Since I am just now entering full frame, I don't know much about this. I do know that not every lens does this. Does a lens only hit the mirror when focusing at infinity? Or does it vary by lens and you just have to test each one?
A few alt lenses (very few) reach too far into the mirror box and hit the mirror. The Rokkor 58 1.2 is notorious for this. Also there are a bunch of ultrawides, but I am not sure of which.
Other lenses I have personally had to modify a tiny bit to make fit is the C/Y Zeiss 35 1.4, nikon non-ai 35 1.4 and the c/y zeiss 35-70 3.4. But those where no problem compared to the Rokkor.
If you set the distance on the focusing ring close to infinity and the mirror hangs, you can just turn the focusing ring back to the minimal focusing distance and the mirror will clear automatically, right? I know the camera may read an error message that has to be cleared by resetting it but it shouldn't be any harm done to the camera nor the lens, I assume?
AGeoJO wrote:
If you set the distance on the focusing ring close to infinity and the mirror hangs, you can just turn the focusing ring back to the minimal focusing distance and the mirror will clear automatically, right? I know the camera may read an error message that has to be cleared by resetting it but it shouldn't be any harm done to the camera nor the lens, I assume?
You are correct, but I am pretty sure frequent hits to the mirror like this is going to offset the delicate positioning balance between the sensor, lens and mirror and make MF lenses front or back focus after a while. Pretty sure thats what happened to my 5D.
Also depending on how hard the hit to the mirror is, the image might be blackened at the bottom due to mirror staying in the way of the sensor during exposure.
Typically, during the swing, the mirror is extended at its maximum during the downswing; that is after the exposure has taken place. Of course, if the mirror hangs up on its way up, no exposure is taken but that would be a serious mirror hangup case. Does your situation happen on the mirror on the upswing or downswing?
Dec 16, 2008 at 02:00 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
Can you give this a try. Have you Rokkor set to focus at close distance and flip the mirror up in live view. Then you ought be be able to manually focus in live view even at infinity and take a shot. Then just focus the lens for close focus and take it out of live view. It seems to me that this method might work well for shooting from a tripod (especially landscapes) even if a lens normal hits the mirror. Maybe I am missing something, however.
Can you give this a try. Have you Rokkor set to focus at close distance and flip the mirror up in live view. Then you ought be be able to manually focus in live view even at infinity and take a shot. Then just focus the lens for close focus and take it out of live view. It seems to me that this method might work well for shooting from a tripod (especially landscapes) even if a lens normal hits the mirror. Maybe I am missing something, however.
Good thinking!
So far, I haven't had any issues with the few lenses I have (tho most of them I have wouldn't have this issue). I still need to test a little more but I have mostly been a big chicken
When I was modifying my Rokkor 58 1.2 on my 1ds3 to get infinity focus I got the mirror to hang a few times and got the error message and just rotates the focus ring to and the mirror would swing down.
The mirror was sticking on the way down as the picture came out ok. The same thing would happen whether in live-view or not.Not very good to do this that many times. I filed the metal around the rear element almost down to the element and now I have perfect infinity focus with no mirror hangs.
This was with a 1ds3. I haven't tried it with my 5dmk1 yet.
When I tried your suggestion of staying in live-view the mirror still tries to flip down and then back up again and would hang on the way down and give me the error message. That was with my 1ds3, maybe the 5d2 liveview works differently. Don't know why the mirror needs to go down and back up again in live-view mode.
Dec 16, 2008 at 03:07 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
It says that when using live view you don't need mirror lock up with at 5DMKII, 40D, or 50D and live view, but you do with a 1D3 or 1Ds3 even with live view. Now it doesn't spell this out exactly, but it would seem to follow that with the 5DMKII, etc. that the mirror doesn't come down (it certainly seems like it wouldn't when taking a shot in video mode), but that with the 1D cameras the mirror does come down. I was hoping that someone could test this out with a 5DMKII.
Interesting info Steve!
So the live-view button can be used as a quick MLU button instead of the menu.
Wonder if they could release a firmware fix for the 1ds3 to not have the mirror go down in live-view mode.
If it's the same as on the 40D, it should be the SET button on the EC-wheel. It only works while you're not in the menu of course.
It's next to the viewfinder on the 5D-II, it's the new use for the direct print button (direct print now the secondary function of this button). You can assign it to the SET button via a custom function though.
Steve Spencer wrote:
Now it doesn't spell this out exactly, but it would seem to follow that with the 5DMKII, etc. that the mirror doesn't come down (it certainly seems like it wouldn't when taking a shot in video mode), but that with the 1D cameras the mirror does come down. I was hoping that someone could test this out with a 5DMKII.
It works this way. The mirror goes up and stays up until I turn off liveview with the direct print button. Infinity focus shots done without mirror issues. But I hate shooting with the live view... But it works
Maybe they fixed the mirror coming down after a shot and then going back up while in liveview mode on 1ds3 since it doesn't do this on steven's 1ds3. I have not updated my firmware so I will try that.
How does the metering work with the 1DS3 and 5D2 in Live View if the mirror doesn't drop back down before exposure? I suppose it boils down to whether they meter in Live View or not.
