StephenPatterson Posted April 27, 2014 Share #1 Posted April 27, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Really? No focus peaking at all? With a dedicated M adapter the T has no focus peaking? (according to David Farkas in his reddotforum review). 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 27, 2014 Posted April 27, 2014 Hi StephenPatterson, Take a look here No focus peaking???. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
digitalfx Posted April 27, 2014 Share #2 Posted April 27, 2014 correct Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmahto Posted April 27, 2014 Share #3 Posted April 27, 2014 Having used focus peaking on NEX-6, I can say that it is better to rely on magnified view if focusing is critical. But I do wonder why focus peaking is not there in T. Maybe it can be added later with firmware update? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfarkas Posted April 27, 2014 Share #4 Posted April 27, 2014 Yes, no focus peaking. Leica didn't want a poorly implemented feature to ruin the otherwise fluid and responsive experience. If if couldn't be done to a level commensurate with the rest of the camera it was omitted. With magnified view, it is very easy to gauge focus accuracy. The most challenging lens I tried on the T was the 180mm APO-Elmarit-R. I shot it wide-open handheld at a hummingbird aviary. I was surprised at how much easier and accurate this turned out to be than I had expected. M lenses like my 90mm Elmarit-M were super easy to use and I nailed focus every time. Not sure how necessary focus peaking really is, as I've found that when I rely on it on the M240, I end up slightly front or back-focused as the peaking range tends to be less precise than the 5x magnified view and visual evaluation. 15 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest odeon Posted April 27, 2014 Share #5 Posted April 27, 2014 I think, it may comes within a firmware. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter H Posted April 27, 2014 Share #6 Posted April 27, 2014 ........................M lenses like my 90mm Elmarit-M were super easy to use and I nailed focus every time. ..... ........... David, was this with the screen or with the EVF? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted April 27, 2014 Share #7 Posted April 27, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Yes, no focus peaking. Leica didn't want a poorly implemented feature to ruin the otherwise fluid and responsive experience. If if couldn't be done to a level commensurate with the rest of the camera it was omitted. With magnified view, it is very easy to gauge focus accuracy. The most challenging lens I tried on the T was the 180mm APO-Elmarit-R. I shot it wide-open handheld at a hummingbird aviary. I was surprised at how much easier and accurate this turned out to be than I had expected. M lenses like my 90mm Elmarit-M were super easy to use and I nailed focus every time. Not sure how necessary focus peaking really is, as I've found that when I rely on it on the M240, I end up slightly front or back-focused as the peaking range tends to be less precise than the 5x magnified view and visual evaluation. That bird shot looks good. Now considering it was an effective 270mm hand held it is very good. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfarkas Posted April 27, 2014 Share #8 Posted April 27, 2014 David, was this with the screen or with the EVF? I mainly used the Visoflex while shooting with non-AF lenses. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted April 27, 2014 Share #9 Posted April 27, 2014 No focus peaking on the XV ..... and the manual implementation with the central magnified area (is it the same on the T ?) is plenty good enough. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted April 27, 2014 Share #10 Posted April 27, 2014 Lack of focus peaking wouldn't worry me. I've given up with it on the M: too many situations where it doesn't quite work, and it is faster not to look for it, though I use the magnified view. PS Sorry, I DO use focus peaking on the M, but only to check the manual focussing accuracy of my lenses. This shouldn't be an issue on the T Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJDrew Posted April 27, 2014 Share #11 Posted April 27, 2014 Peaking is easy to understand and challenging to learn. Especially with wide and slow lenses (if they are high-contrast) - it can appear that the whole screen is lit with color. It takes a bit to understand how to use the feature in these instances (i.e. recognizing the "central" area of the peaking color by moving focus, and, based on aperture, correctly predicting the plane of focus. If you do it wrong - the results and experience can be very frustrating. BUT - at very wide apertures or with longer lenses. It's amazing and indispensable. It's a real pity that this is not included - particularly as allows you to focus very fast without losing the framing of the image. This aspect is important - it's very un-Leica to force you to lose sight of the whole frame to properly focus. P.S. If you think Leica lenses are trouble for peaking by making everything light up - try a Zeiss lens. The contrast can be even more formidable (and focus that much harder). 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darylgo Posted April 28, 2014 Share #12 Posted April 28, 2014 My use of the T viewfinder with a Noctilux and 35 FLE were accurately focused everytime. The viewfinder really pops when focus is achieved, as good as any I've used previously. Continual use of the viewfinder didn't tire my eyes as normally happens these days even with the M. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenPatterson Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share #13 Posted April 28, 2014 I suppose it really doesn't matter, as more than likely a majority of people buying this camera, i.e. Leica's new "target demographic" will purchase AF zoom lenses. I'm not sure why the T processor can support a touch screen interface but not focus peaking. I realize that people are saying it isn't important...well, perhaps not. The Fuji X-Pro 1 didn't have focus peaking (at first) either and plenty of Leica users have been happily shooting with their M lenses on them...as well as Sony. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiralx Posted April 28, 2014 Share #14 Posted April 28, 2014 I mainly used the Visoflex while shooting with non-AF lenses. Excuse my ignorance, but can you explain how you focus with a manual lens via the Visoflex, when the subject is not in the middle of the frame? In other words can you move the focus point around - if so, how? Many thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Ash Posted April 28, 2014 Share #15 Posted April 28, 2014 Excuse my ignorance, but can you explain how you focus with a manual lens via the Visoflex, when the subject is not in the middle of the frame? In other words can you move the focus point around - if so, how? Many thanks. There was no focus point to move around for years - no for generations! The most iconic images were shot at that time ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted April 28, 2014 Share #16 Posted April 28, 2014 There was no focus point to move around for years - no for generations! The most iconic images were shot at that time ! But what percentage of the attempts had missed focus? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted April 28, 2014 Share #17 Posted April 28, 2014 I think focus peaking was more relevant on the more low res and low refresh rate EVF's of the not so distant past. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biglouis Posted April 28, 2014 Share #18 Posted April 28, 2014 Can I point out that even on the A7 which has arguably the best current manual lens focussing on a mirrorless camera that focus peaking is hit and miss. It seems to be affected by all sorts of issues to do with lighting, back lighting, front lighting etc. It is there when I use the camera but most of the time I rely on magnification alone because focus peaking can be very temperamental. LouisB Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted April 28, 2014 Share #19 Posted April 28, 2014 (edited) So? Rangefinders and AF can be hit or miss under some circumstances too. Doesn't the magnified view on the A7, and lesser Sony models and other brands have more capability than on the T? Sony has a DMF (Direct Manual Focus) mode that can combine peaking and magnified focus (on any place in the field of view.) This even fluidly overrides the AF mode if you move the focus ring. Studying a magnified view is the most exacting way to work but is not always practical... especially if it only works in the center of the frame where it may be too slow, awkward, or inaccurate once you recompose. Thus Leica not only left off one focus tool, they crippled the other one. Meanwhile the newest Sony APS cameras have 179 PD focus points that are selectable for help with motion tracking, adjustable peaking, and various options for magnified view. So which camera is likely to give a typical user or a sophisticated user accurately focused images under a wider variety of situations? The reality is that Leica can't match the technology that Sony and others are offering so they make minimalism and a hand polished body the primary selling points even if that leaves the camera as less capable despite being much more expensive. The assumption being that their intended market does not care. Edited April 28, 2014 by AlanG Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Ash Posted April 28, 2014 Share #20 Posted April 28, 2014 But what percentage of the attempts had missed focus? I think it has not changed much as it is mainly related to user error. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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