Question about age and manual focusing...

[forbar]

Hello,

Been a reader here for a few years and was convinced to purchase an M8 and some lenses. I then proceeded to have some health issues that kept me from learning the system and indeed from even using it.

Have recently pulled it out of the cupboard and at 57, I'm really struggling with the manual focus. Has anyone here with presbyopia been able to become comfortable with the M8? If so, can you share what helped?

I'm discouraged and thinking of throwing in the towel and going with an autofocus system....but I do love the size of the M8 and the images that I have seen all of you capture.

Thanks so much!

Barbara

 

[tom in mpls]

We're the same age, Barbara, and I have just started to use the M system these last 6 months. I wear glasses (progressibe bifocals now due to my nearsightedness and our beloved "old eyes"). With my glasses, I can easily see through the viewfinder to focus and the presbyopia is not an issue since I am looking at subjects through the viewfinder that are at a distance. However, I am now experimenting with an MS-MAG 1.15 viewfinder magnifier with variable diopter adjustment. With the diopter properly set, I am removing my glasses and focusing through the viewfinder; once again, presbyopia does not interfere.

Do you wear glasses for near of distance adjustment? I think that is a bigger issue than the presbyopia.

 

[simonclivehughes]

Barbara,

Welcome to the forum! I'm 61 and I had a pair of M8s that I finally had to sell as my keep rate was just nowhere near what it needed to be to justify either the tied-up expense or the aggravation. Currently however, I enjoy using my M glass with both my Panasonic G-series and Olympus E-PL1 bodies. Manual focus on the EVF is just so much easier then trying to do so on the M bodies. Perhaps you could try this out and see if it works better for you.

Cheers,

 

[Godfrey]

Hmm. I've been wearing glasses since I was in third grade and wear progressives now (at age 55) since my near vision has gone rotten. Never have had any trouble focusing an SLR manually. An RF camera doesn't really require super sharp vision to focus anyway: just line up the images in the rangefinder patch. Presuming you have glasses that correct your vision so that you can see sharply at about 18" to 1m distances, you should be able to focus anything easily, with practice.

Manual focusing is a skill you have to learn and practice, that's all. An RF camera takes a different technique to learn than an SLR or other focusing system that requires you gauge the sharpness of an image on a screen, but neither is particularly hard to do with most modern cameras. The key to success is practice.

Auto-focus is not a panacea either. I see so many mis-focused photos made with sophisticated AF systems ... !

 

[otumay]

Barbara, I'm at the same age and in the initial stages of glaucoma in both eyes. I never experienced any difficulty in focusing with my M8.
Best,
Osman

 

[glenerrolrd]

First in general I find digital to be more demanding and its easier to see the exact plan of focus. Start reviewing images at 100% and you may find that many acceptable images maybe slightly misfocused. So the your standard maybe higher.

Three things that may yield improved results:

1. Diopters and magnifiers make a big difference . The viewfinder is -0.5 and provides a perspective of 2M. So you need the correction to get your very best sight at 2m ..that may not be your prescription . A 1.25X is a good universal magnifier and the 1.4X works great with 50MM and up. There are plenty of threads on this at the LUF.

2. Calibration particularly of the M body is critical to avoid front or back focusing. Lenses can be all over the place (both new and used) but you have to start with a perfect body .

3. Practice....if you don t shoot frequently give yourself a little time to warm up and try to practice. A line of staggered books makes a good target. When ever you are evaluating focus look for leading elements (like text ) and trailing elements . The trailing should in general be just a little sharper than the leading. You may find that a particular technique works for you . Its not unlike any hand eye coordination exercise...if you ever played golf its like putting. You benefit from a disciplined process that you have internalized . Its hard for almost anyone to focus a rangefinder in dim light or on a moving subject.

 

[v64]

I am in my mid 70s and I found that whilst I could use an M8 whilst wearing progressive (varifocal) glasses I found it (a) very difficult with a 25mm lens to see the framelines and (b) almost impossible to prevent the camera viewfinder from skating over the surface of my glasses, result severe camera shake.

I then used a diopter and removed my glasses when using the M8, result good images but I had to put my glasses back on to see them, or to adjust any settings on the M8.

My solution is to wear Contact lenses. To deal with presboyopia, and to give me a working range of 0.5m to 2m, I wear +3.75D in my Right eye and +2.25D in my Left eye! Sounds extreme - but it works for me.

For driving I wear a pair of glasses to meet the legal requirements for vision.

I have to say that having made the switch I do not want to wear glasses again. It is quite amazing how one's brain learns to combine the images from each eye.

 

[Per Ofverbeck]

..... but you have to start with a perfect body .
.....

OK, so THAT´s the root of my problems....

 

[jonoslack]

HI Barbara
I'm your age too - and I also suffer from long-sightedness.

Like V64 above I started using different strength contact lenses instead of my vari-focals. I use a +2.5 in my left eye, and a +1.75 in my right eye - this is perfect, as I can read the lcd with the left eye, and focus with the right eye.

Having said that, I find that I can focus reasonably easily even without aid (or with the wrong glasses) I think it's a knack, and you get better and better at it.

I've tried using 1.25 and 1.4 magnifiers, but I find the slight reduction in brightness more than removes the advantage of the magnification.

For the last 5 or 6 years I've given up wearing glasses all together (except for night driving). It's much more pleasant wearing contacts, and, as V64 says, the brain accommodates the different strength's really well. I find it a great deal more comfortable than varifocals (especially when sitting in front of a computer screen).

all the best

 

[Don Libby]

I'm 62 years old and wear tri-focals; I keep my glasses on while using my M9 and have had little problem using the camera with glasses. Actually for whatever the reason I feel more comfortable using the M9 (and I assume the M8 is the same) with glasses than I have with my wife's 1DsIII.

Don

 

[gogopix]

At 68, and 5.25 diopter reading glasses, most adjustments dont work. However, after practice, I find the M8 (now M9) actually easier than ground glass or split screen on an R9 say.
The beauty of a rangefinder is you don't need to find the best point, but just merge the split image, even if it is a little 'fuzzy' itself.

best regards
Victor

 

[Scargos2]

I am 70 and using a M8, I have very little problems focusing. Always , if possible fine a straight line on your subject to focus on. That helps a lot. I am using a 1.5 + Diopter which really helps me focus an item.
Keep practicing, practice make perfect, but not in golf. Practicing in golf make permanent

 

[forbar]

Thank you all very, very much for your time in answering my questions. It has given me a lot to think about and to try.

Now if it will stop raining in Chicago perhaps I can get outside and put this information to good use!

Bless you all for your kindness.

 

[Reynolds]

I had laser surgery in the early '90's. I am now 65 with a returning astigmatism in my right shooting eye which has created a terrible blur. My eye doc doesn't want to go in again to correct it. So, I am down to one eye (the left). I added a 1.4 magnifier and a +1.5 diopter and, eureka....good images again. Well, I like them!!

 

[glenerrolrd]

Without pointing anyone out...are these the same eyes that are critically evaluating 100% enlargements on 30 " screens and debating the bokeh of two lenses? Just an observation? LOL

 

[oc garza]

OK, so THAT´s the root of my problems....

Uh oh, you look perfectly normal to me :ROTFL:

 

[ampguy]

a bit younger, with slight myopia in viewing eye, I use the exact distance value as my glasses rx for distance and this diopter value in my M8, as well as film M's works perfect from .7m to infinity, and I haven't needed magnifiers even with the 75/1.4 lux.

However, the standard M diopters don't accommodate for astigmatism, so you may want to go with glasses if needed.

Also, if you have a severe prescription, you might find it safer to use glasses for correction, so that when you take your camera away from your eye, your vision is still correct.

 

[Brian Puccio]

I'm under 30 but with a pair of glasses that's around -8.75 for both eyes, diopters do nothing for me. I have no issues focusing with glasses on and find the .58 finder to work well for me. My glasses correct for astigmatism, my contacts (which I've given up wearing) do not. I tried a magnifier out for when I'm not shooting wide (more often than not) and it looks like something I'll have to purchase in the future. Maybe try one for yourself.

I find MF on my M6 is much easier than it was on my GF1 (with and without EVF) and much easier than it was on my 5D with standard screen.

 

[gogopix]

Without pointing anyone out...are these the same eyes that are critically evaluating 100% enlargements on 30 " screens and debating the bokeh of two lenses? Just an observation? LOL

So what? As I understand it, the people who vote on the Academy Awards don't even view the movies :ROTFL:

 

[glenerrolrd]

So what? As I understand it, the people who vote on the Academy Awards don't even view the movies :ROTFL:

Mr Magoo evaluating a large gallery print from a foot away.

:deadhorse: