Manual Focus setup for SL2

[Eclectic Man]

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I was wondering what manual focus setup people use for focusing Leica SL lenses on the SL2.  I have 16-35 SVE, 50 f/2 Apo and 90-280 lenses.

What setup do you use for manual focus, and how did you decide on it? I have difficulties when I am trying to focus through foreground such as foliage or railings, as the autofocus usually locks onto the high contrast foreground rather than what I'm interested in.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

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[LD_50]

The question is not clear to me. 
 

With SL before and now SL2-S I use autofocus most of the time. I typically have used MF mode with the joystick button set to AFs or AFc.

When I need to manual focus I do so. I shut off automatic zoom upon manual focusing and I activate the zoom myself with a front button as needed. I use peaking sometimes as well. 

With SL2-S and the new FW I’ve been using AF tracking and face detection more often.  

[Photoworks]

I find the Point AF option the best on the SL2 with SL lenses.

You can momentarily overnight AF by holding the shutter Botton down 1/2 way and at the same time rotate the focus on you lens .
If you have updated your SL lenses you can choose rotation in the menu.

Some people want Back Botton AF. that means you can put the camera in MF mode, and to activate AF only when you push the joystick in.

 

[Eclectic Man]

LD_50 "The question is not clear to me."

There are various settings for manual focus on the SL2, you can set MF Setup to 'Standard MF', or select 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300, 330 0r 360 degrees or 'Maximum'. Which do people prefer?

I also find that when I am using manual focus on 'Standard' setting, the sensitivity of the SL2 is such that making a very slight movement of the focus ring has no effect, but that a large one over-or undershoots focus, so obtaining focus is a bit hit-and-miss.

I hope that clarifies. thing for you.

[Photoworks]

I use 90 to use quick focus turn.

the longer turn are for smooth follow focus in video.

Standard is fly by wire, the quicker you turn the more it goes. you better turning this off by setting 90.

[hoolyproductions]

On 5/4/2021 at 9:19 PM, Eclectic Man said:

There are various settings for manual focus on the SL2, you can set MF Setup to 'Standard MF', or select 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300, 330 0r 360 degrees or 'Maximum'. Which do people prefer?

I'm digging up this thread due to an issue I have noticed both with my SL2-S and SL3. My preferred setting is 240 degrees and I have this saved in all of my user profiles.

I noticed sometimes that the setting defaults back to "Standard MF", which always throws me off. It appears to be related to use of third party lenses (in my case Sigma) but I am not completely sure. When it happens in the field I am usually in a rush to fix it and don't pay too much attention to the circumstances.

It is definitely not an issue with my user profiles, I have checked and double checked and they are saved correctly.

As a first attempt at a test I just mounted my Sigma 90mm 2.8 and indeed it defaulted to Standard MF. I selected the same user profile again and it was correctly reset to 240 deg.

Has anyone else noticed this?

[Photoworks]

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I understood that every lens can be set to different degrees, so you had to set every new lens.

not 100% so don't quote me, but I had the same issue years ago.

[hoolyproductions]

1 hour ago, Photoworks said:

I understood that every lens can be set to different degrees, so you had to set every new lens.

not 100% so don't quote me, but I had the same issue years ago.

Thanks! As an update I just had the same behaviour when attaching my 75mm APO SL (it defaulted to Standard MF, even though I confirmed 240 prior to connecting the lens), so it is not related to third party lenses. My other theory indeed was that it is lens specific - I hope that does not mean I need to re-save each of my profiles with each of my lenses. I'll keep an eye on this and if anyone has some tips I'd be grateful. 

[hoolyproductions]

As a further update I now checked this with all my lenses and profiles on both my SL3 and SL2-S.

• With my Leica SL lenses, selecting a specific throw for that lens and saving the profile seems to have solved it. I am not even sure that the profile had to be saved or if it was sufficient just to select the throw once for the lens and it updates across all profiles (I did it pretty quickly and did not take notes). 
• With my Sigma lenses, same as above for my 14mm 1.4 and 17mm f4.
• With my (older) Sigma 24 3.5 and 90 2.8 I got more eratic behaviour (firmware issue?) with them tending to still default to "standard MF". Resetting the user profile seems to temporarily fix this (until either turning camera off or mounting the lens again).

There's nothing about this in the SL3 user manual (it covers focus throw but not how it interacts with user profiles). I don't use MF all that often: just when struggling to focus in low light and for astrophotography. I generally don't use the 24 or 90mm in these situations anyway (but do sometimes need to override focus e.g. when shooting something through foliage. I'm out of patience for today  - that will do for now

Edited January 13 by hoolyproductions

[Jean-Michel]

HI,

For the Sigma 85 f/1.4 the MF menus are all greyed out, and manual focus requires  moving the switch on the camera.

[Elliot Harper]

Get a M lens adapted to SL and then you don’t have to worry about the MF setup because there is nothing to be set to affect the focus ring.

 

[hoolyproductions]

10 hours ago, Jean-Michel said:

HI,

For the Sigma 85 f/1.4 the MF menus are all greyed out, and manual focus requires  moving the switch on the camera.

Hi. Yes all four of my Sigma lenses also have the MF switch, I'm aware of that and use Manual BBF for autofocus 99% of the time. The issue is how to get the "manual focus throw" settings to stick. I might even, for the first time in my life, send a bug report to Leica about this.

[Jean-Michel]

5 hours ago, hoolyproductions said:

Hi. Yes all four of my Sigma lenses also have the MF switch, I'm aware of that and use Manual BBF for autofocus 99% of the time. The issue is how to get the "manual focus throw" settings to stick. I might even, for the first time in my life, send a bug report to Leica about this.

Hi

I also have Sima lenses, a 85 f/1.4 and a 50 f/2

Manual BBF works quite nicely.

Selecting MF in camera is greyed out in both cases. To use MF I need to select that using the lens switch.

Selecting the MF setup in FOCUSING , in the case of the 50 mm, shows the MF as available, but only Standard is available, all other degrees are greyed out.  However, when using the lens, my preferred 90° throw works. I selected that preference previously using my Leica 24-70.

Selecting the MF setup in FOCUSING, in the case of the 85mm , shows the MF greyed out. Using the lens in MF means that gives me the standard one.

Why the difference eludes me. 

 

[Jon Warwick]

How smooth is the focusing of SL prime lenses on the SL bodies? ….i’m referring here in terms of being able to accurately see the subtle change in focus in the EVF? For example, when turning the focus ring, is there any delay in the focus point responding and then a “jump” in focus? 

Edited January 14 by Jon Warwick

[Jean-Michel]

2 hours ago, Jon Warwick said:

How smooth is the focusing of SL prime lenses on the SL bodies? ….i’m referring here in terms of being able to accurately see the subtle change in focus in the EVF? For example, when turning the focus ring, is there any delay in the focus point responding and then a “jump” in focus? 

In the case of my two Sigma lenses, in MF, the focus is smooth. there is no delay or jump. It is however 'focus by wire'. By and  large, I find that BBF and spot focus works best for me.

[hoolyproductions]

I find it to be very smooth and intuitive (will all my SL lenses plus my Sigma ones) as long as I can set the focus throw. The "Standard MF" might work well for some people but it drives me nuts - a quick movement of the focus ring can result in you going past the point of focus and then you don't know which direction to correct in, and miss the shot.

With my SL lenses it feels as smooth and predictable as with a manual M lens