Are there any dslrs which will allow manual focusing with an external PC?

The Olympus E500 is hard to focus manually,
but it has a USB connection. Can I hook this
up to a computer for pinsharp manual
focusing?

Peter

On Jun 1, 8:52 pm, "Peter Jason" wrote:
The Olympus E500 is hard to focus manually,
but it has a USB connection. Can I hook this
up to a computer for pinsharp manual
focusing?

Peter

I think Olympus Studio can provide for computerized focus control, but
I'm not 100% sure. You can ask he
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1022

"RichA" wrote in
message
oups.com...
On Jun 1, 8:52 pm, "Peter Jason"
wrote:
The Olympus E500 is hard to focus
manually,
but it has a USB connection. Can I hook
this
up to a computer for pinsharp manual
focusing?

Peter

I think Olympus Studio can provide for
computerized focus control, but
I'm not 100% sure. You can ask he
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1022

I do have the Olympus Studio but all I have
figured out so far is to able to set the AF &
MF settings via the computer. It doesn't
seem to do real-time focusing.

With all the testing I've done it is still
necessary to use focus bracketing for
absolute focusing. And this takes time and
memory.

If the coming E3 has real-time computer
focusing I'll buy it straight away, and also
a small laptop which will effectively
increase the viewfinder image area by several
orders of magnitude. Also, the computer can
brighten the enlarged viewfinder image in
gloomy conditions.

A camera with a high pixel sensor needs good
focusing to make use of all those pixels;
it's absolutely essential.

"Peter Jason" writes:

The Olympus E500 is hard to focus manually,
but it has a USB connection. Can I hook this
up to a computer for pinsharp manual
focusing?

There is Olympus Studio which allows computer controlled shooting, but I don't
think it provides an on screen image before focusing for the E-500 since the
sensor doesn't support continous reading. The newest Olympus cameras (E-330,
E-410, E-510) and the Panasonic L1 have Live View, which in manual focusing
mode can enlarge the image 7 or 10 times on the LCD screen (only 10 times for
the older E-330/L1). I'm just about to pick up my E-510 that I pre-ordered
some time ago, so US shipments are starting now.

--
Michael Meissner
email:
http://www.the-meissners.org

On 2007-06-01 20:52:52 -0400, "Peter Jason" said:

The Olympus E500 is hard to focus manually,
but it has a USB connection. Can I hook this
up to a computer for pinsharp manual
focusing?

Peter

I don't think any computer monitor is going to permit pin sharp
focusing, which is why I always opt for optical view finders.. much
sharper than any digital representation, My Apple Cinema Display is
sharp, but cant' hold a candle to the view finders in my Nikon SLR's or
DSLR's. Same reason I don't rely on the little screen on the back of
my DSLR to make critical judegments... just lets me know if I really
screwed up
the composition. No, you could not sell me a camera without and sharp
optical finder.


--
Jim

Jim wrote:
On 2007-06-01 20:52:52 -0400, "Peter Jason" said:

The Olympus E500 is hard to focus manually,
but it has a USB connection. Can I hook this
up to a computer for pinsharp manual
focusing?

I don't think any computer monitor is going to permit pin sharp
focusing, which is why I always opt for optical view finders.. much
sharper than any digital representation, My Apple Cinema Display is
sharp, but cant' hold a candle to the view finders in my Nikon SLR's or
DSLR's. Same reason I don't rely on the little screen on the back of my
DSLR to make critical judegments... just lets me know if I really
screwed up
the composition. No, you could not sell me a camera without and sharp
optical finder.

When I used remote control software on a Nikon D70, it activated the AF
by default. Convievably, newer software would let you adjust the active
AF point a little but I doubt much more is possible. EVF cameras allow
zooming in to foccus so that in itself is not a problem.

--
Paul Furman Photography
http://edgehill.net
Bay Natives Nursery
http://www.baynatives.com