I just rented this lens from lensrentals.com to help me judge the focal length (got my eye on the Batis 40) and to help me decide if a MF lens is for me.
Being brand new to an MF-only lens on the Sony a7rIII, I am finding it difficult to compose shots, focus (with the auto 6.2x zoom) and then sort of recompose. This is when hand-holding the lens.
Are there any specific tricks to using this lens on the a7rIII for more rapid focus and/or not being thrown off by the quick zoom assist? Also, is there a better way to set up the zoom in point? I have it set for the outer third mark in horizontal and center for vertical but find it time consuming to use the joystick to move the little box around if I need a rapid change.
One tip for manual focus is to set a Creative Style with max contrast/sharpness and turn off auto-magnification (instead, set magnifier to a custom button instead so you can engage it when needed). With contrast and sharpness at max, when something is in sharp focus you'll see a little shimmer or moire or jaggies around it. It's easier to hit it right on compared to peaking in my use. Of course, it's still tricky to hit a small moving target like someone's eye.
grahamgibson wrote:
One tip for manual focus is to set a Creative Style with max contrast/sharpness and turn off auto-magnification (instead, set magnifier to a custom button instead so you can engage it when needed). With contrast and sharpness at max, when something is in sharp focus you'll see a little shimmer or moire or jaggies around it. It's easier to hit it right on compared to peaking in my use. Of course, it's still tricky to hit a small moving target like someone's eye.
Yes, I use this all the time. Something I even set it to B&W to aid peaking.
grahamgibson wrote:
One tip for manual focus is to set a Creative Style with max contrast/sharpness and turn off auto-magnification (instead, set magnifier to a custom button instead so you can engage it when needed). With contrast and sharpness at max, when something is in sharp focus you'll see a little shimmer or moire or jaggies around it. It's easier to hit it right on compared to peaking in my use. Of course, it's still tricky to hit a small moving target like someone's eye.
Yes, I do this all the time too. And, like Fred, I often have it in B/W mode. HOWEVER, I’ve noticed this doesn’t always work well in low light, at least with the rII. The viewfinder in those settings is just too dark, so I have to turn off the creative style. Is this any better with the rIII?
