Learning to Manual Focus "properly"?

G

GarageBoy

Member
Okay, I grew up with MF on stills cameras, but I always relied on splits and microprisms
With the GH1, I rely on magnification of the focusing point and need to go back and forth a few times before hitting focus

So how do I do this smoothly with video? (Don't own a focus puller)
 
Practice practice practice. And if at first you don't succeed, try try again....

Seriously, just shoot your dinner, your wife, your dog, everything around you until it becomes natural. But for gods sake don't put them up on vimeo as yet more tests!
 
I do find the focus peaking and zoom feature of Magic Lantern on my T3i to be a great help. On my GH1/2, it's practice, practice, practice.
 
Roll to the point of focus, go just a tad past, and roll back to point of focus. The more you practice this the surer you'll get with and the more confidence you'll have as you do it.

I, too, learned a lot of my photography in the days when we had split image "wedges" on focusing screens, microprisms etc, but even before that we had...Focusing screen.

And Nikon and others sold a plain focusing screen for those who didn't want any "widgets" in the viewfinder.
 
Bruce Foreman said:
And Nikon and others sold a plain focusing screen for those who didn't want any "widgets" in the viewfinder.
Click to expand...

I always like to replace the focus screens in my Nikons with the grid screens. The added benefit of the grid being that it helps you level your picture to the whatever horizontal and vertical objects are in the picture.
 
simonpwood said:
Practice practice practice. And if at first you don't succeed, try try again....
Click to expand...

This, this and this again!
In particular with Video on a small screen there isn't much info in terms of focus just on the screen. When I first started with my SLR cameras, there were countless times that the picture or video looked absolutely stunning on the 3" LCD but blown up on my 1080 monitor at home it looked like someone had painted vaseline over the front of the lens!

After a bit of practice though, you'll get to "know" your lenses and how the distances correlate to focus.

You could also buy a huge focus monitor, but that kinda sounds like overkill for the moment =P
 
arniepix said:
I always like to replace the focus screens in my Nikons with the grid screens. The added benefit of the grid being that it helps you level your picture to the whatever horizontal and vertical objects are in the picture.
Click to expand...

My Nikon and Canon DSLRs both have grids that can be turned on. Really handy.

Focusing for video via live view - half the battle is being able to see the screen clearly. A loupe, a monitor, or if nothing else, try a cheap pair of drugstore reading glasses to magnify the screen.
 
Also keep in mind that lens breathing can be really bad on some lenses. It took me a while to realize this personally, why I never really "got the hang of it"...
 
Thanks
Last time I used a MF lens, it was the C/Y Zeiss 50 1.4 that I learned to take pics with, and I had a hell time focusing on the EVF for stills (between me shaking when zoomed in and the not being able to tell slightly in focus and dead on has lead to a lot of mediocre shots)
 
I'm new to the DSLR game myself coming from the prosumer Sony video cams (pd100 through to z5) which were not as fickle as the DSLR seems to be in regards to focus and from a documentary point of view you always had the Push Auto button if you got stuck.
My first shoot out with the DSLR I really had no idea if I was in focus or not and well in truth came home with some relatively good shots, focus wise. I think?

[video]http://vimeo.com/videoontheroad/slot-cars[/video]

Since have received a Swivi LCD screen which has a 5.6" screen and shooting round the loungeroom last night has helped no end in regards to focus. I hope to shoot some more soon, possibly slot cars again, or something a little more along the style I want to get to.

But I agree
just shoot your dinner, your wife, your dog, everything around you until it becomes natural.
Click to expand...
and I wont be putting all my tests up or at least if I do I'll be trying to disguise them as something else.

Cheers.
 
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