Focusing using manual lenses

Hi!

I love my Pentax and I sometimes use manual lenses with it.

I have da problem about focusing. I use catch-in-focus and all settings are fine.

I see camera always use center point to focus.

When I shoot half-lenght portraits at f.2/8 eyes are out of focus.

I tried to "focus and recompose technique" but I still have the same problem.

In my opinion that's because the focus point is not the head (the eyes) but it's lower, so even if focus plane is in focus, focus point is not.

Maybe I could solve the problem using smaller apertures f.5/6 or shooting only headshot for portrais

How do you suggest to solve the problem if I want to go on using manual lenses?

gaetanonline wrote:

Hi!

I love my Pentax and I sometimes use manual lenses with it.

I have da problem about focusing. I use catch-in-focus and all settings are fine.

I see camera always use center point to focus.

When I shoot half-lenght portraits at f.2/8 eyes are out of focus.

I tried to "focus and recompose technique" but I still have the same problem.

In my opinion that's because the focus point is not the head (the eyes) but it's lower, so even if focus plane is in focus, focus point is not.

Maybe I could solve the problem using smaller apertures f.5/6 or shooting only headshot for portrais

How do you suggest to solve the problem if I want to go on using manual lenses?

I suppose with portraits you'd want to either focus in live view or use a split-image focusing screen. Catch-in focus is incredibly handy and powerful but as you have noticed it does run into an issue in specific situations such as close-up portraits. Of course, increasing DOF by using a smaller aperture will also work but will defeat the main reason of using such lovely f2.8 lenses to begin with.

To get "critical focus" 100% of the time use:  manual focus, a Zacuto viewfinder and live-view.

I have Zacuto viewfinders attached "permanently" to both of my K1 cameras .

I now never have blurry images.   They are always in focus.

When shooting with a viewfinder you will need to both magnify the image on the LCD screen while focusing, AND have focus peaking enabled.  Read your camera manual on how to do these things.

Thank you for your suggestions.

Sorry to ask, but how can I enable focus peaking on my K-r? I can't find it in manual, maybe in italian it's called in different way

I can't change my in-camera focus point. My Pentax K-r focus only in the center using manual lenses. For the picture I want to shoot if camera take focus just in the center eyes would be always out of focus because focus point would placed lower, though focus plane is the same.

can you explain me better your technique?

I use the viewfinder loup O-ME 53. It helps me to get a better impreesion about the sharpness.

Next point is to adjust the dipper correction of the camera correctly. If you see the writings/signals in the viewfinder sharp and clear the diopter setting is OK.

I don't use the sharpness trap of the camera as I want to decide when to release.

Best regards

Holger

gaetanonline wrote:

Hi!

I love my Pentax and I sometimes use manual lenses with it.

I have da problem about focusing. I use catch-in-focus and all settings are fine.

I see camera always use center point to focus.

I think this has always been the case, if the lens is manual you get center point confirmation - it's true on the K1 and I think it was true right back to film

When I shoot half-lenght portraits at f.2/8 eyes are out of focus.

The simple answer is to shoot with a smaller aperture and more depth of field but I am guessing that you want shallow depth of field to isolate the subject from the background.

I tried to "focus and recompose technique" but I still have the same problem.

In my opinion that's because the focus point is not the head (the eyes) but it's lower, so even if focus plane is in focus, focus point is not.

I think it is more to do with the field of focus of the lens, if you focus on a brick wall 2M away, the bricks at the edges of the frame are sharp but they are further from the camera than center brick. So the field of focus isn't an arc from circle 2M in radius, it is flattened (but not perfectly flat either). If the middle of the frame is focused at 2M something exactly 2M away at the edge is just a little too near the lens. So focus and recompose is not perfect , and will vary from lens to lens.

Maybe I could solve the problem using smaller apertures f.5/6 or shooting only headshot for portrais

Shooting only headshots and moving closer would mean you had a shallower d.o.f so the problem might be worse.

How do you suggest to solve the problem if I want to go on using manual lenses?

Two ways. One is to just live view and/or a magnifier, or any other focus aid you can get. The other is through practice to know that if focus a little short when you recompose things will be right, but you need to learn how short to focus.

Hi

Another one, cheaper and easier to use I guess, is the magnetic LCDVF (probably the 4:3 model for 3'' screens if it the size for k-r ?).

Drawbacks :

- you have to glue something "permanent" to the back of your camera

- you have to clean the screen first, then put the base on the screen and keep something heavy for one night on it to get a good contact (some users reported it could take off : I never experienced such a thing)

- always take firmly the camera, not the LCDVF : magnetic power is enought to keep it on the camera ... not the other way round !

- no diopter if you wear glasses (well, I use it with glasses too and that's ok for me)

- really BIG with small camera and lens : see below O-ME 53 is more inconspicuous !

- depending where you live you can find it at different prices it seems !?

Advantages :

- when it's well glued, just put the LCDVF on it and that's all, take it off and put your camera in your pocket

- nice to have for video or photography as it helps stabilize the camera

- you can use focus peaking, if available on you camera, to get the focus where exactly you want, with a BIG viewfinder, even on a sunny day

Regards, Fred

K01 + wide angle 15mm f/4 : not a pancake, but too small for the LCDTV

If you are using manual focus lenses and relying on the camera to tell you when it is in focus either with the focus trap method or the focus confirmation beep, a focus adjustment may be needed to ensure that the lens is infact in focus when the camera thinks it is.

I was struggling with manual focus with my old helios lens so I did a focus test and found out it was way out. I adjusted and now I am getting much better results

Hope this helps

Browntee wrote:

If you are using manual focus lenses and relying on the camera to tell you when it is in focus either with the focus trap method or the focus confirmation beep, a focus adjustment may be needed to ensure that the lens is infact in focus when the camera thinks it is.

I was struggling with manual focus with my old helios lens so I did a focus test and found out it was way out. I adjusted and now I am getting much better results

Hope this helps

My lens is a Helios too.

Which kind of adjustment do you mean? Do you mean just focusing manually?

Are you using lcd screen and magnifier?

Mike,

knowing your professionalism and reputation, I trust in your findings.

MightyMike wrote:

. Finally if you're using the K-1 something has changed, where i could get amazingly accurate pinpoint focus with manual lenses on the K-3 and older bodies the K-1 seems to want to trigger early regardless of which direction you're focusing.

I.e. focusing from far results in BF and from near in FF?

on static subject i went from getting most of my shots dead on to 2 out of 3 early triggers (using burst) before one that is appropriately in focus, For action photos i went from 2 of 3 in focus to 1 of 3 in focus after switching to the K-1.

Personal note:

By time I got tired in investigations like yours above and trying to setup adjustments or work arounds. For my kind of photography (mostly of personal and family use) I get around with simpler cameras. My old Pentax M , A and FA lenses don't require more than my K-5II - I think.

Mike, thanks for all your contributions and images of course.

You have to determine if you think the lens is front focusing or back focusing then using the focus adjustment option in your menu to correct the focus

A lot of people do not think of doing a focus test with a manual focus lens, but if you are using the focus confirmation of the camera, the focus calibration should be checked

Check out the link below. He is adjusing a different camera brand.. but the principals are the same

I have  helios 44-m and once I got the focus calibration set I achieved much better results

https://youtu.be/52fBIp4BI84

I always use focus trap with this lens and like the results I get. It's a fun lens to use...

In my experience the central area the focus confirmation reacts upon is rather extended, and within that area he reacts on the closest point, or maybe the first point that is in focus.