Zone focus summicron 50mm

[nineteenfocus]

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If I set a summicron 50mm at f8 for zone focus, is acceptable sharp at infinity? I find that if I focus to infinity the image is sharper. Any thoughts?

[pedaes]

 

26 minutes ago, nineteenfocus said:

If I set a summicron 50mm at f8 for zone focus, is acceptable sharp at infinity? I find that if I focus to infinity the image is sharper. Any thoughts?

If you align infinity mark with (f) 8 it should be more than acceptable sharp. As the lines are so close, set at f8 but align with 5.6 for safety. Also use centre of infinity symbol - check how it looks on centre mark.

[andybarton]

IIRC, the depth of scale indications on lenses were set for their use on film cameras. Digital sensors are absolutely flat and less forgiving than a floppy piece of plastic negative, so that is why it is sensible/good practice to use the next aperture mark down instead of the one you are using.

[Ko.Fe.]

Not sure if here is any difference between film and digital at f8.

But I used my 50 Cron with scale focusing on film at different distances and it was fine.

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[nineteenfocus]

7 minutes ago, Ko.Fe. said:

Not sure if here is any difference between film and digital at f8.

But I used my 50 Cron with scale focusing on film at different distances and it was fine.

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nice pic. did u use zone focusing in this one? inf is not sharp

[Ko.Fe.]

Just now, nineteenfocus said:

nice pic. did u use zone focusing in this one? inf is not sharp

This is why I posted it here. How else you focus with M on walking person and while keep on walking.

Cron with focus tab ain't difficult for quick scale focusing, BTW. I wrote about many times. Here is direct relation between focus tab position and focus, DOF scale. With practice no need to look at focus scale at all.

[pippy]

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1 hour ago, nineteenfocus said:

If I set a summicron 50mm at f8 for zone focus, is acceptable sharp at infinity? I find that if I focus to infinity the image is sharper. Any thoughts?

At any focus point only the area which is focussed on will be perfectly sharp so it should be no surprise to discover that subject-matter at infinity is sharper than anything nearer if you focus at infinity. By the same reasoning if you focus closer-in then infinity will not be in focus. The indices either side of 'actual' focus are only to be used as a rough guide to the distances in front of- and behind the actual focus point in terms of what might be deemed to be 'sharp-enough' for normal purposes. Obviously the nearer to the 'actual' focus point the sharper these zones will be and as a lens is stopped-down more appears to be 'more in focus' but they will never be 100% sharp.

Comparing what is 'in focus' of a landscape scene (for instance) on a 15cm x 10cm print is a very different proposition from viewing the same image printed to 90cm x 60cm  and what is considered to be 'acceptably sharp'  is a purely personal judgement.

Philip.

Edited October 18, 2020 by pippy