pkupcik wrote:
How reliable do you guys find the focus confirmation light? I just got a 50 2.0 MP ZE and need to move the focus just slightly behind what the confirmation light says.
Focus confirmation trigger point can be altered by micro adjustment.
I am also using the EG-S with this lens: I do not find a dramatic improvement. Live View 10X is a dramatic improvement.
Mike K
Do you all get proper infinity focus when rotating the focus ring all the way to the infinity dead end. I seem to need to turn the focus back slightly to get sharp infinity focus. Is this normal? Is this something that can be calibrated be Zeiss? Is it maybe actually desirable so that possible variations in cameras could prevent proper infinity focus if the infinity focus falls slightly behind the infinity mark? I'm using 50/2 MP ZE on 5D.
There was a recent thread about this. I get perfect infinity focus at the end of the focus ring throw on my 1ds3. I think the tolerances are greater on the 5d so it may not be perfectly at the end.
How about changing the topic to "Z* images"? The ZE:s are the same as ZF, ZK and ZS.
pkupcik wrote:
Do you all get proper infinity focus when rotating the focus ring all the way to the infinity dead end. I seem to need to turn the focus back slightly to get sharp infinity focus. Is this normal? Is this something that can be calibrated be Zeiss? Is it maybe actually desirable so that possible variations in cameras could prevent proper infinity focus if the infinity focus falls slightly behind the infinity mark? I'm using 50/2 MP ZE on 5D.
I've found the same thing on my ZF 35/2, at least when not stopping down too much. The VF screen is also more accurate than the AF confirm, so I guess it's about the optical character of the lens.
Infinity is still in focus and sharp when the lens is set to its infinity stop, but it's a little bit sharper if I adjust focus a tiny bit closer.
wayne seltzer wrote:
There was a recent thread about this. I get perfect infinity focus at the end of the focus ring throw on my 1ds3. I think the tolerances are greater on the 5d so it may not be perfectly at the end.
Are you saying that the same physical lens may have a variability to where the infinity focus mark is dependent on the body(5D vs 1DS3) or possibly even between multiple bodies of the same type? Just wanted to make sure I understand this. Thank you.
pkupcik wrote:
Are you saying that the same physical lens may have a variability to where the infinity focus mark is dependent on the body(5D vs 1DS3) or possibly even between multiple bodies of the same type? Just wanted to make sure I understand this. Thank you.
That is what I understood from people posting reponses on another thread here on this topic.
I don't remember what the thread was called. Seemed like the people with 5D had this problem more often that the 1 series. The 5D has been know here to have looser tolerances on various parts of the camera system like whether certain lenses like the contax 35 1.4 hit the mirror or not. Also, when it comes to shimming the focus screen to get dead on manual focus and then the problem you mention about proper infinity focus occuring before the infinity mark and end of the focus ring throw.
wayne seltzer wrote:
That is what I understood from people posting reponses on another thread here on this topic.
I don't remember what the thread was called. Seemed like the people with 5D had this problem more often that the 1 series. The 5D has been know here to have looser tolerances on various parts of the camera system like whether certain lenses like the contax 35 1.4 hit the mirror or not. Also, when it comes to shimming the focus screen to get dead on manual focus and then the problem you mention about proper infinity focus occuring before the infinity mark and end of the focus ring throw. ...Show more →
Great info, thanks for the response. And sorry to inject myself into this nice thread. Please keep the photos coming. Spring is around the corner and I'm sure there will be a lot of fresh subjects to photograph. Can't wait to post something of mine here soon.
I am a very recent Canon 5D owner and rented this 35mm f2 & a 28mm f2 ZE from Adorama to test. I was very pleased with everything they did. My only concern is focusing speed/accuracy w/o live view. More street and candid photography like I do with my Leica. If it is only a matter of practice, sign me up. But if live-view is really a requirement, then I might rethink.
SO - I wonder if I can put in a request then for a few "on-the-fly" shots from Z* lenses then, just to give this penguin a shove off the edge of the iceberg?
That's the 35mm at f2, 1/500th at 100ISO. Below is the 28mm. Though focus is not spot on, it seems decent for a moving figure at f2, 1/125th + 200ISO. I quickly gave up on the focus confirmation light as it seemed too twitchy. The attempt was to focus on the middle figure (by eye using the stock screen.)
I assumed (from subject and image quality) that many of the examples I've seen here were shot while the camera was tripod mounted and thus I assumed that they also were focused using live view. If that's not the case, excellent, because that means I just have to practice. I come to the 5D from Leica M, so AF is far newer to me than manual focus but still my hit to miss ratio with the ZE lenses was a lot larger than I expected and I almost never use a tripod. So if live-view and a tripod was the only way to get consistently good images out of these lenses, then I would do something else.
It is good to know, therefore, that your photos are viewfinder focused.
Funny you should mention infinity focus, I have recently noticed that I have to pull back a little from the infinity mark to get focus with my ZE 1,4/50. It may always have been the case, although I have noticed it more these past several weeks.
I did a little Internet research and someone on the Luminous Landscape forum reckoned temperature could be a factor. I am not technically knowledgeable enough to know whether that may be a contributing factor. I guess warmer temperatures in a few weeks time will provide the answer.
I am going to try and track down the thread Wayne mentioned.
Calvin, I remember the existence of that thread. I had reported that I need to pull-back a bit on my 35 to get infinity. But not with my 21, for example. One possible cause might be focus shift.
I shoot exclusively with a ZE 1,4/50 on a Canon 40D and all shots are handheld using the viewfinder, which probably explains a lot .
Philber and Brainiac both told me that the way to go was bracket focusing, and also not to rely on the AF confirmation light. Using that method, even with my ageing eyes, I get fairly decent results and shoot a lot at f/2.8. As with a lot of things in life -- Übung macht den Meister.
A selection of my work, more prosaic than some of the wonderful scenic shots seen in this forum, can be viewed at http://calvininjaxfotos.wordpress.com.
philber wrote:
Calvin, I remember the existence of that thread. I had reported that I need to pull-back a bit on my 35 to get infinity. But not with my 21, for example. One possible cause might be focus shift.
Thanks for that suggestion, Philber.
When out shooting, I sometimes think my lens might be back focusing but when I have set up a controlled experiment in the backyard, lining up a line of Coke cans, it has seemed okay.
I wish I was more technically proficient or had easy access to someone who is. If you ever visit Florida, do call in.
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