Canon 60D question

Sorry if in wrong section. I couldnt find anything related to technical difficulties.

I just purchased a Rokinon 85mm t1.5 cinema lens for my 60D.

Its a all manual lens.

Can someone confirm if this is normal when using this lens on a canon camera.

My screen aperture does not match the aperture in the picture once its taken.

For example:

In manual mode while looking through either the view finder or live view, I set my shot to proper exposure and get ready to take it. Once I take the shot (note: normally using my standard lens, the shot would look exactly the same as it did in the view finder or live view)however when using the rokinon, the picture comes out either overexposed or underexposed. I dont have a way of predicting the aperture using my view finder or live view.

Btw I dont use auto ISO.

Ive been told that this is normal and that this is how all manual lenses work since they have no way of communicating with the camera. Can anyone confirm?

Lens works normally in video mode and thats what I bought it for but I was hoping that taking pictures with it wouldn't be confusing if I may say.

If this is not normal, can someone help me resolve it? I would really appreciate it.

That lens doesn't have the pins to communicate with the camera (based on my quick google search), so I'm pretty sure you have to set everything on the lens manually and the camera display will not reflect the lens settings. The way you "predict" aperture, is by changing it on the lens itself using the aperture ring, I don't quite understand that part of your problem. The camera can't change the aperture for you on this full manual lens vs your "standard" lens, which I'm assuming is not a full manual cine lens.

A manual lens with f-stops can communicate with the camera. T lenses work the way you are describing. The way I understand it, the t lenses are purposely designed that way so you can change the aperture while recording. If the lens had regular f-stops, the changes would be jerky when the aperture is changed when recording. The cinema lenses change continuously so changing the exposure or DOF is smooth. That is why the video guys use them instead of normal lenses with normal f-stops.

I am not changing the aperture on the camera, I am doing it on the lens with the aperture ring yes.

The problem is that the picture(once taken) doesn't look like the preview in the view finder or live view. The picture comes out way over exposed or underexposed.

How can the lens communicate correct aperture in video mode but not when I am in manual shooting mode?

So my question is.

What does one do to make sure they dont have to: take the picture, find out its over/underexposed regardless of what it looked like in the viewfinder, go back into settings, guess what the camera should be set at based off the incorrect exposure in the previous picture, and try again??

How does one shoot with a fully manual lens?

Forgive me, I am new to these types of lenses.

When you're using the lens the aperture shoud read 00 on the camera LCD because the camera can't change the aperture. The easiest way to shoot still photos with manual lenses is to use Av mode. That way, you choose the aperture on the lens, and the camera chooses the appropriate shutter speed based on your ISO and the reading from it's light meter. (or an appropriate combo of the two if you use Auto ISO)

You can't normally see the actual exposure you're going to get through the viewfinder on Canon DSLR's. You're always seeing the shot through a wide-open aperture unless you use the DOF preview button and stop the lens down to the desired aperture (with an EF lens). Live view is an exception to this if you use the exposure simulation function, and the camera tries to calculate what the photo will look like and display that on the screen.

Using full manual lenses, you should be seeing a more accurate representation of what you'll be getting through the viewfinder since the lens is always stopped down to where you set it, unlike an EF lens that will only stop down when the photo is taken (otherwise it's wide open). With live view, I'm not exactly sure how this works, but I'd guess that as you change settings on the lens and change your shutter speed/ISO on the camera, you should be seeing what you get. You may have to turn exposure simulation ON, if you have that setting OFF. I don't have any experience with LV and manual lenses. But I'd guess that should work either way.

I don't think the camera is communicating to see what aperture the lens is set at during video mode either, but it may be adjusting the exposure automatically based on the light meter, depending on how you have things set up. (Most likely AUTO if it's working.)

I don't use cine lenses, but I'm basing these answers from my very limited knowledge of adapting non-communicating MF lenses for still photo use, which seems like a similar setup.

If you're using M mode with a full manual lens and not using Auto ISO, then you are responsible for the exposure completely. If it's over/underexposed, then you have to change the settings to compensate for that. If your t-stop is where you want it, then adjust your ISO or shutter to compensate. As I said before, Av is usually the easiest way to shoot with these types of lenses.

^^^Thanks for your help. I think Im ok using AV mode to shoot with this lens. Wish I could use manual mode like I usually do but this lens will take some practice since its the first all manual lens ive used.

heres an unattached photo shot in AV mode on a tripod

Ahh, that looks much better than the over/underexposure you were describing. Glad I could help.

Simple answer for manual mode. Stop lens down to desired aperture with the manual aperture control. This will make the viewfinder quite dark if you are stopping down past f/5.6. Set the desired ISO value. Using the shutter control (front dial) adjust the shutter speed to the required setting to place the metering indication in desired location for correct exposure. I would say center the metering indication, but this is not always the correct setting, depending on the average subject brightness, and the chosen metering mode. Shoot!

I use this technique when shooting with the T Mount 500mm f/8 mirror lens. This lens is actually a fixed f/8, as it has no aperture control at all. Av mode also works fine with this lens. As I mostly used it for aviation subject against the sky, which is strongly backlit, I generally shot using manual mode, and using a substitute midtone target to meter from.

Alan

Thats what ive been experimenting with. If i center the metering its fine most of the time but like you said sometimes its off

I was able to take this pic with only two tries using that technique. I photoshopped the bird in

PJmak wrote in post #17820040
Thats what ive been experimenting with. If i center the metering its fine most of the time but like you said sometimes its off

I was able to take this pic with only two tries using that technique. I photoshopped the bird in

Hosted photo: posted by PJmak in
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forum: Canon Digital Cameras

Shooting something like that shot, with that level of backlighting, and depending if you wanted the tree to have detail or be a silhouette you would have needed to add EC to any shots in Av mode, and for that matter even if you were using a lens with an electronically controlled lens. I think you issues are more general than simply using a lens with a manually controlled aperture.

Alan