RF 24-240 manual focusing "feel"

[NancyP]

I just got a RF 6D2. This might be a good light hiking/backpacking lens. I shoot in manual mode maybe 70% of the time. I will miss my trusty APS-C 15-85 which I use on the 7D2. That lens, while not L, was quite good. I have not been thrilled with the experience of manual focus-by-wire on the old EF pancake lenses, although they are ok with a little patience. I don't do video. I am used to having the AF/MF switch on lenses - easy, takes a second, you don't have to go into a menu. I would like to hear people's experiences with shooting manual focus with this lens.

Yep, I am of the old school, and sometimes find it just plain easier to focus manually - and also shoot in manual mode most of the time. The utility of the R series to me is a better sensor. Also, the electronic viewfinder magnification feature is pretty cool. I do shoot with a few specialty lenses without electronic communications.

 

[Alastair Norcross]

I just got a RF 6D2. This might be a good light hiking/backpacking lens. I shoot in manual mode maybe 70% of the time. I will miss my trusty APS-C 15-85 which I use on the 7D2. That lens, while not L, was quite good. I have not been thrilled with the experience of manual focus-by-wire on the old EF pancake lenses, although they are ok with a little patience. I don't do video. I am used to having the AF/MF switch on lenses - easy, takes a second, you don't have to go into a menu. I would like to hear people's experiences with shooting manual focus with this lens.

Yep, I am of the old school, and sometimes find it just plain easier to focus manually - and also shoot in manual mode most of the time. The utility of the R series to me is a better sensor. Also, the electronic viewfinder magnification feature is pretty cool. I do shoot with a few specialty lenses without electronic communications.

So which camera and lens are you talking about? "RF" is a lens mount designation, but "6D2" is the name of an EF mount DSLR, so I'm confused.

 

[Ferenc MOGOR]

Not sure I understand you your question. What is RF 6D2, please?

 

[drsnoopy]

Not sure I understand you your question. What is RF 6D2, please?

i believe the OP means an R6 mk 2, as it is the camera model that makes most sense given the context.

i have the RF 24-240 and mostly use it as a travel combo with my R8, but haven’t ever felt the need to use it with manual focus, the AF is so good.

For the OP, it’s well worth exploring the MF aids provided by the camera - both focus peaking and the green triangle focus indicator, plus of course the 5x and 10c magnification modes.

 

[ffabrici]

I just got a RF 6D2. This might be a good light hiking/backpacking lens. I shoot in manual mode maybe 70% of the time. I will miss my trusty APS-C 15-85 which I use on the 7D2. That lens, while not L, was quite good. I have not been thrilled with the experience of manual focus-by-wire on the old EF pancake lenses, although they are ok with a little patience. I don't do video. I am used to having the AF/MF switch on lenses - easy, takes a second, you don't have to go into a menu. I would like to hear people's experiences with shooting manual focus with this lens.

Yep, I am of the old school, and sometimes find it just plain easier to focus manually - and also shoot in manual mode most of the time. The utility of the R series to me is a better sensor. Also, the electronic viewfinder magnification feature is pretty cool. I do shoot with a few specialty lenses without electronic communications.

 

[Sittatunga]

I just got a RF 6D2. This might be a good light hiking/backpacking lens. I shoot in manual mode maybe 70% of the time. I will miss my trusty APS-C 15-85 which I use on the 7D2. That lens, while not L, was quite good. I have not been thrilled with the experience of manual focus-by-wire on the old EF pancake lenses, although they are ok with a little patience. I don't do video. I am used to having the AF/MF switch on lenses - easy, takes a second, you don't have to go into a menu. I would like to hear people's experiences with shooting manual focus with this lens.

Yep, I am of the old school, and sometimes find it just plain easier to focus manually - and also shoot in manual mode most of the time. The utility of the R series to me is a better sensor. Also, the electronic viewfinder magnification feature is pretty cool. I do shoot with a few specialty lenses without electronic communications.

The manual focus on the 24-240 is very smooth and precise.

That's what the Optical Limits review says too - a review well worth reading. That lens doesn't have a dedicated focussing ring, it uses the (not clicked) control ring instead, with a Focus/Control switch that I assume effectively functions as an AF/MF switch. At least, that's what happens with my RF 16mm which has a similar arrangement.

On my RF mount cameras I have the Focus guide switched ON so that the match-triangles aid appears immediately any AF lens is switched to MF or any chipped MF lens is attached. It doesn't work with dumb lenses (but neither do the viewfinder focus point confirmation lights work with dumb lenses on Canon DSLRs). Focus peaking is a very rough guide to focus in my experience. At best it indicates the depth of field for an A4 print for an aperture two stops smaller than its viewing the subject through at the time, so it takes a lot of to-ing and fro-ing to get to pixel level critical focus. Magnification is the way to go for critical focus with dumb lenses, and don't forget to enable Release shutter w/o lens. Above all, have fun with your lovely new camera.

 

[Ferenc MOGOR]

Not sure I understand you your question. What is RF 6D2, please?

i believe the OP means an R6 mk 2, as it is the camera model that makes most sense given the context.

i have the RF 24-240 and mostly use it as a travel combo with my R8, but haven’t ever felt the need to use it with manual focus, the AF is so good.

For the OP, it’s well worth exploring the MF aids provided by the camera - both focus peaking and the green triangle focus indicator, plus of course the 5x and 10c magnification modes.

Thanks for the clarification drsnoopy. I also have the RF 24-240 (and some other lenses) with my original R6 MK1 and never felt the need to switch to MF, although there might be cases where MF is better than AF. Like macro photography, etc. BTW, my hit rate of dead sharp pictures with AF is pretty close to 100%.