up. Other than that it's sharp with beautiful bokeh and excellent build quality. |
Yep, I can confirm all that.
Originally posted by Olyuzi:
you may want to check out their new 135mm f2.0 lens. |
Ooh, looks like another nice, fast, reasonably priced manual prime. For me, I'm pretty happy with my similarly priced 80-200 f/2.8, though, but that 2.6' min focus distance sure looks nice.
Originally posted by Olyuzi:
fall short when using AFC for moving subjects |
I've owned a digital rebel, Nikon D700 and a 5D mk II, and I've never been impressed with auto-focus on moving subjects. Maybe that's what you pay the big 1D bucks for?
Originally posted by Olyuzi:
One of the great things about EVFs is that they make manual focus so easy and accurate. |
Yep. I just received the EG-S super precision focusing screen, and I wasn't that impressed unfortunately. It was a little better, but not much. At the same time, I discovered and played with live view for focus, and it's pretty amazing, even without peaking.
Quite honestly, this has me even more interested in checking out a mirrorless, probably in the Sony lineup. I actually think I'm more thoughtful composing on the LCD (though admittedly I've only tried it briefly, and action could be harder.) |
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08/09/2015 10:51:39 AM · #19 |
Originally posted by smurfguy:
Ok, I just saw a Canon 85mm 1.2, salivated, missed my mid-range primes (I've owned an 85 1.8 and a 50 1.4, one sold, one dropped), did some reading, and I discovered the Rokinon 85mm 1.4 for $239.
I asked myself, "Self, how did you not know about this lens?!" It was an insta-buy! I know it's all manual, but reviews are decent and the price for this speed is fantastic! A portrait / still-life lover's dream come true? But curiously, not many dpc owners.
This makes me wonder -- what other lesser-known, reasonably-priced lens gems are out there? Used? Adapted? Niche? What'cha got and what's it best at? |
I own the Rokinon 85/1.4 for micro 4/3rds and the only thing I don't like is it suffers from bad CA that I'm still not proficient at cleaning up. Other than that it's sharp with beautiful bokeh and excellent build quality. Oh, and the hood it comes with fits very poorly and is of low quality but that's pretty minor.
Rokinon (same lenses as Bower and Samyang) offer quality lenses in many different focal lengths and if you want another great value priced portrait lens you may want to check out their new 135mm f2.0 lens. I don't own it but I already have a Minolta 135mm MD f2.8 (not the better Rokkor-X) that I'm very fond of and got for just $40 off of ebay.
One of the great things about EVFs is that they make manual focus so easy and accurate. I get far more keepers now using the enlarged view and focus peaking on my Panasonic GX-7 and to me it's a more involved way of shooting that I enjoy a lot more than autofocus. Btw, the contrast detection autofocus on mirrorless m43 cameras are very accurate and just as fast as the phase detection used on DSLR cameras and lenses for AFS shooting but fall short when using AFC for moving subjects. And they never have to be calibrated for front of back focus problems either. |
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08/09/2015 10:30:10 AM · #20 |
Originally posted by Paul:
There's the mounting issue and then the rangefinder coupling issue. Mine is a rangefinder variant and has a section of the back glass element cut away to allow the coupling to mate. However, my Canon 7sz (the camera it came with) has two mounts, an internal LTM and an external mount. This particular lens used the outer mount and is not natively capable of being mounted on any other rangefinder (despite being a rangefinder lens). I've had mine converted to Leica M mount and can now be used on my M240 and on my Sony A7II with a M to FE adaptor.
Rangerfinder focussing is a bit too tricky anyway and if I use it on the M240, I tend to use the EVF with focus peaking. |
Ha, I was unaware that there were variants *within* the rangefinder variant!
One of the reasons I really like the Canon EOS mount is its adaptability. Mirrorless takes that to a new level. For that reason alone, I know that there is a mirrorless body in my future, but that day is probably still a couple years off.
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08/09/2015 02:55:00 AM · #21 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
Originally posted by Paul:
Try f/0.95 as a focussing challenge. |
I actually sold a copy of that one for a friend a few years back. There were two versions of it, one for Canon rangefinders, the other used as a TV lens. The TV version could be easily converted to rangefinder use. |
There's the mounting issue and then the rangefinder coupling issue. Mine is a rangefinder variant and has a section of the back glass element cut away to allow the coupling to mate. However, my Canon 7sz (the camera it came with) has two mounts, an internal LTM and an external mount. This particular lens used the outer mount and is not natively capable of being mounted on any other rangefinder (despite being a rangefinder lens). I've had mine converted to Leica M mount and can now be used on my M240 and on my Sony A7II with a M to FE adaptor.
Rangerfinder focussing is a bit too tricky anyway and if I use it on the M240, I tend to use the EVF with focus peaking. |
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08/07/2015 09:24:44 PM · #22 |
The Leica 50mm .95 Noctilux runs above $10,000.
If you follow any of the Leica forums or Facebook sites you'd be amazed at how many people own one. |
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08/07/2015 07:06:14 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by Paul:
Try f/0.95 as a focussing challenge. |
I actually sold a copy of that one for a friend a few years back. There were two versions of it, one for Canon rangefinders, the other used as a TV lens. The TV version could be easily converted to rangefinder use.
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08/07/2015 06:26:52 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by posthumous:
Originally posted by Paul:
Try f/0.95 as a focussing challenge. |
I didn't know it was possible to go under 1! |
Try Stanley Kubrick's Zeiss f/0.7 lenses. Zeiss only made 10 of them. Six went to NASA and Kubrick bought three.
There are actually a couple of affordable super fast lenses available now apart from Paul's Canon. The Chinese company, Mitakon have come out with a 50mm f/0.95 for Sony that does look ok. Plus i like that box it comes with.
Message edited by author 2015-08-07 18:30:36. |
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08/07/2015 05:14:14 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by Paul:
Try f/0.95 as a focussing challenge. |
I didn't know it was possible to go under 1! |
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