How is the M with manual focusing?

MinAZ · Oct 22, 2014

I'm just curious how well the EOS M performs using manual focus? I've read a lot about the M's poor AF performance, but not too much about its manual focus performance... (with the two kit lenses). Does the lack of a viewfinder prove a hindrance?

HaroldC3 · Oct 22, 2014

Since it has magnified view 5x and 10x it works good. I just dislike that you can't magnify just the focus box and you have to cycle through each zoom to get to 1x zoom.

johnsmith404 · Oct 22, 2014

MinAZ said:
I'm just curious how well the EOS M performs using manual focus? I've read a lot about the M's poor AF performance, but not too much about its manual focus performance... (with the two kit lenses). Does the lack of a viewfinder prove a hindrance?

For slow MFing it's quite good (magnification etc.). For quick MFing I find it quite bad. If I've got a defocused image and a lens with a real mechanical focusing ring, I have a good feeling for how much I have to turn the ring into which direction. With these slippery by-wire focus rings I can rarely get it right on the first try. I don't even remember in which direction I have to turn the ring to get to inf or mfd.

COYQ · Oct 22, 2014

Tricky!

I have tried some Leica lenses with an adaptor. The M doesn't have any manual focus aid like focus peaking so you just have to go on what you see on the LCD, and it might look in focus on the screen but is actually off when you view on a monitor.

I think it's easier to guess the distance and stop down a bit. Or stick to AF lenses.

Gesture · Oct 22, 2014

One of my biggest irritations about the camera and an indication that Canon intended as a larger sensor point and shoot. I expect there could be some improvements with firmware, but I suggest that Canon study Panasonic, Sony, Samsung approaches to manual focus. Not familiar with Fuji, Pentax or Olympus. Even without focus peaking, Panasonic has a wonderful implementation of manual focus.

67gtonr · Oct 22, 2014

MinAZ said:
I'm just curious how well the EOS M performs using manual focus? I've read a lot about the M's poor AF performance, but not too much about its manual focus performance... (with the two kit lenses). Does the lack of a viewfinder prove a hindrance?

I'm just curious as to how many manual focus lenses Canon manufactures?

johnsmith404 · Oct 22, 2014

HaroldC3 said:
Since it has magnified view 5x and 10x it works good. I just dislike that you can't magnify just the focus box and you have to cycle through each zoom to get to 1x zoom.

Yes, I think it has been noted several times that this is a serious flaw. It would be nice to have at least an option to make it less fiddly.

Btw. for focusing with the 22 f2 wide open, I find that the ML Digic (non-CPU) peaking is quite good, even in fairly poor light. Manual focusing feels really awful on the 22mm though.

MinAZ · Oct 22, 2014

HaroldC3 said:
Since it has magnified view 5x and 10x it works good. I just dislike that you can't magnify just the focus box and you have to cycle through each zoom to get to 1x zoom.

I'm not quite sure what you mean here... could you please explain?

MinAZ · Oct 22, 2014

johnsmith404 said:
HaroldC3 said:

Since it has magnified view 5x and 10x it works good. I just dislike that you can't magnify just the focus box and you have to cycle through each zoom to get to 1x zoom.

Click to expand...

Yes, I think it has been noted several times that this is a serious flaw. It would be nice to have at least an option to make it less fiddly.

Btw. for focusing with the 22 f2 wide open, I find that the ML Digic (non-CPU) peaking is quite good, even in fairly poor light. Manual focusing feels really awful on the 22mm though.

ML = Magic Lantern?

rrccad · Oct 22, 2014

MinAZ said:
I'm just curious how well the EOS M performs using manual focus? I've read a lot about the M's poor AF performance, but not too much about its manual focus performance... (with the two kit lenses). Does the lack of a viewfinder prove a hindrance?

it's not bad.. however it looks like it was cobbled on as a afterthought.

where the rest of the system is smartphone pinch, zoom, and swipe enabled - manual focusing zooming is not (and it should be!).

could be processing power but it certainly could be better.

I'm not big on zebra modes because you have to be zoomed in to 10x anyways unless you are wide open on a really fast lens otherwise your edge detection isn't accurate enough.

certainly alot of room left for improvement for manual focus.

johnsmith404 · Oct 22, 2014

MinAZ said:
johnsmith404 said:

HaroldC3 said:

Since it has magnified view 5x and 10x it works good. I just dislike that you can't magnify just the focus box and you have to cycle through each zoom to get to 1x zoom.

Click to expand...

Yes, I think it has been noted several times that this is a serious flaw. It would be nice to have at least an option to make it less fiddly.

Btw. for focusing with the 22 f2 wide open, I find that the ML Digic (non-CPU) peaking is quite good, even in fairly poor light. Manual focusing feels really awful on the 22mm though.

Click to expand...

ML = Magic Lantern?

Yea. Seriously cool piece of software.

geoffmalter · Oct 22, 2014

As my M is my first and only Canon, what is Zebra? I'm not familiar with the term. Also RE Magic Lantern, since it is activated through a SD card, am I correct that carrying several cards for an upcoming three week Italy trip, I'll have to "load" each card with ML? Thanks in advance.

johnsmith404 · Oct 22, 2014

geoffmalter said:
As my M is my first and only Canon, what is Zebra? I'm not familiar with the term. Also RE Magic Lantern, since it is activated through a SD card, am I correct that carrying several cards for an upcoming three week Italy trip, I'll have to "load" each card with ML? Thanks in advance.

Yes. You could also switch between cards with ML and without, so that you can disable it when you don't need it or if it causes bugs.

However, using ML for several months now (only the stills functions), I haven't seen any major problems. There are just a lot of UI glitches and such, some functions don't fully work, etc. I'd at least try to get familiar with it before going on a trip.

geoffmalter · Oct 22, 2014

Thanks for the advice, John.

007peter · Oct 22, 2014

MinAZ said:
MinAZ wrote: I'm just curious how well the EOS M performs using manual focus? I've read a lot about the M's poor AF performance, but not too much about its manual focus performance... (with the two kit lenses). Does the lack of a viewfinder prove a hindrance?

The Best Solution to bypassed the Slow AF is to enable EOS-M 's Touch-To-Focus. This is the fastest, since all the AF decision is made by you. Where you touch on the screen is where the camera will focus and snap the photo. Pretty Quick and works great in Macro when pin-point focusing is critical.

COYQ · Oct 22, 2014

67gtonr said:
MinAZ said:

I'm just curious how well the EOS M performs using manual focus? I've read a lot about the M's poor AF performance, but not too much about its manual focus performance... (with the two kit lenses). Does the lack of a viewfinder prove a hindrance?

Click to expand...

I'm just curious as to how many manual focus lenses Canon manufactures?

Indeed, we need to consider that Canon designed the camera to be used with its dedicated AF lenses.

I wanted to try my Leica mount lenses on it 'for fun' and I think it's quite useable with my 25mm stopped down a bit.

I use several manual focus cameras but when I'm using a camera with AF, I rarely need to revert to MF, so I don't see why lack of MF assistance is an issue. As with most criticisms it's a case of people trying to make the camera something it's not intended to be, which is fine in an each to his own kind of way, but not a reason to blame the tools.

John TF · Oct 22, 2014

007peter said:
007peter said:

MinAZ wrote: I'm just curious how well the EOS M performs using manual focus? I've read a lot about the M's poor AF performance, but not too much about its manual focus performance... (with the two kit lenses). Does the lack of a viewfinder prove a hindrance?

Click to expand...

The Best Solution to bypassed the Slow AF is to enable EOS-M 's Touch-To-Focus. This is the fastest, since all the AF decision is made by you. Where you touch on the screen is where the camera will focus and snap the photo. Pretty Quick and works great in Macro when pin-point focusing is critical.

Because Touch-To-Focus works so well, so fast, and so reliably I suspect that this is how the designers probably intended the camera to be used. It seems optimal IMHO.

geoffmalter · Oct 22, 2014

007peter said:
007peter said:

MinAZ wrote: I'm just curious how well the EOS M performs using manual focus? I've read a lot about the M's poor AF performance, but not too much about its manual focus performance... (with the two kit lenses). Does the lack of a viewfinder prove a hindrance?

Click to expand...

The Best Solution to bypassed the Slow AF is to enable EOS-M 's Touch-To-Focus. This is the fastest, since all the AF decision is made by you. Where you touch on the screen is where the camera will focus and snap the photo. Pretty Quick and works great in Macro when pin-point focusing is critical.

Are you talking about enabling the touch shutter? I can't find a "Touch-To-Focus" in the menu.

Gesture · Oct 22, 2014

To supplement that recommendation, haven't some suggested using Touch to Focus on a magnified view?

johnsmith404 · Oct 22, 2014

007peter said:
007peter said:

MinAZ wrote: I'm just curious how well the EOS M performs using manual focus? I've read a lot about the M's poor AF performance, but not too much about its manual focus performance... (with the two kit lenses). Does the lack of a viewfinder prove a hindrance?

Click to expand...

The Best Solution to bypassed the Slow AF is to enable EOS-M 's Touch-To-Focus. This is the fastest, since all the AF decision is made by you. Where you touch on the screen is where the camera will focus and snap the photo. Pretty Quick and works great in Macro when pin-point focusing is critical.

The problem is that this solution only works as long as the AF is working. And the AF stops working quite quickly as light levels start to drop. Often, there just is no way around MFing, especially with the 22mm. There are surprisingly little low light people shots posted on this forum even though the M + 22mm f2 should be great for that spec wise. Tells you a little about its true usability for that kind of purpose.

Also, I don't really get your remark about macro. At least with mine, touch focus (or the M's AF in general) is quite worthless as you approach 1:1 magnification, even with focus limiter turned on. Much faster to use MF + touch magnifier.

How is the M with manual focusing?

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