Does focus confim help with M42 lenses?

I have the all manual one and I was just wondering if it's easier to focus with the one that has the chip that lets you use focus confirm?

On the film SLR I have no problem focusing, 9/10 shots are keepers focusing wise.
But it has a BIG viewfinder and a focusing screen.

On the 10D it's a pain in the a## to focus. My success rate is 5-10%.

maverick75 wrote in post #14812038
I have the all manual one and I was just wondering if it's easier to focus with the one that has the chip that lets you use focus confirm?

On the film SLR I have no problem focusing, 9/10 shots are keepers focusing wise.
But it has a BIG viewfinder and a focusing screen.

On the 10D it's a pain in the a## to focus. My success rate is 5-10%.

I have the focus confirm version .. and yes it does help a lot. Just make sure it's calibrated correctly before you rely on it .. just like any other lens.

Thank you

ordering one of those right now!

dSLR standard focusing screens are optimized for viewfinder brightness, sacrificing precision of focus, simply because the half-silvered reflex mirror allows half the light to be diverted to the AF sensor in the base of the camera. So focus confirmation of any manually focused lens is improved by focus confirmation being active.

With stock focus screen, lenses faster than f/2.8 cannot be accurately focused. (ref., Chuck Westfall)

The only way to get accurate focus using the viewfinder is to get a focus screen for fast lenses -- the best is Canon Ee-S for 5D or Eg-S for 5DII, cut to fit 10D, and shimmed for accuracy.

melanopsin wrote in post #14812237
With stock focus screen, lenses faster than f/2.8 cannot be accurately focused. (ref., Chuck Westfall)

The only way to get accurate focus using the viewfinder is to get a focus screen for fast lenses -- the best is Canon Ee-S for 5D or Eg-S for 5DII, cut to fit 10D, and shimmed for accuracy.

It should be noted that there is a CFn in the 5D/5DII that adjusts metering to the EE-S/EG-S screens to restore metering accuracy; this would be lacking on the 10D, so the meter cannot always be trusted.

Focus chips are also not always accurate so although you can shot a little more carefree, you will still have misses. I have kinda just resorted to practicing and using my eye to focus then my instinct to tell me if I should shoot one more or just review the picture.

I find my chipped M42 adapter works very well on all of my manual lenses up to about f8,after that there is no beep, or green light. I prefer to use live view and a tripod if I have the time.

Focus confirm and focusing screen helps alot.
i say if you got crop body - go chipped.
If you have 5d or other ff - and you use bright lenses - f1.4 or something. or tele lens like 135 2.8 - you can be fine with focusing screen.

Focus confirm adapter for a K-mount lens of mine works flawlessly. The adapter I got can be micro-adjusted via a series of very specific camera functions (even on non-MA bodies) , and it needed it, but now is very accurate.

As others have mentioned, an AF confirm chip can be a waste of time if it's not calibrated, you might want to also look at a split image focusing screen for the 10d, but they are expensive.

http://www.focusingscr​een.com/index.php?cPat​h=21_39

http://www.focusingscr​een.com/work/400den.ht​m

I have an AF confirm adapter, but now I rarely use the function and just rely on my eye. I know its accurate, as I have calibrated it, its just faster to use my eye than to slowly tweak the focus ring until the dot flashes.

lannes wrote in post #14812779
As others have mentioned, an AF confirm chip can be a waste of time if it's not calibrated, you might want to also look at a split image focusing screen for the 10d, but they are expensive.

http://www.focusingscr​een.com/index.php?cPat​h=21_39

http://www.focusingscr​een.com/work/400den.ht​m

My chipped adapter is one that can not be calibrated, but it works fine. I do agree that a split image focusing screen is the best option. I currently have a 450D and will be upgrading to a 60D by the end of the year. I shall then swap the screen in the 450D for a split screen.

When I use my T90, I really do notice a difference when focusing.

killwilly wrote in post #14812900
My chipped adapter is one that can not be calibrated, but it works fine. I do agree that a split image focusing screen is the best option. I currently have a 450D and will be upgrading to a 60D by the end of the year. I shall then swap the screen in the 450D for a split screen.

When I use my T90, I really do notice a difference when focusing.

Again, a cautionary note for the OP and others, this time about aftermarket split image focus screens...

The metering accuracy is again affected by such screens, which lack CFn choices to restore metering accuracy. These screens are especially in error with Spot mode metering pattern, and have been shown to be 2-3 EV in error. Folks using Evaluative metering pattern are less affected by error than Spot users. And the degree of error is related to the max f/stop of the lens in use, so it is not simply a matter of cranking in a fixed amount of Exposure Compensation.

This recent post reflects the experiences of others, with regard to third party aftermarket focus screens https://photography-on-the.net …hp?p=14803638&p​ostcount=7

Thanks guys, I'm just putting in more time to learn how to manually focus. I'm 23 so by the time I was old enough for a camera we already had decent point and shoots. So I never had to bother with using a MF camera. I kinda wish I did since it forces you to learn more, so now I'm getting more experience manually focusing.

Was practicing around with the neighbor's cat, what I'm doing now is clicking the shutter as soon as it looks in focus instead of just trying to dial it in right. I was watching a rangefinder video and the guy mentioned that, so far it seems to help with SLRs as well!

I'm also going to try to get a better lens, I bought this one on a impulse since everyone kept outbidding me on the Takumars

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/alexcorona/7713​095834/