How to use top-notch manual glass on a camera?

Now the new race in under way. Companies offer bigger and sharper lenses to resolve hi-res sensors. Take Zeiss Milvus, Makro-Planars, Samyang lenses... The quality is good and premium. But how to use their potential? You tell ma about LV mode? Yes, I know, I know. In the bright sunlight it is painfut to use rear display. And my eyes aren't perfect. If we use long-focal lenses shall we use a tripod all the time? You tell me about split-image screen? But I don't want to service and open the body of a camera. Dot confirmation is useless... The lenses are robust, the glass is high class, but how to use them and deliver reliable consistent level of quality?

I have quite a few older Nikon manual lenses as well as a few Leitz for the M 3. I use Nikkor on my DF, D 750, -- the Leica lenses on Ricoh GXR with A 12 mount. I set to Aperture priority, use a high enough ISO to make an aperture of mid / upper range possible giving some depth of focus. I take care with the focus, often estimating the distance first, then fine tuning. I often do the same and focus manually with AF Macro and AF Tele zooms at longer focal lengths, with improved results. I too have found the Dot to be less than useful, ex in low light / theatrical performance photos. I process check by chimping and zooming in on images where practical. I actually enjoy going back to manual focus.

PRACTICE

 

If you have not used manual focus lenses before, like us old timers have, you need to learn how to focus manually, then PRACTICE.

I have used various MF lenses on both of my Nikons (D70 and D7200), and it was/is NOT difficult, for me. This was with the standard screen in the camera. And I do not bother with the electronic focus indicator, I focus on the screen.

My eyes are not perfect either, I wear tri-focal progressive glasses.

 

If you cannot hold the camera/lens steady, then YES you NEED a tripod.

The old rule for min shutter speed was 1/(focal length of the lens). But that was for 35mm. For a DSLR, you have to apply the crop factor. So a 500mm lens would be 1/500 sec on a 35mm body, on a 1.6x crop sensor you should be at 1/800 sec = 1/(500 x 1.6). But if you are not steady, you may have to raise the min shutter speed.

Back in film days I had the feeling that I need to stop down 2 stops to really hit focus with any given lens even on SLRs with screens made for manual focusing. When I do it now on the inferior DSLR screens I sometimes stop further. - Studio strobes provide plenty of light. I do use zone focusing AKA distance guess work according to DOF engraving on wider lenses, where it might work. - I don't see a 24mm's focus pop on SLR screens. To shoot 50mm and wider wide open (f2, in my case) with manual focus I prefer rangefinders. (yes, wrong forum, but there was "top-notch manual glass" in the title...) In doubt I would try the EVF world, with focus peaking and magnification and of course a really high resolving EVF.

In the bright sunlight it is painfut to use rear display.

Probably true. - But why don't you do the same as every medium format shooter did? Get yourself some hood with a magnifying glass build into it to see your rear screen entirely shadowed by that contraption and your eye. Even something providing just barn doors around your display can already be very handy.

The additional magnifier in my Mamiya chimney finder was pretty essential for me. - I nailed way more shots using it instead of the collapsible default finder. In the old days there were magnifiers to be added to your SLR finder. - Maybe they fit & work on DSLRs too?

I am usually using AF glass on my DSLRs. I never had fun shooting my MF heritage stuff on Pentax. I would break it out again if I run out of AF lenses and it seems up to a chore that gives me lots and lots of time to focus.

Gary, I used Nikkor 50 mm and Kaleinar 100 f 2.8 (Soviet) lenses on my (now sold) Olympus 4/3 camera. I took loads of sharp-focused images, but I sold all my manual focus lenses. I say about a tripod in different sense of the word. Imagine this: you shoot with 135 or 200 mm lense (they are already long) and you use magnification 10:1 and see only a fragment. This fragment would be shaking up and down because of the magnification! The tripod here not only to avoid image motion blur but to be comfortable.

This picture was taken with Nikkor 50/1.4 Ai-s (Olympus E-420). But it always was hit-and-miss...

 

Another my usage of legacy lenses....

 

And a manual focus lens again. No LV usage, only VF with not-so-perfect eyes and f-stop down to f4. :eek:

 

One of the main reasons I went to Canon when I went digital was so I could still use my non-AI Nikkor lenses, especially my PC Nikkor 35mm f/2.8.

 

While it is true that the viewfinders are not so good for manual focus as they were back in the day, you only have to be more careful. Accurate focusing is possible if you do it carefully. For some cameras there are special screens for better manual focus, but they are not absolutely required.

Canon EOS bodies can be easily shot with a large number of older lenses. Ironically, one group of lenses that do not adapt well are the old Canon-FD lenses. Otherwise, M42, Nikon F, and even exotica such as Exakta, can all be used in stop-down mode, with TTL metering.

If you want to to work outside the OEM system for manual lenses, I do not understand the objection to replacing the focusing screen. I mean, I understand the appeal, but frankly, if you are committed to the course, I would think that even if you feel uncomfortable doing it yourself, you could pay a local shop to DIFY. How easy it is depends (of course) on what model of camera you have. The size and brightness (aka usability) of the VF are, of course, going to vary widely with model. It would be helpful to know which you are referring to.