DSLR solution for R lenses

[jonoslack]

This is not meant as a soapbox or thread hijack, but I know it is both.

Here is my logic: To get the most out of a manual focus/stop down lens on a high megapixel camera you need to work slowly (slowly relative to AF at 10 fps), and probably either tripod or monopod mounted. If you are working that way, you might as well shoot with a larger format. People look at the cost of MFD and freak out, but you can get into a low end system for about the same price as a 35 mm system.

HI Bill
Of course - this is why so many people have given up on using Leica R glass on other SLR cameras - stop down focusing/metering is a real PIB.

However - with an EVF and focus peaking, you simply shoot at the aperture you want - the EVF gains up quite well enough for any aperture/light combination which is of any use. The focus peaking means that you can focus perfectly straightforwardly, even in rather poor light.

I had a lot of fun shooting the 28-90 on the NEX7 - no obvious constraints, and it was just as effective as shooting any lens in MF mode.

You may not like EVF (not terribly keen myself) but the combination of focus peaking plus visible exposure and white balance makes it thoroughly useful, and, as I say, shooting R lenses on the A77 is no different from shooting the Ziess 135 f1.8 in MF mode.

 

[Agnius]

I also have gone through many options on Canon 1DsM3 camera - I tried different focusing screens, even a screw on diopter. I still had problems with critical focus, and only live view saved my tush many times.

So I would say LiveView based camera would be better than just optical viewfinder that you can not magnify.

Best of luck!

P.S. It is easier to focus longer lenses than super wides - I have 19mm and 21-35, and both are a bear to focus through the viewfinder. Live View gets focused though. So I would shoot using zone focus on the street, and landscapes would get LV treatment.

 

[Bill_Green]

Bill,

I'm interested in where you are thinking the imaging chain breaks down when using these manual lenses in stop-down mode on a high megapixel camera.

Matthew, I'm no expert, but I think that everything Mikal and Jono said are spot on. For me the imaging breaks down on three places:
1. Focusing screen and camera. None of the screens that I am aware of really snap in and out of focus. I'm still not sure that my screen is really aligned perfectly and there isn't quite enough magnification. With the R8 I had an aftermarket screen as well as a magnifier.

2. Higher resolution cameras are very unforgiving of sloppy technique or lens imperfections. Slightly missed focus results in a totally unusable image.

3. Not all lenses are easy to focus because the focus throw is not linear. For example on the 180/2.8 I have a hard time focusing precisely between about 75-100 feet. Also as you stop down the lens it becomes much harder to tell the difference between in focus and almost in focus.

Note that everyone's eyes are different and a problem for me may not be a problem for you.

Jono, I am trying to wait patiently for the A99, but I'm hearing rumors that it may be another year out, and while I've heard great things about the A77, I'm not sure it will quite be what I need.

 

[Matthew Runkel]

Mikal,

I am thinking of indoor lighting at night generally and small, poorly-lit music venues. Fast lenses from 35mm to 90mm shot at f/1.4 or f/2.0. Subject distances in the range of 6 to 20 feet.

I think of this kind of shooting as the M's bread and butter, but I can do it very reliably with an R8 too.