5D MK III and Manual Focus Lenses

Absolutely agree in most cases. I suspect Canon is working on a [probably small size] mirrorless camera, I would actually like a nice big eye level EVF with magnify option in a standard Canon EOS sized mirrorless body.

The LCD hood/loupes favored by the videographers just don't work for me - ergonomics is wrong, but I do like the 'view'.

There is apparently a one button zoom to the AF point so chimping is now a few clicks faster.

All in all, I would still want to have a possibility to have EG-s screen for 1.4 or 1.2 lenses....especially for the manual focus.

light_pilgrim wrote in post #14021756
Mike - I also use Live View for Landscapes....but not for street photo

Then you should learn.

I have the standard focus screen and have used my AF lenses on manual quite a bit recently and have had no problems. I'm not using any specialist lenses but if you want to use manual get the right tools for the job or adapt yourself to the tools available.

jdizzle wrote in post #14025966
Then you should learn.

With the market we have and the variety of choices, I will pick tools that give me comfort. Tools should enable....

modchild wrote in post #14026058
I have the standard focus screen and have used my AF lenses on manual quite a bit recently and have had no problems. I'm not using any specialist lenses but if you want to use manual get the right tools for the job or adapt yourself to the tools available.

Might be wrong, but you do not use 1.2 or 1.4 lenses with MF

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #14021451
Right...

It's your problem. Not Canon's...

If you choose to work with non-OEM gear then you choose to accept the need to adapt.

I guess the only problem I have with this is that canon has made interchangeable screens for the older 5D series, as well as the XXD series camera. Sure you can add the grid to it w/ the overlay, but if that was the only reason to have a different focusing screen, why did they make the S-type screens? And it's not like it's impossible to change the focusing screen (I did on my 7D, and they allow interchangeable screens on the 1DX, which also has the overlay).

And sure they have live view now, for more accurate manual focusing. But if live view was that great, why do they still have optical viewfinders?

If the focusing screen is going to be like the 7D's (since it also has the overlay), then it's only accurate to f/4 (I could be wrong about that though). I don't see why they shouldn't give us the option...if it's still an option on their other cameras. If it was so expensive to produce a focusing screen, then they would've gotten rid of the focusing screen options on the 60D and just added the overlay. I know it's not going to be difficult to add in the menu option in software (nothing should have changed between the 5D or the 5DmkII in that they would need to vastly rewrite the code). Well, unless they ran out of time because they were too busy adding in a RATE button

Like I said in another thread, I don't really understand their thinking. Was it a cost cutting? Or are they cutting it out because they don't think manual focusing is a big enough market (not worth the effort)? And then, if so, why are they keeping it an option on the 1DX?

I'm guessing that they're going to keep all of the screens available for the 1DX (except for the grid ones, now that it's taken care of by the overlay), which includes the various split prisms and microprisms, as well as the S type focusing screen (not sure what it's called on the 1D series cameras). Otherwise, what's the point of having interchangeable screens?

Well, despite all that, I'm sure it'll be a good camera. Who knows, maybe by the time I can actually afford it, they'll have another camera line that has interchangeable screens, FF and a good AF system. Or maybe the 5DmkIV will be out

light_pilgrim wrote in post #14026274
With the market we have and the variety of choices, I will pick tools that give me comfort. Tools should enable....

Understood. But if I can shoot a 1Ds 3 with Zeiss for street, you certainly can too. Heck! The Leica M9 is the perfect tool for it.

I never changed the screen out on my 5D MKII and never had any problems shooting with a variety of MF lenses outdoors. When shooting still portraits with the MF lenses indoors i always used live view to focus on one of the subjects eyes provided it was not squirmy little kids. But i know some of my friends thought they just had to change the screen. To each their own !

Regards, Ron

jdizzle wrote in post #14026666
Understood. But if I can shoot a 1Ds 3 with Zeiss for street, you certainly can too. Heck! The Leica M9 is the perfect tool for it.

Everything has it's logical reasoning....
If you take a photo with 100 mm lens and aperture of f/2 or even 2/8, you are OK with whatever screen you have. If you will take a portrait with 35 mm lens and 1.4 aperture, you will have a tough time hitting the focus, because the DOF will be less than 1 cm and you will need every help you can get. This is where the idea of EG-s is coming from...

The EG-S screen is seriously helpful when using fast glass. It's not that much of a difference at ƒ2.8, but at 1.4 or 1.2, it's a world of difference in the viewfinder.

light_pilgrim wrote in post #14027283
Everything has it's logical reasoning....
If you take a photo with 100 mm lens and aperture of f/2 or even 2/8, you are OK with whatever screen you have. If you will take a portrait with 35 mm lens and 1.4 aperture, you will have a tough time hitting the focus, because the DOF will be less than 1 cm and you will need every help you can get. This is where the idea of EG-s is coming from...

I've tried the 35 1.4 and it was not difficult to focus with my 1Ds 3. I wound up keeping the f2 bcoz I don't need 1.4. I know about the focus screens and don't see a need for it. At least for me anyway.

jabrowski wrote in post #14021539
I don't like this attitude. It's not as though the use of manual focus is so unccommon that implementing swappable focus screens into a new body is impractical. Canon should consider the fact that it would make their consumers' lives easier and though it might not translate to immediate profits in the lens department, it will contribute to an overall higher satisfaction with the Canon brand. This sort of monopolizing just turns me right off of certain brands...

Right on. Today no manual focus glass. Tomorrow no 3rd party flashes. Next week only Canon branded ( read very expensive) CF cards.

modchild wrote in post #14026058
I have the standard focus screen and have used my AF lenses on manual quite a bit recently and have had no problems. I'm not using any specialist lenses but if you want to use manual get the right tools for the job or adapt yourself to the tools available.

Virtually impossible to accurately manual focus a 1.4 lens using a 7d.