Is 50mm f/1.2 easier to manual focus than 35mm f/1.4?

[Alex Notpro]

This question is not system specific, but I currently have the two Voigtlander MF fast primes on a Sony A7ii full frame.

I’m totally shocked that I find the 50/1.2 easier to focus than the 35/1.4. The 35 has deeper DOF and so it should be easier, I thought. However, I’m able to more quickly pull focus to where I want it and have a better keeper rate with the 50.

I only shoot wide open with these lenses. I use both Focus Peaking and Magnification.

What is going on here? Is it just me or did I stumble onto something everybody else already knew?

Please share your first-hand experiences.

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[D Cox]

I think it's easier to focus with a shallow DoF. The usual method is to open up the lens to get a sharp focus, and then close it down if you wish to increase DoF.

Don Cox

 

[Norm Neely]

I think it's easier to focus with a shallow DoF. The usual method is to open up the lens to get a sharp focus, and then close it down if you wish to increase DoF.

Don Cox

I like a focusing rail when manual focusing.

 

[BITPhotoSpace]

With the 50 mm your subject is likely to fill the frame VS the more environmental 35 mm thus your subject will likely be more magnified and with more prominent and less fine difficult to discern features e.g. portrait - my personal experience is that with the 50 mm I get consistently more hits than the 35 with less hesitation on my behalf before pressing the shutter button (Nikkors 35 2 and 50 1.4) - obviously consider using the same aperture when comparing as 1.4 is extremely intolerant of focus errors. On Nikon DSLRs you’ll have to rely on the focus confirmation dots/ rangefinder though.

 

[PhotoTeach2]

This question is not system specific, but I currently have the two Voigtlander MF fast primes on a Sony A7ii full frame.

I’m totally shocked that I find the 50/1.2 easier to focus than the 35/1.4. The 35 has deeper DOF and so it should be easier, I thought. However, I’m able to more quickly pull focus to where I want it and have a better keeper rate with the 50.

I only shoot wide open with these lenses. I use both Focus Peaking and Magnification.

What is going on here? Is it just me or did I stumble onto something everybody else already knew?

Please share your first-hand experiences.

As Cox said ... the longer FL has a shallower-DOF and that actually makes it easier to find the sharpest point.

I have tried focusing w/ an 8mm on FF, and it is literally impossible, so I simply rely on the focusing-scale.

AND ... the f/1.2 also has a shallower DOF so again better.

So there is little doubt that a 50mm-f/1.2 is easier to (peak) focus than 35mm-f/1.4.

 

[Dem Bell]

With the 50 mm your subject is likely to fill the frame VS the more environmental 35 mm thus your subject will likely be more magnified and with more prominent and less fine difficult to discern features e.g. portrait - my personal experience is that with the 50 mm I get consistently more hits than the 35 with less hesitation on my behalf before pressing the shutter button (Nikkors 35 2 and 50 1.4)...

That's what I thought too. Different use for different lenses. Often shorter focal lengths are more difficult to manual focus just because of the shorter focus through - you touch the focus ring and the focus jumps by a few inches - how much you need to turn the focus ring on a 135 mm lens to go from 3 meters to 4 meters vs on a 35 mm lens.

 

[BITPhotoSpace]

how much you need to turn the focus ring on a 135 mm lens to go from 3 meters to 4 meters vs on a 35 mm lens.

My longest prime is the 85 mm AF-D thus I wouldn't know re 135mm. What I know is that the shorter the focal length, the more "compressed"/ rough mid range (e.g. > 2 m) to infinity focus ring travel becomes generally.

 

[BBbuilder467]

This question is not system specific, but I currently have the two Voigtlander MF fast primes on a Sony A7ii full frame.

I’m totally shocked that I find the 50/1.2 easier to focus than the 35/1.4. The 35 has deeper DOF and so it should be easier, I thought. However, I’m able to more quickly pull focus to where I want it and have a better keeper rate with the 50.

I only shoot wide open with these lenses. I use both Focus Peaking and Magnification.

What is going on here? Is it just me or did I stumble onto something everybody else already knew?

Please share your first-hand experiences.

I have multiple 28mm and 50mm lenses. The faster lens does seem easier to be precise, but the throw on the focus ring also has something to do with it. I have a 28mm f/2.8 that seems effortless, but the focus ring doesn't rotate as far.