Manual focus result

slow2focus · 12-21-2009, 05:30 PM

Hi,

After much deleting and sorting, here are a couple of manual focused pics from my new k-x and super tak 28mm f3.5.

All are shot at f3.5

Files shot RAW DNG from k-x and just straight export from picasa 3.5 with resize to 640x480.

the sock one was so hard to focus that I gave up and used liveview as is the angle on top of the tree.

Any advise on shooting xmas tree as well as focus are welcome! Also, does every one get that silly blackbar on the side when shoot raw in picasa? I don't have any other software so I don't know if the bar is normal or just my camera. jpg is OK.

thanks

Attached Images

TheTenaciousOne · 12-22-2009, 09:12 AM

With manual focus lenses i usually just wait till my viewfinder flashes red but i guess u cant to that with the kx. I think the best way is to trust your viewfinder. As you have plenty of time to focus on those sort of object just find approximate focus, and go back and forth until you find a nice balance between them. ie, front focus then back focus and slowly work your way in. Eventually you get the hang of it and can focus fairly quickly. While some people like to use live view to focus i never really got into it unless i was using a tripod for landscapes but to each his own yea

a little bit of nitpicking btw, are you new to photography? While the photos do look nice, they could have easily looked great with just a few basic adjustments to your composition, ie rule of thirds, more creative angles instead of front on and filling the frame.

Marc Sabatella · 12-22-2009, 09:13 AM

Nice shots! The black bar is not normal. Probably a side effect of the fact that Picasa doens't yet support the K-x.

Marc Sabatella · 12-22-2009, 09:17 AM

Originally posted by TheTenaciousOne

With manual focus lenses i usually just wait till my viewfinder flashes red but i guess u cant to that with the kx.

The K-x doesn't have the red dots, but that's OK, it has the green hexagon. The red dots don't tell you when you're in focus anyhow - they just tell you where the camera is *trying* to focus. So even on camera that have the red dots, you should be waiting for the green hexagon. I turned off my red dots years ago.

But given that it only works for objects near the center, and you can't ever be sure exactly *which* object near the center is being confirmed, I still find the hexagon no substitute for trusting your eyes, and the back-and-forth technique you describe is more or less how I do it, too. the key being to not just be aware of whether the object you care about is in focus, but to be aware at all times of where the in-focus zone zone is, carefully move it a little in front and a ittle behind your subject, then split the difference.

reeftool · 12-22-2009, 09:57 AM

Marc covered things pretty well. I will only add to also adjust the diopter (if the Kx has a diopter adjuster) for your eyesight and check it from time to time because it's easy to accidently move on my camera in normal everyday handling.

Deiberson · 12-22-2009, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by Marc Sabatella

But given that it only works for objects near the center

so the hexagon only pops up when the center is in focus. this might explain my question in the other thread regarding shots in the enitre dof being out of focus. i was concentrating on the center /hexagon and maybe should have been using my eyes on over the entire scene instead.

slow2focus · 12-22-2009, 11:51 AM

Originally posted by TheTenaciousOne

a little bit of nitpicking btw, are you new to photography? While the photos do look nice, they could have easily looked great with just a few basic adjustments to your composition, ie rule of thirds, more creative angles instead of front on and filling the frame.

Yup. New. Came from standard P&S camera. So, using the k-x like a P&S for now. The house is really a mess. so, If I don't get it tight, you will see a lot of "junk" LOL

I know you can do that DOF thing to blur out BG, but, given the 3.5ness, I am very sure you will just see blurred junk hehe...

slow2focus · 12-22-2009, 11:55 AM

Originally posted by deiberson

so the hexagon only pops up when the center is in focus. this might explain my question in the other thread regarding shots in the enitre dof being out of focus. i was concentrating on the center /hexagon and maybe should have been using my eyes on over the entire scene instead.

As Marc has explained to me in other posts as well as my own experience, the hex is slow to appear and slow to disappear. I have had it linger till that even I could tell the frame is no long in focus. I do use it as a guild to fine tune but, I certainly don't trust it anymore. In auto focus lenses, it seems fine though.

On a tripod, I find LV x 16 superb for focus!! But, I hate getting mine out and taking up space and I am lazy.

12-21-2009, 05:30 PM	#1
slow2focus Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 82	Manual focus result Hi, After much deleting and sorting, here are a couple of manual focused pics from my new k-x and super tak 28mm f3.5. All are shot at f3.5 Files shot RAW DNG from k-x and just straight export from picasa 3.5 with resize to 640x480. the sock one was so hard to focus that I gave up and used liveview as is the angle on top of the tree. Any advise on shooting xmas tree as well as focus are welcome! Also, does every one get that silly blackbar on the side when shoot raw in picasa? I don't have any other software so I don't know if the bar is normal or just my camera. jpg is OK. thanks Attached Images

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
10 Reasons why manual focus primes are better than those new auto focus zoom lenses	JoepLX3	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	188	07-25-2012 03:28 PM
K100D Super - Focus point locked to center in Manual Focus ?	JGabr	Pentax DSLR Discussion	2	01-25-2010 09:41 PM
Focus & Recompose: Surprise Result	newarts	Photographic Technique	11	08-06-2009 10:57 AM
Continuous focus result...	beaumont	Post Your Photos!	3	07-23-2009 10:53 AM
Macro: Handheld, Manual Focus, Manual Stop-Down	Mike Cash	Post Your Photos!	2	06-19-2008 07:14 AM

12-22-2009, 09:12 AM	#2
TheTenaciousOne Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Adelaide, SA, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 111	With manual focus lenses i usually just wait till my viewfinder flashes red but i guess u cant to that with the kx. I think the best way is to trust your viewfinder. As you have plenty of time to focus on those sort of object just find approximate focus, and go back and forth until you find a nice balance between them. ie, front focus then back focus and slowly work your way in. Eventually you get the hang of it and can focus fairly quickly. While some people like to use live view to focus i never really got into it unless i was using a tripod for landscapes but to each his own yea a little bit of nitpicking btw, are you new to photography? While the photos do look nice, they could have easily looked great with just a few basic adjustments to your composition, ie rule of thirds, more creative angles instead of front on and filling the frame.

12-22-2009, 09:13 AM	#3
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	Nice shots! The black bar is not normal. Probably a side effect of the fact that Picasa doens't yet support the K-x.

12-22-2009, 09:17 AM	#4
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	Originally posted by TheTenaciousOne With manual focus lenses i usually just wait till my viewfinder flashes red but i guess u cant to that with the kx. The K-x doesn't have the red dots, but that's OK, it has the green hexagon. The red dots don't tell you when you're in focus anyhow - they just tell you where the camera is trying to focus. So even on camera that have the red dots, you should be waiting for the green hexagon. I turned off my red dots years ago. But given that it only works for objects near the center, and you can't ever be sure exactly which object near the center is being confirmed, I still find the hexagon no substitute for trusting your eyes, and the back-and-forth technique you describe is more or less how I do it, too. the key being to not just be aware of whether the object you care about is in focus, but to be aware at all times of where the in-focus zone zone is, carefully move it a little in front and a ittle behind your subject, then split the difference.

12-22-2009, 09:57 AM	#5
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,555	Marc covered things pretty well. I will only add to also adjust the diopter (if the Kx has a diopter adjuster) for your eyesight and check it from time to time because it's easy to accidently move on my camera in normal everyday handling.

12-22-2009, 11:15 AM	#6
Deiberson Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Photos: Albums Posts: 734	Originally posted by Marc Sabatella But given that it only works for objects near the center so the hexagon only pops up when the center is in focus. this might explain my question in the other thread regarding shots in the enitre dof being out of focus. i was concentrating on the center /hexagon and maybe should have been using my eyes on over the entire scene instead.

12-22-2009, 11:51 AM	#7
slow2focus Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 82 Original Poster	Originally posted by TheTenaciousOne a little bit of nitpicking btw, are you new to photography? While the photos do look nice, they could have easily looked great with just a few basic adjustments to your composition, ie rule of thirds, more creative angles instead of front on and filling the frame. Yup. New. Came from standard P&S camera. So, using the k-x like a P&S for now. The house is really a mess. so, If I don't get it tight, you will see a lot of "junk" LOL I know you can do that DOF thing to blur out BG, but, given the 3.5ness, I am very sure you will just see blurred junk hehe...

12-22-2009, 11:55 AM	#8
slow2focus Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 82 Original Poster	Originally posted by deiberson so the hexagon only pops up when the center is in focus. this might explain my question in the other thread regarding shots in the enitre dof being out of focus. i was concentrating on the center /hexagon and maybe should have been using my eyes on over the entire scene instead. As Marc has explained to me in other posts as well as my own experience, the hex is slow to appear and slow to disappear. I have had it linger till that even I could tell the frame is no long in focus. I do use it as a guild to fine tune but, I certainly don't trust it anymore. In auto focus lenses, it seems fine though. On a tripod, I find LV x 16 superb for focus!! But, I hate getting mine out and taking up space and I am lazy.