FS7: Focusing issues

guys thanks for all the responses! so thankful im going to send it in just incase as i have a back up camera. It could be user error could be something. I tested it between cameras and the one seems every so subtle soft. Thanks everyone! Peaking rules : )
 
This B&H article provides a pretty good explanation of what peaking is and how it works.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/what-focus-peaking

With the right peaking settings on the FS7 (see my previous post for my suggestions), objects should get a white halo edge around them when they come into sharp focus. I would describe it as almost appearing to "snap" into focus when you hit the sweet spot. A slight focus change either direction, and the halo should quickly disappear -- thus instantly telling you that the focus is off. The best way to learn to use peaking is just to get out with the camera and play with it when you are NOT on a real shoot. Set up some table top objects and experiment. After a few minutes you'll get the gist of what to look for, and the more you use it, the better off you'll get at knowing when you have hit the sweet spot. If you see too much peaking, I would say you have too much depth of field. Peaking works best at wide-open apertures where you can really be precise about selective focus. Like zebras, I have peaking turned on 100% of the time.

Peaking, even the normal (non-colored) peaking is ugly. I'll give you that. But what is more important, to have pretty pictures in the viewfinder while shooting or to have subjects in sharp focus? In fact, I would go so far to say that if you're image looks too smooth and clean, then it probably is not in focus because peaking, when used properly, creates an ugly viewfinder image.
 
As Mitch said peaking is a separate issue entirely from what the OP asked about. To determine whether your camera's E mount flange focal length is wrong you need to separate whether you have lens problems from camera problems and you need to see where your lenses achieve their best focus . That's related to but slightly different from whether you find their focus soft or not. l laid out a series of tests to make in any earlier thread. if you follow that logic you will quickly know what your problem is.
 
Yes, peaking is off a little from the point of the thread, but it required a counterpoint when it is unnecessarily disparaged in post #3. Off topic or not, that could not be ignored. Ignoring bad information is tantamount to putting a rubber stamp on it by others who know better.
 
bengiles said:
Not sure why you think the 18-105 is parfocal. I've never read a claim by Sony that it is. Mine certainly isn't.
You are talking about the Sony electronic 18-105 lens, right?
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I think Juan Martinez from Sony also claimed it was par focal. But I also think it achieves that by some electronical mumbo jumbo and not by being truly optical/mechanical par focal.
 
Even if the lens is supposed to be par focal you don't know whether OP's copy is until its verified on another camera.
 
Lenilenapi said:
As Mitch said peaking is a separate issue entirely from what the OP asked about. To determine whether your camera's E mount flange focal length is wrong you need to separate whether you have lens problems from camera problems and you need to see where your lenses achieve their best focus . That's related to but slightly different from whether you find their focus soft or not. l laid out a series of tests to make in any earlier thread. if you follow that logic you will quickly know what your problem is.
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what thread if you dont mind me asking thanks
 
This is a paraphrase from page 1. Its not brain surgery, just use common sense.

Its a bit of a quandary with still lenses to know whether your Emount is bad or its the lens or even something else. . Simply being soft could be other issues so you need to test further. Always test with iris wide open.

If infinity simply doesn't align perfectly with the center of the infinity mark that's just par for the course. Typically your should be able to focus at an infinity point either at the exact end of your barrel rotation or more often it will actually roll past infinity and get soft again at the end of the barrel. Either is normal. . However if you cannot get to infinity at all, and with the barrel turned all the way you are still focused somewhere in front of infinity, then your cameras mount is misaligned and it should go back to Sony for correction or replacement.

Of course double check that its not a lens problem. If all your lenses are doing the same thing its unlikely a bad lens. But all your lenses should show the same behaviour. Even better is to test it on another body.

If your 18-105 zoom is parfocal then its easy to know if your camera is off because the focus point would change while zooming. But how can you be sure its not a lens issue?
If you focus at infinity and it goes soft at wide angle that doesn't neccessarily mean its a bad mount . it could just be a crappy lens. However if at wide angle the lens focuses sharply at a different place on the barrel, then its not acting as a parfocal lens. The only way to be sure its not the lens though is to test it on another camera.

In this case however it sounds like your lenses work better on the A7s . I would cross check them on both cameras.
 
Lenilenapi said:
As Mitch said peaking is a separate issue entirely from what the OP asked about.
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Peaking is very much on topic. The OP said peaking suggested he was in focus, but on examining the footage he found the images to be soft. Given Doug's robust defence of peaking it would suggest the soft infinity shots are down to user error or as I said earlier, Peaking is ****.

Edit: I should add, I've found peaking to work fine on normal and longer lenses, particularly when shooting shallow DoF, but on wides and super-wides I find it a bit of a mess.
 
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I had a similar experience with my Zeiss primes. All of them seemed soft when going to infinity. Did some checking with a chart and measuring tape and sure enough when you get out to 15 or so feet, it started getting soft. Most noticeable of course at open stop, which is where the rubber meets the road. I then put my Nikon's up and...same damn thing. But they were all sharp on other cameras. Only culprit could be the Metabones. Sure enough, the back focus on that little jewel was whacko. Lucky for me I have a rental house with a collimator and they fixed me up. But by trial and error you can do the same thing with a focus chart and measuring tape. The Metabones has a tiny set screw in the mount that allows for unlocking the barrel.
Now if you are NOT using an adapter and you can determine that one of your FS7's is soft while the other isn't, doesn't take a rocket surgeon to recognize a flange focus issue with the camera body. If both cameras have the same issue, there's gotta be an adapter somewhere in the equation.
 
broughtonfilm said:
Best AC's rarely use monitors at all. They use measuring tape, cinetape or guess the distance.
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I get what you are saying, but most ACs' today- the "best" AC's included- use a monitor on every shot. That is, a monitor is one of their focusing tools on every shot. In my experience there are very few AC's who "rarely use monitors at all". I work with some AC's on major shows who pull almost exclusively from a monitor. One pulls focus from a 17' monitor with his head under a hood. In my experience AC's today are pulling focus from a monitor more than ever before. The old rule of "never pull exclusively from a monitor" has been discarded, for better or worse. A monitor is THE guide that an AC uses for critical focus. There is no other way to know if the shot is truly sharp. Particularly not on 4K , at an f/2, on mid to long focal length glass. Cinetape doesn't tell you if the shot is sharp. Only a monitor does. Today's AC's, in my experience, are peak-a-holics. They live and die by peaking.

As to Pete's issue: My guess is that there is something out of adjustment on your e-mount, Pete. As we are all aware, the e-mount is not the most robust. Wouldn't it be lovely were Sony to offer the Fs7 with a native PL mount or FZ mount?

Please update us on your issue, Pete, once you have it sorted out. I believe that the Sony 28-135mm is par focal. If that is the case, it should be of use for testing to see if a lens will hold focus on your camera's e-mount.

word to the wise- support your zooms whenever possible so as to reduce mount flex and strain. Particularly longer and heavier glass such as the Sony 28-135mm and the Canon 70-200mm. No reason not to.
 
Mitch Gross said:
Lots of back and forth here that has little to do with the OP question. Simply put, if you cannot achieve infinity focus then the flange focal depth is incorrect on your camera's lens mount. The fact that all your lenses are having the same issue and that these lenses perform better on another camera indicates that the problem lies in the mount on your FS7. It needs service.
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Been following this thread and biting my tongue. Thank you Mitch for bringing the original issue to the forefront.
AC's use the best tools for the job at hand and don't lean on only one tool at any given time. Peaking and focus assist are always employed along with a laser tape, the read out available on ancillary focus assist devices you might find on an Alexa, etc. and of course the old trusty stand by, an actual measuring tape.
However as Mitch brings out, no matter the discussion, if the lens does not hold infinity, there is most certainly a back focus issue with with the lens or the mount. If only the Sony E lenses are the issue but not other lenses, then you may need to shim the Sony's. If you are getting the same non-infinity issue with ALL lenses, then you need to address the camera mount itself. A call to Sony service in Teaneck...800.883.6817. This is a wonderful resource. Seth Markusfeld or Ian Cook will probablt be your contacts but in any case, they can and will help.
 
update from Pete

update from Pete

pete chiaramonte said:
I seem to be having far (infinite) focusing issues with my fs7, when i am wide and focusing on the farthest distance. Im getting slightly soft images. Peaking says its in focus but its slightly soft

im using three different e mount lenses

f4 16-35 sony/zeiss
f4 24-70 sony/zeiss
f4 18-105 sony

at first i thought it was my 18-105 but all lenses have been doing it and when i focus on close objects its sharp. put the lenses on an a7s and wide focal length infinite focus and its sharp. Any ideas out there? thanks
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I heard from Pete and he says his problem was lens related.

As to the side topic of focus pulling technique, I think it is wise to say there isn't any "always" or "never". Rules were made to be broken!

happy shooting, everyone.
 
I a agree with Doug, properly dialed in the peaking feature enables precise focusing. The real problem is the fogging of the eyepiece initially I swapped it for a zacuto bmcc zinder which has a far better anti fog coating which I would advise to do.?Since then I have upgraded to a zacuto gratical which proved itself to be one of the better investments I have made this year apart from fully manual Leica r zooms and gl optics 18-35 1.8.

using non electronic manual focus lenses with a great viewfinder have made an amazing difference in the whole shooting experience.
 
How are users setting up peaking to make it better? I find I need to monitor with a lut as Slog3 doesn't have the contrast for peaking to pick up reliably. Would love any tips from other users.
 
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