Focus peaking v. magnification

mimritty wrote:

I just added the E-M10 to the E-PM2 and am exploring the additional features the M10 has, figuring out what buttons to assign to what function, etc.

With manual focus, I am finding magnification more useful than focus peaking as a focusing aid. On the other hand, I've never used focus peaking before and maybe I'm just not using it in the right way. I would like to hear your views on the benefits of focus peaking over magnification -- or any tips you might have on how to put it to its best use.

Thanks.

Well you can use both and when the peaking is happening you know your eyes are not lying. When you cannot see it then you know your eyes are wrong or you simply have not switched focus peaking on, or the lever on top is not set to MF (at least on the GM1 this is so).

So it is hard to see why magnification alone could actually be better than magnified with focus peaking.  Or is it a case where we are comparing non-magnified focus peaked screen with a magnified non-focus peaked screen?  In whihc case perhaps the comparison should be unmagnified with or without focus peaking assist? Another ball game entiely.

Focus peaking is more accurate by definition when the areas in contrast are magnified.

One of the problems witht the Sony version is that their unmagnified focus peaked screen (especially with wides) focus peaks all over the place into an ink-blot look and so makes it very hard to find the precise point of focus among "the trees".  I would agree with your assumption in that case.