Small camera with manual focus lens

<p>I'm looking for recommendations for a small camera, either with a fixed lens or interchangeable lens but it must have a true manual focus capability. Some of the point and shoots I've handled, like the Canon S100 have very poor manual focus operation. For an interchangeable lens it should have a good macro capability of around 1:2 (if it's 1:1 all the better). I've seen some of the macro lenses for mirrorless with 1:1 but they are big so I'm willing to sacrifice 1:1 for a lens that's smaller.</p>

<p>Any camera with focus peaking visual aid for manual focus confirmation will do. Just depends on:</p>

<ul>

<li>Your budget.</li>

<li>Whether you already have a macro lens and need an adapter.</li>

<li>Whether you need accurate metering with a non-system lens.</li>

<li>Whether you prefer a tilt-screen for low angle use.</li>

</ul>

<p>For example, my Nikon V1 has no focus peaking or confirmation visual aid, and no metering with non-system lenses. So while I can use my 55mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor on the V1 with an all-manual adapter, it's not easy. Focusing is guesswork even with the EVF, and exposure is guess-test-adjust-try-again. And no tilt screen, so it's uncomfortable to use at or near ground/floor level for macro photography.</p>

<p>In contrast, my Fuji X-A1 has focus peaking visual aid and can meter with non-system lenses using a simple all manual adapter. And the tilt screen makes it easier to use at low angles for macro photography, either from a tripod or handheld.</p>

<p>Assuming you're talking about a digital camera rather than a film body, I've had a lot of luck with an inexpensive Olympus E-PL2. which I picked up used. For me the real joy was the ability to use my legacy lenses, from telephoto to extreme wide angle, including macro, lenses on it - all in the manual mode. Mine came with an elecrtronic view finder (EVF) which made using it in bright light much easier than looking at the rear screen. The AF zoom lens which came with it is good, but I much prefer my "old trusty manual focus" ones.</p>

<p>The Nex 6 and/or 7 are both now cheaper than in the past, and the 3 and 5 varieties are even cheaper (but lack an EVF )and if you don't want an adapter adding dimension to the camera there are Sigma lenses (as well as Sony and others ) which fit directly; but an adapter on any of these wonderful mirrorless cameras enables you to use virtually any new or old lens and the World becomes your lobster, as DelBoy used to say.<br>

I would add that I think the old film camera lenses are easier to use manually..of course that was what they were designed for, but the barrels are more comfortable to work with IMHO.</p>

<p>I love manually focusing the µ43 stuff, with it's "auto zoom in" feature for AF assist. The manual focus is "focus by wire" though, not truly mechanical manual focus.</p>

<p>No lens is going to have 1:2 or 1:1 macro capability unless it's a real macro, though. and they're all going to be big compared to camera size. And manually focusing my 55mm f3.5 really close (via an adaptor) is a cinch, but only if I'm on a tripod and paying close attention.</p>

<p>Ability to focus close is simply a mechanical ability to increase the 'extension' of the lens, done with interchangeable lenses by means of extension tubes. The macro lens is a modern convienience.<br>

Stephen Lewis was first in suggesting an M43, I was going to suggest a E-PL1 from the same stable. Mine currently carries my 'bug eye' lens which rarely needs focusing but it can and of course I have my legacy lenses for which the camera's IBIS is a boon instead of needing lenses with OIS as my Panasonic does. My camera was bought mainly for the legacy lenses but meets your needs .... in A mode all I have to do is set an aperture, focus and press the trigger.</p>

<p>Depends on how small you really want or need, Alex.<br>

The small micro 4/3 bodies - some of which have been mentioned above - almost all have superb capabilities for manual focusing. In particular, the Olympus PL-5 - or its Panasonic counterpart, the Lumix GX1, are both excellent in this regard. The Olympus E-PM2 is even smaller and a tad better.<br>

If you want to go even smaller, the Nikon Coolpix A - which has a fixed 28mm lens (actually the equivalent, in an APS-C sensor) is a superb and totally pocketable compact - with a nifty manual focus mode on its lens. Its competitor, the cool Ricoh GR, which also comes with a single and superb quality 28mm equivalent lens, doesn't have a manual focus ring. Previous generations of the Ricoh compacts - including both the GRD IV, do apparently have manual focus rings on their lenses (or so I've heard).<br>

Finally there's the diminutive Canon EOS-M - a tiny APS-C sensor body with superb IQ. It's got a quirky touchscreen-centric command/control screen, with few manual traditional 'buttons', and the early versions of the camera suffered from slow AF/autofocus which got partially corrected in a firmware update. But all of the specific EOS-M lenses - including the compact 22mm pancake (a 35mm field of view equivalent) come with manual focus rings - and the focusing works really well. I know because I just bought one myself: I was in the same boat as you, and wanted a very compact, high quality almost pocketable camera, which also had manual focus capacity. I narrowed my choice down to the Coolpix A and the EOS-M with the 22mm pancake. Both cameras were way overpriced on introduction, but both have been heavily discounted lately. The Coopix A is probably a slightly better camera, in terms of overall IQ/image quality - but even discounted, it still costs almost double what the EOS-M/22mm combo does. I shot with both and wound up getting an EOS-M - and it's a remarkable camera.<br>

You can see some of my EOS-M pictures at this link https://www.flickr.com/photos/migueltejadaflores/sets/72157648046770335/<br>

But you've got a number of good, interesting, and affordable choices. Good luck!</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for your feedback.<br>

Miguel, I did consider the EOS-M but read reviews that the manual focus isn't very good, especially on the 22mm lens. Looks like you've found it to be very good. I'll have to go to a store that has one to handle one myself. </p>

<p>Hey, Alex, I think I probably read the same EOS-M reviews that you did - and one or two of them specifically mentioned that the manual focus wasn't good. But if I remember correctly, those reviews were also from people who were complaining a lot about the slow autofocus. With the improved firmware, autofocus is definitely better though one wouldn't describe it as a speed demon. But my personal experience so far has been the opposite of the negative reviews: I've found the manual focus easy and highly accurate....and fun to use.<br>

Let me add a few things to that. Like on the Coolpix A, manual focus on the 22mm lens is 'by wire' - not mechanical, like in older analog lenses - so if you're used to the precise feedback of manual focusing on certain 'legacy' lenses, both the Coolpix A and the EOS-M's manual focusing can feel a little weird at first. But it really works.<br>

The 2nd point worth mentioning is that like the Coolpix A,manual focusing has to be done on the rear LCD screen. In extreme sunlight this is very, very difficult. The Coolpix A does have a very expensive accessory EVF available but it costs nearly $400 and that pretty much put the whole package out of my budget reach. But both cameras have a nifty feature which is also part of many other high end mirrorless cameras I've used - a focus magnification button. You can magnify the area on which you're focusing by a factor of 10x or 20x I think. It really allows you to do critical close focusing. On the Coolpix A, there's a dedicated button in the back of the camera for just this purpose, which is nice. On the EOS-M, there's a dedicated little 'virtual button' for this down in one corner of the screen which works just as well, once you get the hang of it. <br>

Once you're done close focusing, you press the button (either a physical one on the Coolpix A, or a virtual one on the EOS'M's screen - and the view reverts to the normal frame, for framing.<br>

A final point about the EOS-M. In its relatively logical and easy Menu system, when you're shooting in Aperture priority ('Av' in Canon-talk) which I used for 90 to 95 % of my shooting, there are 3 focus modes (accessible either through an easy and logical Menu button or a virtual screen button. The modes are AF - AF + MF - and MF. To my surprise, I've found the middle mode much quicker and as accurate as normal manual focusing. It works well with the EOS-M's spot focusing mode (something the Coolpix A has as well) - which allows you to pick a focus point anywhere on your screen (with a small focus 'rectangle'), then use the 10x magnification button to increase the size of the focusing area in a special central window - and then tapping the appropriate button for autofocusing - which locks in very quickly on specific magnified areas of focus. Fine-tuning can then be done with the manual focus ring.<br>

I realize this sounds rather technical but in practice it's easy and soon becomes automatic.<br>

One last quirk of Canon EOS cameras that I've had to learn with the EOS-M but which comes in very handy for the above AF + MF mode is what Canon calls 'back-button focus'. Basically what this means is that instead of using the shutter button to focus (depressing it halfway, like most digital cameras) - you can reassign certain camera functions. The setting I use is assigning the focus function to the * key (equivalent to the left hand side of the central control wheel) - and assigning an exposure lock (aka AE) to the shutter itself. Sounds complicated, but it has the huge advantage of allowing the photographer to lock focus with a dedicated button (the * one, in this case) - and then not have the camera try to refocus when you press the shutter.<br>

Obviously if you're in just plain MF mode, none of this matters. But if you used the EOS-M's nifty AF + MF mode --- it seems to be far and away the best way of shooting - and also having the ability to do critical manual focus adjusting.<br>

Sorry for the complexity of this post - but I literally had to learn all that from scratch. But it's made the EOS-M infinitely more powerful - and turned it into a better camera.<br>

The Coolpix A doesn't have all these quirks. But it also costs more than twice as much as well. And it's a brilliant camera in many ways - so depending on your budget, I'd highly recommend that as well.<br>

Good luck!</p>

<p>Thanks Miguel for your elaborate explanation. It's appreciated.</p>

The EOS-M is now supported by the Magic Lantern software

hack which can do "focus peaking" marking high-contrast

edges with colored pixels so you can see what's in focus

without the zooming. Still comes with the "might damage

your camera" largely unjustified scare warnings.

Installs to card instead of camera so it's easy to get

rid of.

I am still using a Casio exilim ex-p700. I am glad I bought a second one

when they were still available. Now you can't even find parts for them and

you can only find them now and then on eBay.. I use the raw file hack,and

mainly in manual settings. I also use the lens adapter set which allowed

use of 58mm tele and wide angle canon accessories. Also love being able

to attach my sunpak 444d flash via PC synch...

 

https://www.flickr.com/cameras/casio/ex-p700/

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/casioexp700