manual focusing: does it ever get easier?

jjhenders · 07-11-2011, 09:23 PM

I must be a moron. I can't figure out how to get the other pictures on. I'm still trying to figure it out but might have to call it a night and try again tomorrow.

adr1an · 07-11-2011, 09:25 PM

Originally posted by jjhenders

I must be a moron. I can't figure out how to get the other pictures on. I'm still trying to figure it out but might have to call it a night and try again tomorrow.

We all have those days - Myself, it seems to be a permanent affliction

Just repeat the process you used for Louisa St since that came out fine ..

jjhenders · 07-11-2011, 09:32 PM

jjhenders · 07-11-2011, 09:37 PM

After posting Louisa St., the add image link seemed to disappear, so I was lost. Somehow I just managed to post a bunch of useless small pics. It's time to hang it up and see if I can get my son to help me when he returns next week. Maybe I can just start a new thread. This is super frustrating!

JeffJS · 07-11-2011, 10:08 PM

You have one photo posted as an Attachment which is fine. To do more, simply hit the manage attachments box where it says additional options when you are typing your message.

You have an album named Ricoh Practice that says you have 6 photos in there. You need to make that album Public in order to show any photos from it.

1. Open up the album.
2. Select Edit Album on the top right of the album window.
3. Select Public
4. Click Submit

then we should all be able to see the photos in that album.

tuco · 07-15-2011, 09:11 AM

Originally posted by Frogfish

*blows raspberry smilie*

I'm looking, I'm looking. I want a used D700 for the price of a new K5 but haven't found one yet.

You need to wait until the D900 (or whatever they call it) comes out then the used prices of the D700 will drop I suspect.

Designosophy · 07-15-2011, 10:49 AM

I started out with a K-x, almost exactly a year ago. Within a few months, I had my first manual focus prime, which is an M 50 f/1.4. I found it tough to focus manually with the K-x. Catch-in-focus is nice, but it makes composition difficult. I eventually upgraded to the K-7, in large part for the better viewfinder. It definitely made manual focus easier. I'd love a FF viewfinder. If Pentax made a FF camera, the viewfinder would be enough for me to buy it. Probably. Depending on price.

My experience with different lenses is that shorter focal lengths, such as 28mm, are more difficult to focus than longer lengths, such as 135mm, because everything is so much smaller in the viewfinder with the shorter lenses.

I really need to practice more with manual focus to develop a system for myself.

TomBrooklyn · 07-16-2011, 02:18 AM

Originally posted by adr1an

I get focus confirmation on the screen when I press AF (I have AF set to only work on the button, not shutter)

What is the AF button?

i.e. What does AF stand for? Is this a programable button, etc.?

I don't own a Pentax camera at this time. I am considering buying one, probably a K-5, to use with manual lenses as I've heard it's compatible with them. I'd like to find out more about the nature of this compatibility.

JohnBee · 07-16-2011, 03:11 AM

Originally posted by TomBrooklyn

What is the AF button?

i.e. What does AF stand for? Is this a programable button, etc.?

I don't own a Pentax camera at this time. I am considering buying one, probably a K-5, to use with manual lenses as I've heard it's compatible with them. I'd like to find out more about the nature of this compatibility.

Yes there is a "seperate" AF button on the K-5 which is programmable. In my case, I have it set to AF/off when pressed. This way I can hold or turn off AF momentarily in certain situations. Either way, the button is a convenience.

K-5 AF Button:

Marc Sabatella · 07-17-2011, 10:10 AM

AF = Auto Focus.

TomBrooklyn · 07-17-2011, 11:09 AM

Originally posted by JohnBee

there is a "seperate" AF button on the K-5 which is programmable. In my case, I have it set to AF/off when pressed.

I don't understand why a button would be labled AF, which likely would make most photogs think of Autofocus, if it is actually a programable button.

What does turning off autofocus mean? I understand switching between manual and autofocus. Is "turning off autofocus" just another way of saying "switching to manual focus?"

adr1an · 07-17-2011, 06:03 PM

Originally posted by TomBrooklyn

What does turning off autofocus mean? I understand switching between manual and autofocus. Is "turning off autofocus" just another way of saying "switching to manual focus?"

No. You can have AutoFocus set to function with a "Half-Shutter Press"...

Or you can disable that entirely, and use the AF Button to activate Auto Focus.
Or you can configure it so that pressing the AF Button turns OFF AutoFocus via the Half-Press..

Its the Beauty of being a Programmeable Button - and its labelled "AF" because thats what it does - what you do is choose via the Menus what behavior you want it to have...

Paleo Pete · 07-17-2011, 06:34 PM - **1 Like**

I read part of this, and part a couple of days ago...

Yes, manual focus does get easier. When I got my K-x I used auto focus a few times, wasn't very impressed, then got home and had all my older manual focus lenses, started shooting all manual. Getting accustomed to the viewfinder took a while, and it doesn't seem to be as good as my old 35mm ME Supers and K1000, but it works ok with a little practice. Now I shoot all manual.

As mentioned, shorter lenses like 50mm will be more difficult, but a combination of looking at the image in the viewfinder and paying attention to the focus confirmation beep gets me a lot of good shots. The main thing is practice. For a lot of casual photographers that might take a while, but since I generally shoot 50-150 shots every day it didn't take me long, and I was already accustomed to manual focus from 25-30 years of 35mm cameras, mostly Pentax and one Minolta. The lack of a split screen viewfinder didn't bother me much, it had started becooming difficult to use once I started wearing glasses, and I Had been shooting the Minolta a lot just before getting the K-x, and it has the same focusing method.

Practice with it, try working with longer lenses some, so you get a closer view, and you'll probably find it getting easier as you go. I find the focus confirmation is very accurate with my K-x, and that helps me a lot too.

Also try Irfan View for a small, basic editor. Not difficult to use, doesn't have the confusing array of options of more advanced editors, free, fast and works very well. I do almost all my editing with it. Once I get the basic editing done, which is usually just crop and maybe push the contrast, I just resize to 1024x768 and get a file size of around .5 MB or less usually. It also has a set of standard crop sizes that work for 1024x768 as well as print sizes for 8x10 or 4x6 prints. It was the very first thing I installed when I got my new laptop...it's also great for just viewing pictures, I love the full screen mode, slide show works great too. .

http://www.irfanview.com/

07-11-2011, 09:32 PM	#63
jjhenders Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Broadway, VA Photos: Albums Posts: 99 Original Poster	obviously I have no idea what I'm doing. Sorry.

07-17-2011, 06:34 PM - 1 Like	#73
Paleo Pete Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,880	I read part of this, and part a couple of days ago... Yes, manual focus does get easier. When I got my K-x I used auto focus a few times, wasn't very impressed, then got home and had all my older manual focus lenses, started shooting all manual. Getting accustomed to the viewfinder took a while, and it doesn't seem to be as good as my old 35mm ME Supers and K1000, but it works ok with a little practice. Now I shoot all manual. As mentioned, shorter lenses like 50mm will be more difficult, but a combination of looking at the image in the viewfinder and paying attention to the focus confirmation beep gets me a lot of good shots. The main thing is practice. For a lot of casual photographers that might take a while, but since I generally shoot 50-150 shots every day it didn't take me long, and I was already accustomed to manual focus from 25-30 years of 35mm cameras, mostly Pentax and one Minolta. The lack of a split screen viewfinder didn't bother me much, it had started becooming difficult to use once I started wearing glasses, and I Had been shooting the Minolta a lot just before getting the K-x, and it has the same focusing method. Practice with it, try working with longer lenses some, so you get a closer view, and you'll probably find it getting easier as you go. I find the focus confirmation is very accurate with my K-x, and that helps me a lot too. Also try Irfan View for a small, basic editor. Not difficult to use, doesn't have the confusing array of options of more advanced editors, free, fast and works very well. I do almost all my editing with it. Once I get the basic editing done, which is usually just crop and maybe push the contrast, I just resize to 1024x768 and get a file size of around .5 MB or less usually. It also has a set of standard crop sizes that work for 1024x768 as well as print sizes for 8x10 or 4x6 prints. It was the very first thing I installed when I got my new laptop...it's also great for just viewing pictures, I love the full screen mode, slide show works great too. . http://www.irfanview.com/ Last edited by Paleo Pete; 07-17-2011 at 06:41 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Manual focusing with K-5 - is it good?	DanielT74	Pentax K-5 & K-5 II	19	06-06-2011 07:38 AM
Tips on manual focusing?	mojoe_24	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	26	05-14-2011 04:11 PM
KR vs K7 manual focusing	texoma	Pentax DSLR Discussion	13	11-30-2010 01:26 AM
K20D or Kx for manual focusing	brencam	Pentax DSLR Discussion	8	11-06-2010 01:15 PM
manual auto focusing	jolee1990	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	7	07-28-2010 09:26 PM

07-11-2011, 09:23 PM	#61
jjhenders Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Broadway, VA Photos: Albums Posts: 99 Original Poster	I must be a moron. I can't figure out how to get the other pictures on. I'm still trying to figure it out but might have to call it a night and try again tomorrow.

07-11-2011, 09:25 PM	#62
adr1an Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Canberra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 739	Originally posted by jjhenders I must be a moron. I can't figure out how to get the other pictures on. I'm still trying to figure it out but might have to call it a night and try again tomorrow. We all have those days - Myself, it seems to be a permanent affliction Just repeat the process you used for Louisa St since that came out fine ..

07-11-2011, 09:37 PM	#64
jjhenders Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Broadway, VA Photos: Albums Posts: 99 Original Poster	After posting Louisa St., the add image link seemed to disappear, so I was lost. Somehow I just managed to post a bunch of useless small pics. It's time to hang it up and see if I can get my son to help me when he returns next week. Maybe I can just start a new thread. This is super frustrating!

07-11-2011, 10:08 PM	#65
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	You have one photo posted as an Attachment which is fine. To do more, simply hit the manage attachments box where it says additional options when you are typing your message. You have an album named Ricoh Practice that says you have 6 photos in there. You need to make that album Public in order to show any photos from it. 1. Open up the album. 2. Select Edit Album on the top right of the album window. 3. Select Public 4. Click Submit then we should all be able to see the photos in that album.

07-15-2011, 09:11 AM	#66
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,032	Originally posted by Frogfish blows raspberry smilie I'm looking, I'm looking. I want a used D700 for the price of a new K5 but haven't found one yet. You need to wait until the D900 (or whatever they call it) comes out then the used prices of the D700 will drop I suspect.

07-15-2011, 10:49 AM	#67
Designosophy Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Northeast Philadelphia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,137	I started out with a K-x, almost exactly a year ago. Within a few months, I had my first manual focus prime, which is an M 50 f/1.4. I found it tough to focus manually with the K-x. Catch-in-focus is nice, but it makes composition difficult. I eventually upgraded to the K-7, in large part for the better viewfinder. It definitely made manual focus easier. I'd love a FF viewfinder. If Pentax made a FF camera, the viewfinder would be enough for me to buy it. Probably. Depending on price. My experience with different lenses is that shorter focal lengths, such as 28mm, are more difficult to focus than longer lengths, such as 135mm, because everything is so much smaller in the viewfinder with the shorter lenses. I really need to practice more with manual focus to develop a system for myself.

07-16-2011, 02:18 AM	#68
TomBrooklyn New Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 18	Originally posted by adr1an I get focus confirmation on the screen when I press AF (I have AF set to only work on the button, not shutter) What is the AF button? i.e. What does AF stand for? Is this a programable button, etc.? I don't own a Pentax camera at this time. I am considering buying one, probably a K-5, to use with manual lenses as I've heard it's compatible with them. I'd like to find out more about the nature of this compatibility.

07-16-2011, 03:11 AM	#69
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667	Originally posted by TomBrooklyn What is the AF button? i.e. What does AF stand for? Is this a programable button, etc.? I don't own a Pentax camera at this time. I am considering buying one, probably a K-5, to use with manual lenses as I've heard it's compatible with them. I'd like to find out more about the nature of this compatibility. Yes there is a "seperate" AF button on the K-5 which is programmable. In my case, I have it set to AF/off when pressed. This way I can hold or turn off AF momentarily in certain situations. Either way, the button is a convenience. K-5 AF Button:

07-17-2011, 10:10 AM	#70
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	AF = Auto Focus.

07-17-2011, 11:09 AM	#71
TomBrooklyn New Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 18	Originally posted by JohnBee there is a "seperate" AF button on the K-5 which is programmable. In my case, I have it set to AF/off when pressed. I don't understand why a button would be labled AF, which likely would make most photogs think of Autofocus, if it is actually a programable button. What does turning off autofocus mean? I understand switching between manual and autofocus. Is "turning off autofocus" just another way of saying "switching to manual focus?"

07-17-2011, 06:03 PM	#72
adr1an Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Canberra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 739	Originally posted by TomBrooklyn What does turning off autofocus mean? I understand switching between manual and autofocus. Is "turning off autofocus" just another way of saying "switching to manual focus?" No. You can have AutoFocus set to function with a "Half-Shutter Press"... Or you can disable that entirely, and use the AF Button to activate Auto Focus. Or you can configure it so that pressing the AF Button turns OFF AutoFocus via the Half-Press.. Its the Beauty of being a Programmeable Button - and its labelled "AF" because thats what it does - what you do is choose via the Menus what behavior you want it to have...