Emount lenses are useless if the autofocus stops working?

[blue_skies]

I already had one now. What if ????

I had a '2000 model which has throttle by wire.

And it did break down when the central PC failed. I had to drive home in 'idle' mode, going through the shifts manually.

Coming to think of it, what happens to 'automatic transmission' then? Isn't that a 'by wire' option too?

I guess that Bunick rides a bicycle...

 

[Entropy512]

I already had one now. What if ????

I had a '2000 model which has throttle by wire.

And it did break down when the central PC failed. I had to drive home in 'idle' mode, going through the shifts manually.

Coming to think of it, what happens to 'automatic transmission' then? Isn't that a 'by wire' option too?

I guess that Bunick rides a bicycle...

 

[JimKasson]

I already had one now. What if ????

I had a '2000 model which has throttle by wire.

And it did break down when the central PC failed. I had to drive home in 'idle' mode, going through the shifts manually.

Coming to think of it, what happens to 'automatic transmission' then? Isn't that a 'by wire' option too?

I guess that Bunick rides a bicycle...

 

[JimKasson]

The diaphragm in Emount lenses is electrically controlled. If the device that moves the blades fails, the lens won't work except at the aperture it goes to when that happens.

This is true of many lens lines: Nikon E lenses, many Canon lenses, Leica S lenses, some Contax lenses.

Let's complain about that, too. It's only fair.

Jim

 

[SQLGuy]

The Sony E mount lenses I've owned had no mechanical coupling between the focus ring and focus mechanism. If the AF dies on one of these, they cannot be focused at all.

I don't think that's true of the 90/2.8 macro.

Jim

 

[joger]

The diaphragm in Emount lenses is electrically controlled. If the device that moves the blades fails, the lens won't work except at the aperture it goes to when that happens.

This is true of many lens lines: Nikon E lenses, many Canon lenses, Leica S lenses, some Contax lenses.

Let's complain about that, too. It's only fair.

Jim

I guess the main question behind the OP's question is: "What's the long term value of lenses" nowadays.

And this question is easy to answer from my perspective:

1. Modern designs excel in sharpness, µContrast and flare resistance and occasionally weight and size compare to their old counterparts
2. Prices are reasonable to very good - in former times some excellent lenses had been extremely pricy compare to current designs which tend to be acceptable in prices
3. Possibilities are bigger - since everything is controlled electronically you can do magic with software and change the behavior later on when new algorithms are developed - happened to the GM 85 and 50 ZA lately
4. Lenses are keepers but I tend to sell them nowadays faster than before - I've changed camera mounts 3 times within the past 20+ years - so I have in average a system with < 10 years of age - I guess this is a good advise to maintain a fresh and comparable young fleet of lenses and cameras.
5. The future of big and cumbersome cameras is questionable anyway. It could likely be that ever smaller and ever smarter devices will replace our current gear in a very short period of time - who knows what AI will bring to the table that makes our gear obsolete?

IMHO the question of longevity is a very human one but I tend to see it in TCO terms (=total cost of ownership)

I sell gear whenever I have new plans. Currently my last pieces of Canon gear are on eBay and it is foreseeable that some only 1 ½ year old Sony parts will be soon on eBay. As long as maintaining my gear is not exceeding a certain barrier (financially) I am fine with that.

I will keep my gear fresh and younger than 10 years in the future as well.

I have old lenses that are 30+ years old but compare to the possibilities I have with new gear they are much lower in value from a user perspective - not from a collector's perspective of course.

Just my 2ct

 

[No account anymore]

Are focus by wire lenses able to manual focus if the autofocus dies?

This is the same with all lenses that are made like this.

If not, how easy/hard is it to fix such a lens?

Probably not. And how often do we hear about faulty autofocus motors?

I would be much more worried about the camera itself, which is propped with electronics, and so for a lot of products with electronic and electrical components used in daily life.

 

[Philnw2]

I think this is a bit over anxious. I have several Sony fly by wire lenses at this point and yet to have one fail. One even accidentally rolled out of a bag and fell down onto an asphalt driveway with no damage to it. It was the FE 28 that suffered that fall with no damage to its performance or exterior.

Next subject.

 

[Pixel Pooper]

The Sony E mount lenses I've owned had no mechanical coupling between the focus ring and focus mechanism. If the AF dies on one of these, they cannot be focused at all.

I don't think that's true of the 90/2.8 macro.

Jim

--
http://blog.kasson.com

Quoting "stevei" from FredMiranda forums

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1414437/0

"An exception is the Sony 90 macro, which does maintain a constant relationship between ring position and focus distance BUT the focus ring doesn't move when it auto focuses, so you can't AF, switch to MF and tweak from there, because when you switch to MF it changes focus distance to what the ring is set to, rather than it remaining at the distance resulting from AF."

That is not at variance with what I said, is it?

Jim

The 90mm macro is still a focus by wire lens that couldn't be focused if the motor died. With the focus ring pulled back it does maintain the relationship between the focus ring and focus distance but the coupling is electronic.

 

[BUNICK]

The diaphragm in Emount lenses is electrically controlled. If the device that moves the blades fails, the lens won't work except at the aperture it goes to when that happens.

This is true of many lens lines: Nikon E lenses, many Canon lenses, Leica S lenses, some Contax lenses.

Let's complain about that, too. It's only fair.

Jim

I guess the main question behind the OP's question is: "What's the long term value of lenses" nowadays.

And this question is easy to answer from my perspective:

1. Modern designs excel in sharpness, µContrast and flare resistance and occasionally weight and size compare to their old counterparts
2. Prices are reasonable to very good - in former times some excellent lenses had been extremely pricy compare to current designs which tend to be acceptable in prices
3. Possibilities are bigger - since everything is controlled electronically you can do magic with software and change the behavior later on when new algorithms are developed - happened to the GM 85 and 50 ZA lately
4. Lenses are keepers but I tend to sell them nowadays faster than before - I've changed camera mounts 3 times within the past 20+ years - so I have in average a system with < 10 years of age - I guess this is a good advise to maintain a fresh and comparable young fleet of lenses and cameras.
5. The future of big and cumbersome cameras is questionable anyway. It could likely be that ever smaller and ever smarter devices will replace our current gear in a very short period of time - who knows what AI will bring to the table that makes our gear obsolete?

IMHO the question of longevity is a very human one but I tend to see it in TCO terms (=total cost of ownership)

I sell gear whenever I have new plans. Currently my last pieces of Canon gear are on eBay and it is foreseeable that some only 1 ½ year old Sony parts will be soon on eBay. As long as maintaining my gear is not exceeding a certain barrier (financially) I am fine with that.

I will keep my gear fresh and younger than 10 years in the future as well.

I have old lenses that are 30+ years old but compare to the possibilities I have with new gear they are much lower in value from a user perspective - not from a collector's perspective of course.

Just my 2ct

 

[biza43]

The Sony E mount lenses I've owned had no mechanical coupling between the focus ring and focus mechanism. If the AF dies on one of these, they cannot be focused at all.

Until you get it serviced.

Don't know about Sony, but Canon only services their gear/keep spare parts within a 10 year period of launching date.

 

[biza43]

I guess the main question behind the OP's question is: "What's the long term value of lenses" nowadays.

To me, it does not make sense to assign "value" to what are tools. Do people think "how much will my fridge be worth in 10 years time" when they buy a fridge? Once photo gear became electronic, it becomes obsolete much faster than before. Take a modern digital Leica M camera; for sure it will not be working in 20 years time, say; whereas mechanical Leica M cameras from 50 years ago are still alive and ticking.

That said, In my 25 years of using photo gear, I never had an AF lens failing on me, this stuff is reliable. Being realistic, not much electronic can fail on an AF lens really; a circuit board, an electric wire perhaps?

 

[SQLGuy]

I guess the main question behind the OP's question is: "What's the long term value of lenses" nowadays.

To me, it does not make sense to assign "value" to what are tools. Do people think "how much will my fridge be worth in 10 years time" when they buy a fridge? Once photo gear became electronic, it becomes obsolete much faster than before. Take a modern digital Leica M camera; for sure it will not be working in 20 years time, say; whereas mechanical Leica M cameras from 50 years ago are still alive and ticking.

That said, In my 25 years of using photo gear, I never had an AF lens failing on me, this stuff is reliable. Being realistic, not much electronic can fail on an AF lens really; a circuit board, an electric wire perhaps?

 

[BUNICK]

I guess the main question behind the OP's question is: "What's the long term value of lenses" nowadays.

To me, it does not make sense to assign "value" to what are tools. Do people think "how much will my fridge be worth in 10 years time" when they buy a fridge? Once photo gear became electronic, it becomes obsolete much faster than before. Take a modern digital Leica M camera; for sure it will not be working in 20 years time, say; whereas mechanical Leica M cameras from 50 years ago are still alive and ticking.

That said, In my 25 years of using photo gear, I never had an AF lens failing on me, this stuff is reliable. Being realistic, not much electronic can fail on an AF lens really; a circuit board, an electric wire perhaps?

 

[biza43]

As others have pointed out, aperture motors in EF lenses would be a similar concern as well.... and what about VR/IS actuators and mechanisms? Depending on how a stabilization mechanism fails, you could have just as useless a lens, regardless of whether it's focus-by-wire or not.

Sure, of course. As I said in another post, if I remember correctly, Canon used to ensure only a 10 year period of having spare parts to repair stuff. Not sure now, and also not sure about Sony. Perhaps there is a European Union regulation for that?

 

[JimKasson]

The Sony E mount lenses I've owned had no mechanical coupling between the focus ring and focus mechanism. If the AF dies on one of these, they cannot be focused at all.

I don't think that's true of the 90/2.8 macro.

Quoting "stevei" from FredMiranda forums

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1414437/0

"An exception is the Sony 90 macro, which does maintain a constant relationship between ring position and focus distance BUT the focus ring doesn't move when it auto focuses, so you can't AF, switch to MF and tweak from there, because when you switch to MF it changes focus distance to what the ring is set to, rather than it remaining at the distance resulting from AF."

That is not at variance with what I said, is it?

Jim

The 90mm macro is still a focus by wire lens that couldn't be focused if the motor died. With the focus ring pulled back it does maintain the relationship between the focus ring and focus distance but the coupling is electronic.

Interesting. So you're saying that if I remove the lens from the camera and use it to form an image on a piece of paper, I won't be able to focus it?

Jim

 

[BBQue]

Are you talking from your experience or from what you read?

focus by wire is mainly affecting in smooth video manual focus when the subject is approaching or leaving. Otherwise I have MF on a few FE lenses without any issues - FE 35/2.8, FE 55/1.8, FE 16-35G/4.0 OSS and FE 70-200G/4.0 OSS. I usually only MF when shooting on tripod. Focus peaking and focus magnification are very helpful.

Or you could adapt Canon or Nikon lenses and they don't focus by wire for a peace of mind.

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/55485085@N04/albums
http://pwphotography.zenfolio.com

I don't think you addressed the OP's concern. I believe he is asking if e-mount lenses will still be able to manual focus if the AF motor ceases to function. Lenses that have a real mechanical coupling of manual focus will have no problems manual focusing if the AF motor dies. I really don't know what would happen with these fly by wire lenses.

Focus by wire lenses become expensive paperweights....

That's just sad. Don't know if I want to invest in serious glass.

Most airplanes these days are "fly by wire". Have you stopped flying because of these concerns? Just curious.

And then there is plenty of non-fly-by-wire lenses for Sony E-mount, for example the wonderful Voigtlander lenses!

 

[BUNICK]

Are you talking from your experience or from what you read?

focus by wire is mainly affecting in smooth video manual focus when the subject is approaching or leaving. Otherwise I have MF on a few FE lenses without any issues - FE 35/2.8, FE 55/1.8, FE 16-35G/4.0 OSS and FE 70-200G/4.0 OSS. I usually only MF when shooting on tripod. Focus peaking and focus magnification are very helpful.

Or you could adapt Canon or Nikon lenses and they don't focus by wire for a peace of mind.

 

[JimKasson]

Would you recommend the Voigtlander instead of the Sony? If manual focus isn't an issue

I would.

Loading…

blog.kasson.com

Jim

 

[BUNICK]

Would you recommend the Voigtlander instead of the Sony? If manual focus isn't an issue

I would.

http://blog.kasson.com/?s=lanthar

Jim