A7s Focal Distance Readout?

timmilgram

timmilgram

Active member
I just bought the Sony A7s and am using a Commlite EF mount adapter to use my Tamron 24-70mm vc lens. I am accustomed to my Canon 5D with Magic Lantern giving me a readout on the screen of how far away the camera is currently focusing. When I turn the focus ring on the lens, I am used to that number changing to correspond with the focal distance. I don't see anything like this on the A7s. Is it a setting I need to turn on, does the camera not have this feature, or is the lens simply not sending the camera this information via the adapter? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!
 
If you are in MF or DMF focus mode and the lens/adapter sends distance info, the camera displays an electronic distance scale and shows distance with resolution of 1 meter (above 1 meter) and 0.1m (below 1m).
 
cpc said:
If you are in MF or DMF focus mode and the lens/adapter sends distance info, the camera displays an electronic distance scale and shows distance with resolution of 1 meter (above 1 meter) and 0.1m (below 1m).
Click to expand...

Wait, so are you saying the A7s DOES have this feature depending on the lens? How about with native Sony E-Mount lenses (full frame or apsc)? That would be awesome, but I haven't seen that yet and I have only native sony lenses.
 
The Irish TRex said:
Wait, so are you saying the A7s DOES have this feature depending on the lens? How about with native Sony E-Mount lenses (full frame or apsc)? That would be awesome, but I haven't seen that yet and I have only native sony lenses.
Click to expand...

I only have one native lens and it does show the scale. Set the focus mode to MF/DMF and turn the ring. A scale should appear at the bottom center.
 
cpc said:
If you are in MF or DMF focus mode and the lens/adapter sends distance info, the camera displays an electronic distance scale and shows distance with resolution of 1 meter (above 1 meter) and 0.1m (below 1m).
Click to expand...


Thank you for your reply! Is there any chance you can post a screenshot of what this looks like?

I am thinking maybe it's the adapter, and that I should shell out the money for the Metabones. Anyone out there using the Metabones adapter and has seen this focus distance info displayed?
 
I have the metabones mark IV and before of the upgrade I saw this feature working and I really liked but now (with the upgrade) doesn´t work, the camera said "Invalid with this lens", maybe the upgrade changed somethings. My lens is the canon 24-105.
 
timmilgram said:
Thank you for your reply! Is there any chance you can post a screenshot of what this looks like?

I am thinking maybe it's the adapter, and that I should shell out the money for the Metabones. Anyone out there using the Metabones adapter and has seen this focus distance info displayed?
Click to expand...


DSC02776.jpg
 
californico said:
I have the metabones mark IV and before of the upgrade I saw this feature working and I really liked but now (with the upgrade) doesn´t work, the camera said "Invalid with this lens", maybe the upgrade changed somethings. My lens is the canon 24-105.
Click to expand...


If the camera said "invalid with this lens", it sounds like there might be a step I'm missing in which you enable the function in the first place? Is there an option you're pressing for this to be enabled and then it gives you that error?
 
I'm in Lauang Prabang Laos. I have the native 24-70mm lens and it has the distance scale posted above. When I walked out of town in the dead of night to do a time lapse of the Milky Way I found the distance scale DID NOT WORK! When I set it on infinity the stars were bokeh balls. At 25 seconds exposure the view finder or LCD display showed nothing. So as well as not being able to see what I was focusing on, I had to slowly inch it closer to focus each 25 second exposure at a time by trial and error. Coupled with the fact the time lapse "app" would not respond to me trying to stop it (so I would have to wait 2-4 shots to stop it) it took and incredibly long time for me to set up my time lapse.

Not the sort of thing you want to be screwing with while things are crashing around in the jungle all around you. It was much easier to setup my Nikon d3100 w tokina 11-16 with remote to shoot the stars. Obviously the result is better with the A7s but setting up blind is a pain in the Kiwi. Lost 15-30 mins every time I moved the camera.

Makes me wish I never bought the legacy lense at least. I know I'm complaining, but when the nearby roosters and dogs are going crazy because something big (it was a big branch that broke and I pooed my pants) is coming and I just want to get 4 seconds of footage instead of 2 shots, I wish I wasn't setting up with a faulty system. I tell you the, the frustration is strong with this one. I'll be buying canon or Nikon lenses in future in case I want to switch systems.

Sony, if you're reading this, maybe let your engineers actually talk to some photographers and videographers. None of us want to be dealing with this s*%te or digging through menus when we should be shooting.
 
thecouchguy said:
I'm in Lauang Prabang Laos. I have the native 24-70mm lens and it has the distance scale posted above. When I walked out of town in the dead of night to do a time lapse of the Milky Way I found the distance scale DID NOT WORK! When I set it on infinity the stars were bokeh balls. At 25 seconds exposure the view finder or LCD display showed nothing. So as well as not being able to see what I was focusing on, I had to slowly inch it closer to focus each 25 second exposure at a time by trial and error. Coupled with the fact the time lapse "app" would not respond to me trying to stop it (so I would have to wait 2-4 shots to stop it) it took and incredibly long time for me to set up my time lapse.

Not the sort of thing you want to be screwing with while things are crashing around in the jungle all around you. It was much easier to setup my Nikon d3100 w tokina 11-16 with remote to shoot the stars. Obviously the result is better with the A7s but setting up blind is a pain in the Kiwi. Lost 15-30 mins every time I moved the camera.

Makes me wish I never bought the legacy lense at least. I know I'm complaining, but when the nearby roosters and dogs are going crazy because something big (it was a big branch that broke and I pooed my pants) is coming and I just want to get 4 seconds of footage instead of 2 shots, I wish I wasn't setting up with a faulty system. I tell you the, the frustration is strong with this one. I'll be buying canon or Nikon lenses in future in case I want to switch systems.

Sony, if you're reading this, maybe let your engineers actually talk to some photographers and videographers. None of us want to be dealing with this s*%te or digging through menus when we should be shooting.
Click to expand...

In the menu set "Live view display" to "Setting effect ON" in order to have the LCD/EVF simulate exposure correctly. You will see the stars this way.
 
Thanks cpc I didn't think of that, however I just checked and it was already switched on. When I go out again I'll reset everything, perhaps I have something else switched off.
 
So in conclusion, this very helpful/arguably-essential feature doesn't work with any 3rd party EF adapter/lens combo. Major bummer.
 
This whole time I was trying to figure out how to do this, only to realize it works in photo mode, not video. Boooo. Wish it was like some of the video cameras that have focal distance readouts. So helpful. Oh well. I guess there's more important issues to take care of first on this camera (eg. allow user to change white balance while recording)
 
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