What do you use for manual focusing?

[rui_wang3]

<p>For me: (5D II)<br>

1. split image focusing screen from Ebay (or EG-S when I autofus ourdoors with only occasional manual adjustment) + 1.52x viewfinder magnifier<br>

2. liveview, which I do not use much because it slows me down a lot. Also it drains battery.</p>

 

[g dan mitchell]

<p>live view or AF</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>For tripod, liveview.</p>

<p>For handheld, I use one spot (usually the center one) to "manually" AF. I assign the focus to one of the back buttons and hit it with my thumb. First hit is pretty good for anything f/5.6 and greater. For wider apertures, I generally hit the focus a couple or three times until it doesn't budge anymore. It's generally more accurate than I am, even with a spit-image screen.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I always get the Canon grid screen, which also is made for manual (eye-controlled) focus.</p>

<p>I find, even with my somewhat aging vision, that I rarely have trouble manually focusing, although the razor thin depth of field and the dimness of mirror lenses sometimes trip me up.</p>

<p>Even if there weren't risk to the glued on "focus confirmation" chips, I have never found them to be of any real value even when they work as they should. I've pried them off all of my adapters now.</p>

<p>I confess that I have rarely used live view, partly because I also rarely use a tripod for anything under 500mm in focal length.</p>

[rui_wang3]

<p>To me, the focus confirmation light (and beep) is useful. It tells me I am reasonably close. I have them on all my adapters. (Nikon, M42, etc.)</p>

[rui_wang3]

<p>To me, the focus confirmation light (and beep) is useful. It tells me I am reasonably close. I have them on all my adapters. (Nikon, M42, etc.)</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

Live view.

[bobatkins]

<p>If you want it right, Live View</p>

<p>If you want it fast, the viewfinder screen (even the standard screens are usable especially with an eyepiece magnifier)</p>

<p>If you want it reasonably fast and reasonably accurate, the AF dot and the beep with a properly calibrated focus confirmation chip on it.</p>

[mark_pierlot]

<p>I use an Eg-S screen in my 5DII.</p>

[dan_south]

Magnified Live View and reading glasses, whether on a tripod or hand held.

[philip_wilson]

The literal answer is a Leica but in the case of Canon I use both the viewfinder and live view. I personally find live view is

a very limited for hand held use and on a tripod I sometimes suffer from sunlight almost completely obscuring the LCD.

Unfortunately the 5DII viewfinder is not even as bright as my old film EOs bodies like the 1V.

[pmind]

<p>With my trust ol' 5D Mk.I -- through the viewfinder (no Live View, of course), with standard screen. It's a bit of guessing game with my vision, sort of like a trip to the eye doctor..."is this better or worse?" With the Sony NEX-7, either with Sony or adapted Canon FD lenses -- On a tripod: Live View, Focus Assist (magnification), and sometimes Focus Peaking (especially for close-up work). Hand-held: I usually just use magnification through the viewfinder.</p>

[sknowles]

<p>I use a Ee-S (5D Mk 1) since all my lenses are f2.8 or faster. I like the whole image screen focusing since I don't always focus on the center.</p>

[jim_service]

<p>Magnified Live View. I'm mindful of battery drain but have never run into problems. I think the viewfinder on the 5D2 is a travesty.</p>