Which FF DSLR for accurate MF with fast glass.

[stuart_richardson]

<p>Amazing that people have been taking sharp wide open shots on rangefinders for 80 years using focus and recompose...there are limits of course, but used normally it works quite well. For example, at f/1.2 at 2m, and placing the focus point about 1/3rd of the way away from center. If you try shooting at f/1.2 at 1m with the focus point all the way in the corner...well, then it is not going to work so well! If you don't want a split screen or to use live view, your only real choice is to find a good ground glass screen. There really are not any other options! The D3 series would be the best for this, or the D700. Aftermarket screen manufacturers are probably your best bet. But give focus and recompose a try before you deny it out of hand...with practice and some realistic expectations, it works very well. Even focusing dead center with a 1.2 lens means that you will occasionally miss the focus. It is just part of the game in using these lenses. If you truly need a viewfinder that is purpose made for this work, find a good manual focus SLR like a Canon F1-N, Leica R9, or Nikon F3 and scan the film!</p>

[iwong]

<p>There are two many factors at play here to cause a subject shot at f/1.2 to be out of focus, more than just the slight geometric error introduced in focus-then-recompose. For example, if you shot handheld, or your subject is a human and not a fixed object, then a slight movement of you or your subject will result in out of focus. The depth of field is so paper thin even the slightest movement of the subject's head will cause the focus to be off, such as the nose becoming in focus instead of the closest eye. Trying to be dead accurate in this situation is futile.</p>