ART any manual focus elitists up in this bitch?

[psykosis]

Local camera shop has some older lenses that are going to be manual focus, and I have a very odd desire to buy 1 (er, some) of them. They are cheap, stupid sharp, and some are cool as hell. How annoying will the manual focus be? I'd not really be using them for action shots where I'd really rely on autofocus to cover my ass, but more for landscape, portrait, or other still photos.


Tell me how stupid I'm being...

 

[hootpie]

Could be fun

 

[ok_computer]

what lenses are they? want to know if they're actually stupid sharp or if you're just romanticizing old lenses

 

[derekOT]

what lenses are they? want to know if they're actually stupid sharp or if you're just romanticizing old lenses

canon 50mm 1.8 FD

 

[dmora]

Find a 50mm 1.4 or 1.2 and live like a bawz.

 

[Cesium]

Better make sure whatever camera you have can take a different focusing screen, because most likely your original one won't show you any DOF shallower than f/4. Or rely on AF confirm which kind of defeats the purpose.

 

[Cesium]

canon 50mm 1.8 FD

Can't mount this on shit. Unless you're using micro four turds.

Edit: oh i notice you're not the threadstarter so you're probably joking.

 

[Jcolman]

I just got my new zeiss 50 f/2 lens in today. Manual focus all the way. Fucking lens is stupid sharp!

 

[psykosis]

what lenses are they? want to know if they're actually stupid sharp or if you're just romanticizing old lenses

last one I played with at the shop was a Sigma 400 f5.6 fixed aperature mirror lens.


Looks like this:

This one was sharp, but only decently so. There were others I don't remember the specifics of that impressed me, but obviously they are all older lenses that won't autofocus...

 

[psykosis]

btw, that sigma is $100.

Not bad for a 400 to go play with...

 

[Cesium]

Meh. Are you on Canon? Go buy a Sigma 400 f/5.6 APO for $200. It has AF and also fixed f/5.6 since the new cameras can't control the aperture any more.

 

[psykosis]

Meh. Are you on Canon? Go buy a Sigma 400 f/5.6 APO for $200. It has AF and also fixed f/5.6 since the new cameras can't control the aperture any more.

just jumped to nikon...

 

[ok_computer]

I just got my new zeiss 50 f/2 lens in today. Manual focus all the way. Fucking lens is stupid sharp!

have fun w purp fringolas

 

[Jcolman]

have fun w purp fringolas

Just shot a test photo with some trees against a bright sky and didn't see any

 

[Cicada]

last one I played with at the shop was a Sigma 400 f5.6 fixed aperature mirror lens.


Looks like this:

This one was sharp, but only decently so. There were others I don't remember the specifics of that impressed me, but obviously they are all older lenses that won't autofocus...

a mirror lens?

 

[jared_IRL]

this thread is full of lol....

 

[Jcolman]

I tried manual focus the other day just to see if I had an "eye" for it. None of my images came out well.

Part of the problem could be your focusing screen. You need a good ground glass screen in your camera before you can focus properly.

I've switched out both my 5D II's screens to ground glass and it makes a big difference.

 

[jared_IRL]

you did?

what did you put in?

 

[Jcolman]

you did?

what did you put in?

The Eg-S screens. I suppose they're not really "ground glass" but that's what we use to call a matte focusing screen in the old days.

 

[Waddup you?]

I had put a focusing screen on my d80, and it did wonders compared to the factory screen. with the d300, I'll wait.

I do want a zeiss 35 1.4 and/or a 100mm f2 tho

 

[Wheezer]

Like everyone said, if you're going to do a lot of mf get a split prism focus screen. Canon has their own, but us Nikon guys have to go aftermarket. http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/

I've been relying on the AF confirm in my D300, but this only works for stationary objects since you have to look away from the subject to see if it's in focus.

 

[jigelow]

It's sad that my old mans Canon FL from 1964 he gave me has a split prism with the meter in the view finder and some modern cameras don't.

Psykosis, you don't want a mirror lens, bud. You lose a lot of......well, everything with them. Like was said, if you want ridiculous length, look for that Sigma 400 spoken about earlier. I'd sell you mine, but it has some haze/fungus that needs to be taken care of.

 

[Ty Webb]

no split prism for D3s?

hmmm

 

[psykosis]

It's sad that my old mans Canon FL from 1964 he gave me has a split prism with the meter in the view finder and some modern cameras don't.

Psykosis, you don't want a mirror lens, bud. You lose a lot of......well, everything with them. Like was said, if you want ridiculous length, look for that Sigma 400 spoken about earlier. I'd sell you mine, but it has some haze/fungus that needs to be taken care of.

that was just the last lens I played with. They have other, non-mirror lenses that I'd probably look at first. In the end, I probably won't buy any of them, but there is a certain appeal to them for me (for some unknown reason).

 

[dmora]

I just got my new zeiss 50 f/2 lens in today. Manual focus all the way. Fucking lens is stupid sharp!

Zeiss makes beast mode glass. doo want. cant haz.