PDA

View Full Version : sigma 17-70mm and other lenses and 'infinity' on focus dial...


andrewaaa5
5th of August 2006 (Sat), 06:12
sigma 17-70mm

i got this lens the other day. happy with it so far and it performs just as I expected it to : )

this is my problem though.

Either: i am not sure what 'infinity' is 'meant' to do on a camera focus ring, OR, the 'infinity' lens is not doing what I expect it to. I thought instead of assuming, I would ask the helpful people on this forum.

well, i know what 'infinity' does, but what if you turn the ring slightly passed the 'infinity' mark? is it meant to keep distant objects in sharp focus still or blur them slightly?

the best thing to do is to illustrate with a few pictures (all taken AV at f8.0):

1st picture is taken at 70mm and on 'auto' focus, with the background building set to be target for focus lock. Note the position of the fosus ring to the right of the picture:

http://www.butterpeanut.com/canong3/01_70mm_autoSM.jpg

Nest I took a shot at 70mm and 'manually' focussed, but i pushed the focus ring all the way as far as it would go, again see the photo of the lens on the right. I expected distant objects to be in focus, and they are not. Is this a problem, or expected?

http://www.butterpeanut.com/canong3/02_70mm_manSM.jpg

I thought I could try the same at 17mm and this shot was taken in auto focus, with the distant buildings as the focus point, and again, notice the position of the focus ring.

http://www.butterpeanut.com/canong3/03_17mm_autoSM.jpg

Last example, taken at 17mm and manually focussed, but again I pushed the fucus ring all the way as far as it would go. Again the distant buildings are slightly out of focus or soft. Expected or not?

http://www.butterpeanut.com/canong3/04_17mm_manSM.jpg

Is this normal and expected to have distant objects go out of focus when you push the focus ring as far as it will go, i.e. passed the infinity marking? My expectation was that distant structures etc. would still be sharp.

Please note that I am in no way 'bad mouthing' or critising this lens, I am just curious if it is meant to be blurred after you push the focus ring past infinity. Maybe it is a normality of all lenses that I just did not know about. You kind reponses and sympathy for my lack of 'hands on' knowledge appreciated : )

Andrew

andrewaaa5
5th of August 2006 (Sat), 06:20
I just realised those last 2 pictures at 17mm are quite small to see the detail, so here are some [temporary] URLS for some bigger versions:

AUTO FOCUS:
http://www.butterpeanut.com/canong3/03_17mm_autoSM2.jpg

MANUAL FOCUS, PASSED INFINITY:
http://www.butterpeanut.com/canong3/04_17mm_manSM2.jpg

Perhaps some other users with this lens can perform a test and let me know ?

It is the buildings in the distance that I am concerned about as opposed to the foreground. Appologies for my lack of imagination in the sample shots...
..and also, at an estimate, those buildings in the background are perhaps 80-130 metres away.

Tom W
5th of August 2006 (Sat), 06:54
It is expected in today's lenses. They will focus beyond infinity. The added range allows for expansion and contraction of parts in very hot or very cold situations, and it also allows the autofocus system to obtain focus more easily by being able to "zero in" on correct focus from both directions. That is, the lens may initially overshoot correct focus slightly, and then make the more precise adjustment to achieve perfect focus. The extra focus range allows that even on infinity subjects.

andrewaaa5
5th of August 2006 (Sat), 07:12
thanks for info.

i was wondering if it was just a 'bit' extra, for this kind of 'focus hunting' maneuvering. It is slightly annoying as I like to use 'infinity' a lot, in 'candid/shoot from the hip' situations, and am now forced to look at what I am doing on the 17-70 lens to get it exactly on infinity, as opposed to rotating it 'all the way' and it being in 'infinity'.

my other lens is a tokina 12-24 and when that is pushed beyond the infinity mark at f8, everything in the background is in focus (beyond 2 metres) so i do not need to look at the barrel of the lens to do 'candid/shoot from the hip' shots.

it is tough to compare the 12-24 and 17-70 lenses at they perform so differently.

Future Blues
5th of August 2006 (Sat), 11:06
Yeah, I found this out the other night when taking lightnign shots with my 10-22mm and 50mm. Past infinity threw the whole thing out of focus, and I didn't discover what it was until I autofocused and then took the flashlight out.

Annoying.

Nick_C
5th of August 2006 (Sat), 12:34
Hi Andrew,

I just checked my 17-70 & its exactly the same, if I go beyond infinity in manual focus it throws the focus right out, so you havent got a lemon! :-)

Nick ;-)

Nick_C
5th of August 2006 (Sat), 12:36
Also, remember the markings are only as a rough guide, dont go too much by them, like it says in the instructions.

Its a good lens though, im now looking for a telephoto at a realistic price, at the moment im thinking of the Sigma 70-300 but im not 100% yet, I love the 17-70 sharpness, at F2.8 its so so, but still far better than most lenses, but at around F8 its really crisp!

Nick :-)

braduardo
5th of August 2006 (Sat), 12:45
http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0736412808.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Hehe...

Nick_C
5th of August 2006 (Sat), 16:25
LOL....

:-p

braduardo
5th of August 2006 (Sat), 18:10
I couldn't contribute anything useful, but all this talk about "infinity and beyond" just made me laugh...

andrewaaa5
6th of August 2006 (Sun), 01:23
yep. i knew that Buzz Lightyear would get a mention somewhere on this thread : )

Thanks Nick_C for testing on your 17-70 also. Very much appreciated, and it agreeance with Future Blues, it is 'quite annoying' : (( especially only when you find out AFTER you have taken a bunch of shots...