A7RII focusing question

[gurtch]

Greetings all: I am new with this camera. I have FOCUS AREA set to "Center". With a native FE lens attached, when I look through the view finder or monitor, there is a small rectangle in the middle of the screen, which I place on the area I want to focus on. When I mount an LA-EA3 adapter and a Sony or Zeiss "A" mount lens on the camera, I still get the small focusing rectangle in the center of the finder and monitor, but I also get a bunch of little squares inside the rectangle. How can I get rid of these; they are very distracting. What are they for?
Thanks in advance.
Dave in NJ

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Dave sounds like your on AFC and not AFS. I'll check later with camera in hand

 

[scho]

Greetings all: I am new with this camera. I have FOCUS AREA set to "Center". With a native FE lens attached, when I look through the view finder or monitor, there is a small rectangle in the middle of the screen, which I place on the area I want to focus on. When I mount an LA-EA3 adapter and a Sony or Zeiss "A" mount lens on the camera, I still get the small focusing rectangle in the center of the finder and monitor, but I also get a bunch of little squares inside the rectangle. How can I get rid of these; they are very distracting. What are they for?
Thanks in advance.
Dave in NJ

Check in the menu "gear" tab, page 7 and see if AF System is set to Phase Detection or Contrast. If it is Phase Detect the the little squares (green) would be active PD focus points.

 

[gurtch]

Check in the menu "gear" tab, page 7 and see if AF System is set to Phase Detection or Contrast. If it is Phase Detect the the little squares (green) would be active PD focus points.

Thanks: You are exactly right. I had selected (probably by default) Phase Detection. If I change it to Contrast, the little squares go away, but the auto focus is slower, and less precise. It hunts before locking in. It seems like a trade off: can I live with the little squares for faster auto focus, or get rid of them and have the focus be slower? BTW when a native lens is mounted, you cannot choose Contrast or Phase Detection. You get a warning saying something like "this lens not valid"
Thanks again
Dave

 

[k-hawinkler]

Thanks: You are exactly right. I had selected (probably by default) Phase Detection. If I change it to Contrast, the little squares go away, but the auto focus is slower, and less precise. It hunts before locking in. It seems like a trade off: can I live with the little squares for faster auto focus, or get rid of them and have the focus be slower? BTW when a native lens is mounted, you cannot choose Contrast or Phase Detection. You get a warning saying something like "this lens not valid"
Thanks again
Dave

Yup, I think you get that only for A lenses with adapter, right?
I don't have an A lens, so would like to confirm or correct the sentence above.

 

[scho]

Yup, I think you get that only for A lenses with adapter, right?
I don't have an A lens, so would like to confirm or correct the sentence above.

I guess with any adapter or lens that is compatible with PDAF. PDAF mode is active when I mount a Contax G lens in the TechArt adapter III (firmware ver 2.0) on the A7RII, but not on the A7R. Performance is fantastic compared to contrast, but there are some bugs that prevent close focus as pointed out by Chad in his thread on the new TechArt adapter firmware.

 

[scho]

One other recommendation when using PDAF on the A7RII. For focus area, select Flexible Spot: S (small) when using wide aperture and/or for most precise focus. This will also usually give you only one or two small green squares in the viewfinder and reduces the chance of mis-focus.

Here are a couple of examples focused as described above, using A7RII+Contax G 45mm f/2 Planar at f/2. Focus point is highlighted in bright green as it would appear in the viewfinder.

 

[Paul2660]

Thanks: You are exactly right. I had selected (probably by default) Phase Detection. If I change it to Contrast, the little squares go away, but the auto focus is slower, and less precise. It hunts before locking in. It seems like a trade off: can I live with the little squares for faster auto focus, or get rid of them and have the focus be slower? BTW when a native lens is mounted, you cannot choose Contrast or Phase Detection. You get a warning saying something like "this lens not valid"
Thanks again
Dave

Dave, when you are referring to a native lens, which lenses are those?

I am still trying to figure out all the various AF options on the A7rII. As I understand it now, the Phase detect will work with any A mount lens that has the SAM or SSM motor and the LA-EA3 lens adapter, or with any FE mount lens. Is this correct?

Thanks
Paul

 

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi Paul,

What I see is that the FE lenses "snap to focus" while the A-mount lenses iterate for focus. I have also tried a Canon 70-200/2.8LII yesterday and it worked like the Sony A-mounts I have tried.

I have two native mount lenses, the 28-70/4.5 - 5.6 and the Sony 90/2.8 FE. The 90/2.8 focuses extremely fast under optimal conditions. The kit zoom is OK, sort of.

Best regards
Erik

Dave, when you are referring to a native lens, which lenses are those?

I am still trying to figure out all the various AF options on the A7rII. As I understand it now, the Phase detect will work with any A mount lens that has the SAM or SSM motor and the LA-EA3 lens adapter, or with any FE mount lens. Is this correct?

Thanks
Paul

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Erik the kit lens is just okay at focusing , more lens than camera situation. You may want to get the 55 1.8 . I think that lens is right up your alley. Extremely sharp.

 

[hcubell]

For anyone using Sony A mount lenses with an adapter, please note that there is considerable uncertainty about whether the LAEA3 adapter is, in fact, the best choice. The conventional advice has been that the LAEA3 adapter is best for Sony A mount lenses. However, I have read reports from people who have tested both the LAEA3 and the LAEA4 that the autofocus works better with the LAEA4. There is apparently less hunting with the LAEA4. Best to try both.