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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostWed Nov 26, 2014 9:27 am 
I used manual focus for this one because I didn't trust AF to get it in time.
Lesli with a hummingbird moth, Uinta NF.
Lesli with a hummingbird moth, Uinta NF.
That was a D60 (not a 60D) with a 300 mm f/4 IS. I got two exposures before it flew away. I really like being able to focus manually in AF mode. You move AF from the shutter to the * button; a half-press just does metering. That way you can take an exposure when you feel your shot is in focus, whether the camera agrees or not. Press the * button (right under your thumb) when you want AF, twist the ring on the lens for MF. If I'd had to wait for the camera to focus, or take it down from my eye to put it in MF mode, I would have missed this shot, and a lot of others. Edit: That shot is from 2003.

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kawi_200
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PostWed Nov 26, 2014 4:30 pm 
Lot's of people like back button focus, but I don't care for it. It would be just as easy to focus on the flower, then use the MF to catch the moth. I often work around the AF system this way, by focusing close to what I want and catching it with a final MF adjustment. AF gets you closer faster than full time MF. Of course, this requires a lens that has full time MF.

Wait, there is a 6am?!?!
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Bedivere
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PostWed Nov 26, 2014 7:48 pm 
Cyclopath wrote:
Bedivere wrote:
If you're shooting wildlife or sports you'll appreciate a buffer that isn't full in one second and then takes a few seconds to empty out... LOTS of people waiting for a camera like this.
I have a Canon 1D mark 2 at home. It shoots 9 fps and I think the buffer holds 50 shots, blazing fast autofocus with 45 sensors covering most of the photo area, and a 1.3x crop factor. It'll autofocus at f/8 which means my 300 mm f/4 IS with a 2x teleconverter is fair game. That's a 12 year old camera. wink.gif
LOL - you did read my earlier post where I said "with a modern sensor." tongue.gif In Nikon's lineup the D750 comes closest to what I want, but I'd prefer to stick to the DX/APS-C format. Canon has come out with exactly the camera I want in the 5D mk II. I think I may rent one from Glazers and give it a workout. If it handles shadows & high ISO noise as well or better than my D7000 then I'll be seriously considering jumping ship from Nikon. In the last few years it seems that in the same price range Nikon has had the better sensors for high ISO and preserving shadow detail. That combined with the fact that I just like the way the Nikon feels in my hand better than the Canons is what's kept me with them. I can adapt to the feel if Canon has improved their sensors. Nikon is either going to have to respond with a similar camera or we can all just conclude that they'd rather not produce another high end APS-C body.

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NacMacFeegle
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PostThu Nov 27, 2014 3:50 pm 
Bedivere wrote:
Canon has come out with exactly the camera I want in the 5D mk II.
The 5D series have been my dream cameras for awhile now, though Nikons new full framer camera are pretty attractive. Sony's recent mirror-less full frame cameras (the A7 and the a7 II) are also interesting, compact and comparatively cheap ($1300 body only for last years model). I wish these had come out a few years earlier when I bought my 60D! At the moment I can't afford to invest in a new DSLR at any price.

Read my hiking related stories and more at http://illuminationsfromtheattic.blogspot.com/
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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostMon Dec 01, 2014 10:29 am 
kawi_200 wrote:
Lot's of people like back button focus, but I don't care for it. It would be just as easy to focus on the flower, then use the MF to catch the moth. I often work around the AF system this way, by focusing close to what I want and catching it with a final MF adjustment. AF gets you closer faster than full time MF. Of course, this requires a lens that has full time MF.
How do you use MF override (in AF mode) without moving AF away from the shutter button?

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Cyclopath
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PostMon Dec 01, 2014 10:41 am 
Bedivere wrote:
LOL - you did read my earlier post where I said "with a modern sensor." tongue.gif
I was poking fun of the irony of so many people waiting for something that's been around for a very long time. wink.gif I can't say anything about the 5D v2 in particular, but the camera it replaced was phenomenal for its time and the v3 is pretty fantastic, too. Very low noise even at high ISOs, great star shots, and great autofocus, big buffer. Personally, I can't imagine jumping ship for Nikon. I've collected a few lenses that I love, but also they weren't cheap and I really hate trying to sell stuff off. I got my 300 mm f/4 back in 2002 or 2003, and I'm still using it, still impressed with the results.

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mike
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PostMon Dec 01, 2014 9:22 pm 
Trying out my ebay special which came today. µ4:3 9-18mm. It's tiny. Only weighs 155g. Definitely going in the kit for hiking.

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gb
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PostTue Dec 02, 2014 9:44 am 
mike wrote:
Trying out my ebay special which came today. µ4:3 9-18mm. It's tiny. Only weighs 155g. Definitely going in the kit for hiking.
Nice, Mike. Which body do you have?

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mike
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PostTue Dec 02, 2014 10:32 am 
Ooops, forgot PS strips the exif if you don't tell it to leave it alone. EM5

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Bedivere
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PostTue Dec 02, 2014 10:38 am 
Cyclopath wrote:
Personally, I can't imagine jumping ship for Nikon. I've collected a few lenses that I love, but also they weren't cheap and I really hate trying to sell stuff off. I got my 300 mm f/4 back in 2002 or 2003, and I'm still using it, still impressed with the results.
I don't know why you'd do that either...??? I'm considering jumping FROM Nikon TO Canon as Canon seems to be able to offer what I want in a camera. I only have a couple of lenses, neither of which is very high-end so it wouldn't be that big of a deal. The old Nikon D300 is the kind of camera I want, but the sensor in that camera is only 12MP and compared to modern sensors has terrible low-light performance. That Nikon hasn't come out with a camera with the same specs but a modern, higher resolution sensor is just weird. As to your other question about AF/MF, on the Nikon AF-S lenses the focus ring overrides the autofocus, so you can use the AF to get close to what you want then give it a little adjustment with the focus ring. I'd guess some Canon lenses have a similar feature...?

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Cyclopath
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PostTue Dec 02, 2014 11:24 am 
So how does overriding autofocus work in the field? I mean, isn't your camera constantly doing AF as long as you have the shutter button half pressed? How does it know when you want to take the wheel? Nicer Canon lenses have ultrasonic focus motors ("USM") that have no mechanical linkage. Which means you can MF them in AF mode. You can break a non-USM lens trying to do that. But you don't want the camera trying to focus after you get it where you want it. That's why I like to separate taking a picture from AFing; the camera won't second guess me if I'm doing landscapes on a tripod, and I don't have to wait, possibly missing the shot chasing wildlife. EDIT: Are you in one-shot AF mode? And if that's how you do it, how does it work in a burst?

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boot up
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boot up
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PostTue Dec 02, 2014 12:00 pm 
mike wrote:
Ooops, forgot PS strips the exif if you don't tell it to leave it alone. EM5
EM5 is a nice rig. I came very close to buying that model. Which specific 9-18 did you get and how much was it? 5.5 ounces is very light for a wide zoom. Most I have checked into seemed to be boat anchors. Nice shot, BTW. Regarding the sub thread on Manual override of AF. I think a lot of cameras have that these days. My Panny has it, with several options on how to implement it, or go full manual with a flip of a switch. Heck, even John's point and shoot has a manual override option on the AF, if he can just figure it out.(He prefers to let the camera do the thinking. smile.gif )

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tigermn
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PostTue Dec 02, 2014 1:40 pm 
boot up wrote:
Heck, even John's point and shoot has a manual override option on the AF, if he can just figure it out.(He prefers to let the camera do the thinking. smile.gif )
Lazy is more like it.. Sony DSC-HX400V actually has 3 modes... AF/Zoom (which lets you use the lens ring to zoom and leave focus up to the camera) DMF (which lets you manually override autofocus) MF (which leaves focusing entirely up to you). Not bad for a point and shoot. Not to mention the zillion other features it has... All for < $500...

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kawi_200
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PostTue Dec 02, 2014 9:04 pm 
Cyclopath wrote:
Nicer Canon lenses have ultrasonic focus motors ("USM") that have no mechanical linkage. Which means you can MF them in AF mode. You can break a non-USM lens trying to do that. But you don't want the camera trying to focus after you get it where you want it. That's why I like to separate taking a picture from AFing; the camera won't second guess me if I'm doing landscapes on a tripod, and I don't have to wait, possibly missing the shot chasing wildlife. EDIT: Are you in one-shot AF mode? And if that's how you do it, how does it work in a burst?
I shoot in One Shot AF. Yes, you have to have (for Canon) USM on your lens to allow full time MF. After the AF locks it will not keep hunting in One Shot AF. Just use the MF ring to adjust the last little bit for focus. I mostly use this technique when I am trying to shoot something like a bird between branches, or leaves. I don't care for the feel of back button AF. It isn't comfortable for my thumb.

Wait, there is a 6am?!?!
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Bedivere
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PostTue Dec 02, 2014 9:06 pm 
Cyclopath wrote:
So how does overriding autofocus work in the field? I mean, isn't your camera constantly doing AF as long as you have the shutter button half pressed? How does it know when you want to take the wheel? Nicer Canon lenses have ultrasonic focus motors ("USM") that have no mechanical linkage. Which means you can MF them in AF mode. You can break a non-USM lens trying to do that. But you don't want the camera trying to focus after you get it where you want it. That's why I like to separate taking a picture from AFing; the camera won't second guess me if I'm doing landscapes on a tripod, and I don't have to wait, possibly missing the shot chasing wildlife. EDIT: Are you in one-shot AF mode? And if that's how you do it, how does it work in a burst?
So now we get into overlapping acronyms... With a Nikon AF-S lens, when the camera is set to AF-S mode (which is single shot focus) then the camera locks onto the focus point when AF is activated and you can fine tune it with the focus ring on the lens without the camera refocusing as long as AF remains activated (i.e. - you are half-pressing the shutter button or using the AF-On button). With the AF set to AF-C (continuous autofocus) the camera is continuously checking the focus and refocusing if necessary as long as AF is active. This would obviously make readjusting the focus with the ring on the lens pointless. Single-shot focus is generally used on static or slow moving subjects. The focus point won't change through any number of shutter activations as long as AF is continuously activated. If you let up on the AF button the camera will re-focus the next time it's pressed. Continuous focus is used for moving subjects or if you want to take a bunch of shots of things at varying distances while keeping the AF active, where trying to fine-tune the focus with the ring is pretty much impossible anyway. I can't see this as being any kind of issue. You don't have time to fine tune the focus while tracking moving subjects anyway. An example of when you'd fine-tune the focus with the focus ring might be when shooting a flower close-up with a real shallow DoF. The camera pics a spot on the flower but it's not exactly what you want so you tweak it a little with the focus ring. Another example might be a very low-contrast situation where the camera just isn't picking up the thing you want to focus on but it's getting close. Sounds like the Canon USM lenses are the same thing as the Nikon AFS then. If I do change systems I'm going to have to re-learn all the controls and nomenclature. Fortunately I'm not in a big hurry, but I do want to upgrade to a newer body before too much longer. I'll wait to see if Nikon can respond to Canon in the next year, or if I decide to go full-frame instead and get the D750, which I just learned doesn't have a buffer that's all that much bigger than my D7000...

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