NEX Magnification for manual focus

[mark_amos]

<p>I have an NEX 5n and have been using it for about 2 1/2 years and am just finally getting around to asking this question. When I'm using my "legacy" manual focus lenses, I use the magnification feature which allows a 2 step (2 button presses) magnification. When using a Sony or Sigma lens in DMF or even in "manual focus", when you move the lens focus ring, it automatically zooms in to help you focus, but it seems to only zoom to the first zoom position and not the closer/tighter zoom available on 2 button presses with a fully manual focus zoom lens. It seems that the fact that the Sony/Sigma lenses have electronic contacts affects what the menu will offer and ironically you don't get an option for the closer magnification that makes focusing easier in typical night time low light indoor candid pictures. Does anybody know otherwise?</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>The first stage of magnification in a Sony A7 is perfectly adequate for manual focusing. I skip over the second stage, usually by half-pressing the shutter release.</p>

<p>Magnification is not so much for low light as for using lenses with a shallow depth of field (e.g., long and/or fast). The EVF compensates for changing light levels (or physical aperture settings).</p>

[mark_amos]

<p>Thanks for the comment Edward. I agree that the first level zoom is usually sufficient, and when using manual focus lenses, I was very pleased when I discovered the capability of pressing the shutter half way to return to full view. But by the way, when using an AF lens in DMF mode, if you zoom once to make sure you have focus, you can't use the half-press trick because that automatically refocuses the lens with AF, messing up your fine tuning you just did with magnification. The times I need the second level zoom are when using a wide angle lens in which first level zoom in medium light doesn't well show very fine detail in your subject or when the light is very low with any lens at which time even though the EVF boosts the gain, it adds grain, and I really need the higher magnification to differentiate which final focus ring position is really sharpest. In that situation, looking at a face 12' away, you can't really see face details anyway; you have to study the "grain" carefully.<br>

Anyway, I just wonder if it is possible to achieve that second level zoom with an AF lens with contacts. I don't think you can get that even with the lens in MF mode.</p>

[simon_platt1]

<p>Hi Mark,</p>

<p>Zooming in to focus and then zooming out doesn't work because the zoom lenes for the Nex cameras are varifocal lenses not true zooms, meaning that focus changes slightly when you zoom the lens so the camer automatically refocusses. A lot of modern lense are like that as the manufacturers assume that people will use autofocus and it allows them to make smaller simpler lenses.</p>

 

[mark_amos]

<p>Hello Simon, I appreciate your thought, but I think you misunderstood. When I mention "zooming" and second level zoom, I actually am referring to the digital magnification feature that the camera has to allow you to see the subject of your intended focus up very close to confirm that it is in focus. I don't use any zoom lenses. I'm usually using Leica and Nikon primes, and I also have the Sigma 19 and 30.<br>

What you are saying is interesting to me if unrelated to my posted issue. Even though the Sony prime lenses are "focus by wire", you can still set them to manual focus, and then they don't automatically re-focus if you press the shutter half way down to lock exposure. Are you saying that if you put a Sony e mount focus-by-wire zoom lens in manual focus mode and use its optical zoom capability to look at your subject closely that when you zoom back out then the focus will necessarily have changed because of how the optical elements have moved in relation to one another in the act of zooming? </p>