Hypothetical Question

A thread in the rumor section got me thinking...

If Canon were to introduce their most popular EF/EF-s lenses in a purely manual focus version, but the cost as 60% less than the AF counterpart, would you buy it? Same optics, same weather sealing, same performance, just sans autofocus?

I personally would jump at a sub $800 85mm f/1.2L II. I know I cant be the only one. I know there's a few people on here who use all kinds of older than dirt manual focus lenses on a regular basis (gasrocks ).

Yeah, possibly. Especially portrait and landscape lanses. Not sports lenses though.

Not for what I normally shoot (sports, fast moving kids etc.), but for stills, landscapes and such I think it would be very tempting.

KA... LOL at "Lack of Gear" in your sig.

Definitely.. 70% of my shooting is done on manual focus,, then again I've been called a Luddite more than once

For portraiture manual focus is the only way to go..

Mmm... Some speciality stuff, like macro lenses, but not everything else. I quite like my AF.

But you can get a manual focus Canon 85/1.2 for around $800. It's called FD or FL mount. And, there are a few people how have figured out a little machine work necessary to adapt it to EF mount.

For use on crop sensor bodies, no I wouldn't.

Full frame bodies, maybe.

But, I really don't expect my eyesight to improve as I get older, so perhaps not. AF is handy, and I get a *whole lot* more properly focused keepers than I ever did shooting manual focus lenses.

I'd take the manual focus versions of the 35L, 85L, and macro lenses at 60% off, but probably not any of the longer glass. I used to have a Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* 70-200, which was manual focus and had great IQ, but it didn't get much use because of the lack of AF.

arent the view finders not made for manual focus on the new digital cameraS? o_0

Someone needs spell check and a Caps key.

zeva wrote in post #6680871
arent the view finders not made for manual focus on the new digital cameraS? o_0

The view finders of digital camera dont have anything to do with the compatability of lenses.

gasrocks wrote in post #6679474
But you can get a manual focus Canon 85/1.2 for around $800. It's called FD or FL mount. And, there are a few people how have figured out a little machine work necessary to adapt it to EF mount.

Actually Ive seen an FD 85mm f/1.2L go for about $300. They're out there and they're cheap, but I dont want FD. I meant like the lenses are still EF mount.

Lets say you take two 135 f/2L and place them side by side. One is AF and costs $900 new, and the other is identical but its manual focus only, and costs $450. Would you pay that much more for the autofocus, or could you learn to live with the manual focus?

zeva wrote in post #6680871
arent the view finders not made for manual focus on the new digital cameraS? o_0

Where did you hear/read this??

JAcosta wrote in post #6681210
The view finders of digital camera dont have anything to do with the compatability of lenses.

yogestee wrote in post #6681872
Where did you hear/read this??

I assume he was referring to the focusing screen, rather than the viewfinder, and the standard focus screens -are- terrible for MF.

krb wrote in post #6681905
I assume he was referring to the focusing screen, rather than the viewfinder, and the standard focus screens -are- terrible for MF.

I don't have any problems manuallly focusing either my 20D or 350D..