Originally posted by Mike Cash I use Takumars to the point that it is more than slightly ridiculous....and on both my K100D and my K20D I have the red AF point indicators turned off. I find them to be a nuisance. And as has already been pointed out, they don't indicate focus confirmation; the green hexagon does that. Since there is only one point on the K2000 I think it safe to assume it is linked to the center point.
I'm just the opposite - I find the red focus indicator invaluable to my MF shooting style. (To reiterate, it's not focus confirmation, it's just focus lock - focus confirmation is still the green hexagon. And yes, it's center-only with MF.)
Here's why -
I can just nail focus faster with the red indicator - I focus very fast until I see it, slow down until I see the green hex, shoot. The red indicator can act as a "green hex imminent!" warning to you.
Often with the K-M, I was focusing
through the green hex, had to pull back and regain focus - very annoying to me. I felt like I was shooting just a bit more blind, and had to take things slower, even when I needed to focus fast to capture the subject.
If I'm really able to take my time, the red indicator isn't as important, but if I want to be able to nail focus quickly and precisely, it really helps.
They put it in the K100D, K200D and K20D for a reason, after all
Having the red indicator helps me nail MF shots like this:
(he was running, it was... flying)
A 50- 2.8 macro
S-M-C Tak 200 f/4
Of course, having an exceptional viewfinder like the film bodies, or a split screen like the catseye would make the red indicator much less necessary.
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