Anyone focus EF50 f/1.8 manually?

In a few days time I'm going to be shooting some after dark b&w film shots. I've got a couple of film bodies and my first choice would be my Pentax ME Super with 50mm 1.7 lens. Its a manual focus combination but the split screen focusing makes it straightforward. The problem is that the ME Super will only go up to 1600 iso and I'll be using using 3200 film.

So that means using my EOS 3 but the only fast lens I have is my nifty fifty and as we know, that doesn't really autofocus well in poor light. So I'm looking at using it in manual focus mode.

Has anyone used their nifty fifty in manual mode at night? If so, what were the results like?

Vendee wrote in post #9019191
In a few days time I'm going to be shooting some after dark b&w film shots. I've got a couple of film bodies and my first choice would be my Pentax ME Super with 50mm 1.7 lens. Its a manual focus combination but the split screen focusing makes it straightforward. The problem is that the ME Super will only go up to 1600 iso and I'll be using using 3200 film.

So that means using my EOS 3 but the only fast lens I have is my nifty fifty and as we know, that doesn't really autofocus well in poor light. So I'm looking at using it in manual focus mode.

Has anyone used their nifty fifty in manual mode at night? If so, what were the results like?

Actually, you can underexpose the ME by 1 stop, by switching to manual.

The nifty 50 focuses fine in low light, at least IME, but you need to focus on something with good contrast. Don't focus on a black shirt in the dark, but on the transition from the dark shirt to the face. MF is fine too; but maybe get a focusing screen with split wedge for the EOS 3?

Kind regards, Wim

wimg wrote in post #9019274
Actually, you can underexpose the ME by 1 stop, by switching to manual.

In what way? The only way you could do that is by doubling the metered shutter speed. I know the ME Super has exposure compensation where you can overexpose or underexpose up to two stops but at 1600 ISO you can only overexpose. It won't let you underexpose at max ISO.

If I use the EOS 3, I've also got the option of pushing to it 6400 if circumstances dictate. Thanks for your advice.

If you want the 50/1.8 to AF well in the dark, put your 430EX II on the camera and use the focus assist light on flash. It will project some red stripes for the camera to focus on. Then turn the flash off before taking the picture. Of course this will only work where your subject is close enough to project the AF light.

You can also pick something the same distance away where the AF will lock on, like a light. Or light the subject with a flashlight to focus.

Focusing manually with the 50 requires being very gentle with the focus ring. The problem is identifying by eye when it is in focus. Using the focus confirmation in the camera will work but has the same limitations as autofocus. Stopping down to f/22 will cover a lot of focus error however if you don't mind lots of depth of field and diffraction spikes around the light sources.

macroimage wrote in post #9019871
Stopping down to f/22 will cover a lot of focus error however if you don't mind lots of depth of field and diffraction spikes around the light sources.

f/22 handheld at night isn't really an option.

Yeah, I admit I didn't mention "handheld" in my original post

Vendee wrote in post #9019751
In what way? The only way you could do that is by doubling the metered shutter speed. I know the ME Super has exposure compensation where you can overexpose or underexpose up to two stops but at 1600 ISO you can only overexpose. It won't let you underexpose at max ISO.

If I use the EOS 3, I've also got the option of pushing to it 6400 if circumstances dictate. Thanks for your advice.

I could be wrong, as I sold my ME well over 8 years ago now, but you can switch to manual, i.e. metered or manual mode only. Set to 1600 iso, meter, and up the shutter speed by a stop, or close the aperture by a stop. Or two stops in case of 6400 iso.

Kind regards, Wim

P.S.: I may have a chance at Christmas to see it again, but I guess that may be too late .

I've given it some thought and I reckon that I might have to push the film to 6400 to suit the conditions. That realisticlly means using the EOS 3 rather than the Pentax. As for the lens choice, I'd forgotten that my 24-105L has got 3 stop IS so at its min f/4 aperture, it should be a better choice. It will find focus better in the dark and f/4 will give better dof than the nifty fifty @ f/1.8