Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
07-12-2011, 01:21 PM   #1
Veteran Member




Join Date: Apr 2010
Photos: Albums
Posts: 353
got any good tips on focusing a manual 50mm prime?

Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here.


bought a cheap 50mm prime lens off ebay. when taking a portrait outside it seems hard to focus.

with a zoom lens i would zoom in, focus then zoom out to frame my shot.

with this prime i tend to take 3 shots. one that looks in focus. then 2-4 others after shifting the focus ring slightly in each direction.

anyone else got good tips on getting good focus?

07-12-2011, 02:25 PM   #2
Veteran Member
aurele's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Paris, France
Photos: Albums
Posts: 3,217
a focusing screen helps a lot

shotting at f2-f2.4 will be good to get more than the nose in focus, and it will be enought "open" to get some lights.

if you shoot Raw, you can underexpose the shot, then get back the light in PP (post production)
07-12-2011, 02:45 PM   #3
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Aristophanes's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Rankin Inlet, Nunavut
Photos: Albums
Posts: 3,948
Get an old film camera?
07-12-2011, 02:49 PM   #4
Site Supporter




Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Virginia Beach
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 2,950
A $28 dual-diagonal split prism screen plus the Pentax 1.3x magnifying eye-piece made all the difference for me (old eyes) when I started with the A50/1.4. I had no experience with MF to lean on.

07-12-2011, 02:55 PM   #5
Veteran Member
Docrwm's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Somewhere in the Southern US
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 12,285
Make sure your diopter adjustment is set correctly!! It's free and it can make ALL the difference.
07-12-2011, 04:57 PM   #6
Veteran Member
RioRico's Avatar

Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Limbo, California
Posts: 11,263
QuoteOriginally posted by Docrwm Quote
Make sure your diopter adjustment is set correctly!! It's free and it can make ALL the difference.
Quite so. Also learn about Catch-In-Focus. I shoot fast manual lenses extensively, and my de-laminating eyeballs depend greatly on CIF.
07-12-2011, 05:37 PM   #7
Forum Member
bobva's Avatar

Join Date: May 2011
Location: Tacoma Everett
Posts: 53
QuoteOriginally posted by Aristophanes Quote
Get an old film camera?
You are 100% correct Sir
I still got my old KX Pentax KX Camera Reviews - Pentax Camera Reviews - DSLR and Film SLR Database Its a god gift in comparison to AF cameras using MF lenses.

07-12-2011, 06:18 PM   #8
Pentaxian
hcarvalhoalves's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,016
f/8 and be there?
07-13-2011, 02:16 PM   #9
Veteran Member
Marc Sabatella's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Denver, CO
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 10,685
Do a search for the many existing threads discussing tips on manual focus. I've written up some pretty detailed descriptions in the psdt that remain valid.
07-14-2011, 01:33 AM   #10
Senior Member
Elva's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 125
The focus "assist light" (actually the autofocus indicator) goes on and stays on then you are in focus, there is also normally a beep sound as well.
07-14-2011, 06:25 AM   #11
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
hman's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: WEST CHESTER, PA
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 299
Can you please provide a link to the $28 dual-diagonal split prism screen? I shoot K100D and am struggling with smc M50 1.4. Thanks!!
07-14-2011, 08:02 AM   #12
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
crewl1's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 9,807
jinfinance gets good feedback here: Diagonal Split Image Focus Screen Pentax K100D K200D DL | eBay

I have a horizontal Nikon split screen in my K-x and it helps a lot with MF lenses.
07-14-2011, 08:17 AM   #13
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
hman's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: WEST CHESTER, PA
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 299
Thanks for the info!
07-14-2011, 09:55 AM   #14
Inactive Account




Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Ames, Iowa, USA
Photos: Albums
Posts: 2,965
I have a split prism screen installed but find I usually use the camera's beep and green hexagon indicator to tell me when to shoot. It took a little while to learn how to manually approach focus and avoid over focusing - but not all that long .... try it for a while!
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
50mm, camera, focus, lens, pentax help, photography, tips
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


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
Need a fast cheap 50mm prime (manual ok!) ChopperCharles Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 15 12-22-2010 08:00 PM
Good 50mm prime lens? raver1414 Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 6 12-11-2009 02:48 PM
Long for the good old days of bright viewfinders and manual focusing Photodan Pentax DSLR Discussion 12 11-26-2006 06:46 PM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:08 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top