Pen f - Focus peaking

Peaking comes on when you are in MF (manual Focus). You can also set up S-AF + MF so that when you press the shutter half way it goes to MF and allows the peaking. This is nice to be able to bring it into focus, but you use peaking to fine tune for depth of field or subject choice.

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Phil

Phil said:

Peaking comes on when you are in MF (manual Focus). You can also set up S-AF + MF so that when you press the shutter half way it goes to MF and allows the peaking. This is nice to be able to bring it into focus, but you use peaking to fine tune for depth of field or subject choice.

--
Phil

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As Phil wrote make sure you have the camera in MF or S-AF+MF shooting mode. Also I found that I needed to set the focus peaking to the highest (strongest) setting with the Pen-F for it to be the most useful on close up shooting.

I assume I am in manual focus mode when I pull back the focus ring on the lens. The camera then focuses manually but the image in the viewfinder doesn't enlarge and the focus peaking doesn't appear. This worked just fine on my E-M1 but not on the Pen f.

Twammers said:

I assume I am in manual focus mode when I pull back the focus ring on the lens. The camera then focuses manually but the image in the viewfinder doesn't enlarge and the focus peaking doesn't appear. This worked just fine on my E-M1 but not on the Pen f.

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I just tried peaking on my E-M1 and Pen F with the 12-40 2.8 and it worked just fine. Both with autofocus and fine adjustment using the MF ring and in manual focus with the clutch disengaged. I will say the Peaking is a lot more subtle in the Pen F viewfinder than either the E-M1 or E-M5 II. I never use the magnifying option since I use the praking with my PL100-400 and at 400mm, it's too difficult for me to hold it still for the peaking with the magnifying option.

Just tried my PenF, with both turned on, using a Panny/Leica 15mm lens, both peaking and magnify came up when I turned the focus ring. I do not have any native Panny lenses to test. You can also assign magnify to its button on the back, which is what I do, and have peaking set on. I thimk you can also assign peaking to a function button, if needed.

The Olympus lenses that have manual/auto focus clutch, the peaking and magnify are active in Auro focus mode only (at least with my Oly 12mm f/2.0 lens), so when you turn the focus ring they show up until you press the shutter button. However, when you pull the clutch back to manual focus, the camera treats the lens like a manual focus lens, so the peaking and magnify do not pop up when you turn the ring. As previously posted, you can set peaking to come on with 1/2 shutter button press to get peaking, and use the magnify button to turn it on.

Twammers, how did you get the Pen F to work with the zoom when the clutch was pulled back to manual mode? I tried this with my Oly 12mm, and could only get focus aids to work when the clutch was set to auto focus, and I turned the focus ring.

Cheers

Hi Denny,

Now you really have got me confused! Surely, the focus aids, i.e. magnification and focus peaking, only operate in manual focus mode. At least that was the way it worked on my E-M1. Never saw any sign of them when in auto focus.

Cheers

I can't speak for the Pen F, but on both the EM-1 and EM-5 II, peaking works in AF when you pull back the clutch on both the 12-40 and the 40-150. This is how I use it unless I have a lens that does not have a clutch. Then I use S-AF - MF and press half way down for peaking or just use MF.

Twammers said:

Hi Denny,

Now you really have got me confused! Surely, the focus aids, i.e. magnification and focus peaking, only operate in manual focus mode. At least that was the way it worked on my E-M1. Never saw any sign of them when in auto focus.

Cheers

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If you have the Pen F set to S-AF +M, half press to establish initial focus with the auto focus, then just touch the focus ring on the lens and the peaking appears for fine tuning the focus while half pressed (no need to disengage the clutch). Press all the way when the focus is as you like it.

Now that I have returned from a trip, I can try both my cameras ... and I'm puzzled.

I get the same behaviour on both my E-M1 and my Pen-F. Pulling back the focus ring on my 12-40 f/2.8 engages focus aids (peaking or zoom, as configured). Pulling back the focus ring on my 17 f/1.8 doesn't engage focus aids, although the camera displays MF.

On both cameras, I only get the focus aids with the 17/f1.8 if I leave the focus ring in the auto position and select MF on the camera. So to me it looks like a quirk of the 17mm lens, and not a feature of the Pen-F. (I have checked the lens firmware version.) But that isn't what Twammers reported.

I hadn't really noticed the problem because I mainly use manual focussing with a manual lens (Samyang 7.5mm) and so I am in the habit of selecting focus peaking with a function button.

This is a bug in the Pen-F, confirmed by Olympus reps at the launch event (although they called it a feature). The peaking only works if the camera is set to MF, not if you only use the MF option on the lens ring.

Hopefully they'll fix it with a firmware update. I have set the video button to switch MF on as this also works for lenses without the focus ring option.

As an aside I find the focus clutch option on the lens ring annoying as it doesn't keep the current distance set, at least not on the 40-150 Pro. So I can't use AF to focus on a butterfly and then click to MF to fine focus or prevent refocusing if the subject moves.

I don't want to throw in a wet towel, but this is not true. It depends on the AF/MF menu selection, and the lens in use. You can have the Pan F set to S-AF, and then on lenses, like the Panny/Leica primes, if you set the lens switch to MF, the camera is set to MF, and the focus peaking/zoom in both work (depending on which one is set/or both in the menu).

You can also set the AF to MF/S-AF mode, and get focus peaking/zoom in if you turn the focus ring, regardless of the lens MF/AF setting, the zoom in and focus peaking are active immediately. But, if the lens is set to AF, the camera will refocus when shutter button is pressed, unless you press the button half-way first, then manually focus, and continue to press the shutter button down to make the exposure. But, if you set the lens switch to MF, then auto focus is disabled, and the focus assist is active when the focus ring is turned, but normal view returns with half-way shutter release, to frame the shot and take the photo.

Again, as previously reported, it depends on the lens being used. So it is more of a lens issue, than a problem with the Pen F focus assist.
Cheers

RobBurke said:

Now that I have returned from a trip, I can try both my cameras ... and I'm puzzled.

I get the same behaviour on both my E-M1 and my Pen-F. Pulling back the focus ring on my 12-40 f/2.8 engages focus aids (peaking or zoom, as configured). Pulling back the focus ring on my 17 f/1.8 doesn't engage focus aids, although the camera displays MF.

On both cameras, I only get the focus aids with the 17/f1.8 if I leave the focus ring in the auto position and select MF on the camera. So to me it looks like a quirk of the 17mm lens, and not a feature of the Pen-F. (I have checked the lens firmware version.) But that isn't what Twammers reported.

I hadn't really noticed the problem because I mainly use manual focussing with a manual lens (Samyang 7.5mm) and so I am in the habit of selecting focus peaking with a function button.

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Mine is the same as this with the Olympus 17mm f/1.8 attached. The focus clutch doesn't seem to activate the focus aids. It must be a simple firmware update and as Olympus are aware of it hopefully it wont be too long until they fix it.

Until then I just set Fn1 to activate manual focus.

I had the same focus peaking issue with the 17mm f1.8; the activation is different for this lens than other Oly lenses. I went through the Olympus USA site (support) and the question was answered in a day or so. Sorry, I don't remember what it is as I mainly use this lens on auto.

I have the focus peaking problem with my Voightlander Nokton. The camera puts itself automatically on MF when I attach the lens, focus peaking is on but focus peaking doesn't work.
Does somebody know the solution?

Wigelii said:

I have the focus peaking problem with my Voightlander Nokton. The camera puts itself automatically on MF when I attach the lens, focus peaking is on but focus peaking doesn't work.
Does somebody know the solution?

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My Rokinon 7.5mm is also a manual lens. This should work- first turn on 'peaking' in the gear menu, under A. Then in gear menu B 'Button/Dial, go to 'Button Function' and set your preferred button to 'peaking.'

In my case I have set peaking to FN2. I think that's all there is to it.

That worked.
(I didn't realize that I had to assign it to a button)
Thanks

CelticOdyssey said:

Wigelii said:

I have the focus peaking problem with my Voightlander Nokton. The camera puts itself automatically on MF when I attach the lens, focus peaking is on but focus peaking doesn't work.
Does somebody know the solution?

Click to expand...

My Rokinon 7.5mm is also a manual lens. This should work- first turn on 'peaking' in the gear menu, under A. Then in gear menu B 'Button/Dial, go to 'Button Function' and set your preferred button to 'peaking.'

In my case I have set peaking to FN2. I think that's all there is to it.

Click to expand...

I have focus peaking set to the front function button by the lens on the PEN-F. I press it and the focus aids kick in regardless of which focus mode the camera is set.

So glad I found this thread. Just bought the pen-f, my first MFT, and thought I was going to have to return it. Glad there's a work around but honestly it's pretty infuriating. I have to press the magnify button twice to get it to work and then again to turn it off. Should be an option to only work while the button is depressed. And then I'm left with the green focus box that won't go away until I press OK! It should really work with the clutch activated without having to press extra buttons every time. Aargh!

But, otherwise, I think the Pen-F is quickly becoming my favorite out of all the cameras I've owned.

There is a YouTube channel that is devoted solely to operating the Pen-F created by Rob Trek. One of the topics is Focus Peaking. His channel is particullary useful because he uses two cameras. A main camera on him as he narrates and a second camera focused on the Pen-F's LCD screen. The second camera allows you to clearly see what he is inputting with the menus.

Rob Trek himself is a hilariously average speaker, but he's a meticulous teacher and his gear setup really makes his lessons easy to understand.