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5n - touchscreen and manual focus...

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Keith Schmidt

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I stumbled across this feature the other day (probably should read the manual one of these days!) - when using manual focus, you can use the touchscreen to select the focus point, and it automatically enlarges focus on that point - combined with the peaking feature, makes it very easy to ensure proper focus.

Anyway, just thought I'd share for anyone else who hadn't figured this out yet.

--
Keith
http://keithinsp.smugmug.com/
http://www.pbase.com/themitty/
http://www.picasaweb.google.com/themitty
 
I read something similar but was trying to understand fully how it works (my camera is 'in transit' as we speak).

So basically:

Camera is set to manual focus with legacy lens attached

Touch the screen once on desired point and it automatically enlarges that area for precise focussing

Focus

half press shutter to return to 'regular view'

Refine composition and shoot?

If so - that extremely easy.

--

http://www.samwaldron.co.nz
 
Well, you don't have to refine the composition because you already composed before touching the screen, so most of the time after the focus just shoot. And when you get the auto review screen after the shot, you just touch the same spot to see if the final pict was in focus in that critical image section! Very well thought out flow.
Sosua said:
Refine composition and shoot?

If so - that extremely easy
Click to expand...
 
a1man said:
Well, you don't have to refine the composition because you already composed before touching the screen, so most of the time after the focus just shoot. And when you get the auto review screen after the shot, you just touch the same spot to see if the final pict was in focus in that critical image section! Very well thought out flow.
a1man said:
Refine composition and shoot?

If so - that extremely easy
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Yep, exactly - the beauty is that you DON'T have to recompose after checking focus!

--
Keith
http://keithinsp.smugmug.com/
http://www.pbase.com/themitty/
http://www.picasaweb.google.com/themitty
 
Now THAT is a useful feature for us manual lens users. Maybe I wish the NEX-7 had a touchscreen after all? Thanks for the info.
 
Just found this video showing it really well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK-baJCx9yk

Are you able to set the desired level of 'one touch' magnification too?

For the way that I shoot - this is a revelation - looks really fast and fluid - will be sensational for tripod work as well.

Currently when shooting landscapes with my D7000 I have to:

Compose

Switch to live view (with no live historgram or expsoure simulation)

Zoom in by pressing the magnify button (on opposite side of camera) holding down for a second or two

Slowly scroll using the D-pad to the desired focus point

Manually focus

Zoom out by holding the maginfy button down for a second or two

Take the photo

Also love the swipe to review different images (yes, iphone user here) and an often overlooked, but killer feature - one touch to magnify to confirm focus in playback.

I LOVED that feature on my D300 and was the only thing I missed on the D7000 vs D300.

--

http://www.samwaldron.co.nz
 
I use this feature all the time, I too stumbled upon it accidentally, makes nailing manual focus a breeze. I have a NEX7 preordered but it's little things like this, high iso performance and lens compatibility that make me think that I should stick with the 5N.

If only the 5N had one more control dial and a drive mode dial...
 
And this works on E mount lens?
--

A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life".

(...from the generation that still uses capital letters and punctuation...)
 
If you have a legacy lens on the 5N and shoot in aperture priorty you set the aperture on the physical lens, let the camera determine the shutter speed and use the control wheel for instant exposure compensation as desired.

ISO would be accessible by one extra press once set up to taste?

For my type of shooting, this is more than adequate.
--

http://www.samwaldron.co.nz
 
I have a Nikon lens mounted at the moment, and this does not work with it. I bought the camera to use with Leica M lenses, but the M lens adapter has not arrived yet.
 
Slynky said:
And this works on E mount lens?
--

A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life".

(...from the generation that still uses capital letters and punctuation...)
Click to expand...
Yes, works with Sony E mount lenses and with manual, legacy lenses - works with any lens.

--
Keith
http://keithinsp.smugmug.com/
http://www.pbase.com/themitty/
http://www.picasaweb.google.com/themitty
 
Keith Schmidt said:
I stumbled across this feature the other day (probably should read the manual one of these days!) - when using manual focus, you can use the touchscreen to select the focus point, and it automatically enlarges focus on that point - combined with the peaking feature, makes it very easy to ensure proper focus.

Anyway, just thought I'd share for anyone else who hadn't figured this out yet.

--
Keith
http://keithinsp.smugmug.com/
http://www.pbase.com/themitty/
http://www.picasaweb.google.com/themitty
Click to expand...
Works great with M mount lenses used via an adapter as well.

Nicely done Sony.

Best,

Bill
 
Now, that's the part of the manual I must have read over too fast. I read the whole manual but sometimes I guess I skimmed too fast.

Thanks for the reply. :)
Keith Schmidt said:
Slynky said:
And this works on E mount lens?
--

A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life".

(...from the generation that still uses capital letters and punctuation...)
Click to expand...
Yes, works with Sony E mount lenses and with manual, legacy lenses - works with any lens.

--
Keith
http://keithinsp.smugmug.com/
http://www.pbase.com/themitty/
http://www.picasaweb.google.com/themitty
Click to expand...
--

A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life".

(...from the generation that still uses capital letters and punctuation...)
 
Wow, that's fast using the touch screen. I have yet to try manual focus, but I suppose I'll fiddle with my e-mount lenses. If it's as easy as it looked then I might consider some older legacy lenses after all.
 
Wow! That's a VERY hot tip.

And even better, it works when shooting video and in essence functions as a focus lock, a feature which I'd been sorely missing on the 5N. When using an E mount lens, you can leave the camera on autofocus, choose an object to focus on while shooting, touch that object on the screen, and focus will lock on whatever distance that object happened to be at during the moment you touched the screen, remaining there until one either finishes the shot or chooses another object to focus on.

Very cool. I'd been assuming I would just leave the touch screen turned off; now I have to rethink that.

I suppose this is similar to using the touchscreen to select an object to track focus on ("Object Tracking"), but I've been nervous about using the track focus feature while shooting video for fear of getting too much focus 'hunting' during the shot.
 
too funny, i've been doing this all week... I've been waiting for a 7N, but i think i'd miss this too much!
 
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