Help Me Select: E-PM2 vs E-PL5 vs E-P3

NoTx wrote:

NZ Scott wrote:

Do you have any zone-focusing pix you could share?

I've been trying real hard to zone-focus with my 17/1.8 but am having a devil of a job. The markings on the lens barrel are just too vague.

S

Hey Scott,

What do you mean the markings are too vague? How are you using them?

I may be looking for my first micro four thirds camera... but I shot Leica and Contax rangefinders for a LONG time. As well as old film. And doing street and weddings, I mainly used the zone focus techniques.

If you can show us wheat you are wondering, I may be able to help.

Rob, there's a lot of talk about the clutch-focus mechanism on the 17/1.8 (and the 12/2.0 for that matter) and how great it is. I own the 12/2.0 and I do find the clutch-focus to be marginally useful for landscapes. But on the 17/1.8 the aperture markings on the lens barrel are too close together to provide a useful guide. So what you have to do is memorise hyperfocal distances and use that method instead.

Now, on the 17/1.8 there are very few markings for focusing distance that appear to be useful. I am from a metric country, but the lens is marked in metres and feet. There is a marking on the lens for 5 feet and this corresponds with a f6.4 aperture on the hyperfocal charts, which is a useable aperture in bright conditions.

However, when I use the lens at 5ft / f6.3 the resulting image is blurry as hell at normal shooting distances. This is even when I use a tripod.

My understanding is that it should be reasonbly in focus from 2.5ft to infinity.

I'd really like to see some examples of decent shots that have been made using the clutch mechanism - but so far all I've seen is talk. I haven't actually seen anyone take any good shots using the focus clutch or hyperfocal shooting with the 17mm.