Stupidest, most overpriced, most poorly executed camera in the last two years

On 5/17/2013 5:49 AM, Neil Ellwood wrote:
On Thu, 16 May 2013 09:52:04 -0400, nospam wrote:

In article , Neil Ellwood
wrote:

I took the plunge about 2 months ago and bought An EOS 60d (my 350d is
rather old and the batteries are on the blink.

Because the 60d has interchangeable focusing screen I also invested in
a Katzeye rangefinder screen. Even at my age (80) it was easy to change
and went in centrally first time.

I have an old 500mm mirror lens and could even focus that using the
main body of the focusing screen.

why not use the camera's focus confirmation?

You didn't actually read , did you?

The lens is OLD and only has manual focusing. No focus confirmation in the
camera because of that.

Some cameras have focus confirmation with old lenses. noapam assumes all
cameras do. Yours obviously doesn't, but you knew that going in. Enjoy it.



--
PeterN

On 5/17/2013 11:39 AM, Savageduck wrote:
On 2013-05-17 03:02:12 -0700, Whisky-dave said:

On Friday, May 17, 2013 5:46:31 AM UTC+1, nospam wrote:
In article , Eric Stevens

Le Snip

it's hard to focus if you keep moving the camera around, and in some
cases, it will change the focus.

On most DSLRs, including the D300s both of us use, have a little button
labeled "AF lock".

Which is a pain if your subject actually moves quickely.

My D300S has "CF" mode or constant focus, a menu setting for "Focus
tracking with lock on", "Dynamic AF area"; 3D Tracking, all of these
features have proven to be very useful for me at sporting events, motor
sport events, and air shows.

I have not yet learned how to use those features, in my camera.


--
PeterN

On 5/17/2013 8:38 AM, nospam wrote:
In article ,
Whisky-dave wrote:

And no LCD lets you focus with the accuracy of the old ground-glass
view finders in the SLR of 15 or more years ago. Neither can a DSLR
offer the same certainty.

oh yes they can, with focus confirmation,

... confirming focus on what?

whatever you want.

I thought it was what the camera was currently aimed at.

it's whatever is at the selected focus point(s).

... while all the time you are trying to frame the image as well as
focus.

it's hard to focus if you keep moving the camera around, and in some
cases, it will change the focus.

Which is a pain if your subject actually moves quickely.

that's why autofocus works better. the camera is faster than a human
and can track moving subjects, even while you fire off multiple shots.


Depends on the lens. e.g. the original Nikon 80-400. If you don't
believe me, who owned one, read the reviews. Some lenses focus faster
than others.


--
PeterN

On 2013-05-17 09:14:53 -0700, PeterN said:

On 5/17/2013 11:39 AM, Savageduck wrote:
On 2013-05-17 03:02:12 -0700, Whisky-dave said:

On Friday, May 17, 2013 5:46:31 AM UTC+1, nospam wrote:
In article , Eric Stevens

Le Snip

it's hard to focus if you keep moving the camera around, and in some
cases, it will change the focus.

On most DSLRs, including the D300s both of us use, have a little button
labeled "AF lock".

Which is a pain if your subject actually moves quickely.

My D300S has "CF" mode or constant focus, a menu setting for "Focus
tracking with lock on", "Dynamic AF area"; 3D Tracking, all of these
features have proven to be very useful for me at sporting events, motor
sport events, and air shows.

I have not yet learned how to use those features, in my camera.

With the focus mode switch on the front of the D300 you can select from
"S", "M", or "C".

In the custom setting menu go to a3 Dynamic AF area and select "3D 51
points (3D-tracking).
Using this can be a bit disconcerting at first as the active FP seems
to jump all over the place especially when you are tracking or panning
with a moving target. For example at an airshow when a plane is making
a low fast pass at several 100 MPH shooting with AF "S" mode and using
a single FP, making a good, focused capture with a high shutter speed
pan is very difficult to achieve. Using AF "C" mode and 3D-tracking, as
you pan the AF point is jumping all over the tracked target, and one
might think "WTF is this damn camera doing?". What it is doing is what
is very difficult for even the best of us to do with standard settings.
It allows me to get airshow shots such as this:
http://db.tt/B1Q9fEoI

--
Regards,

Savageduck

On 5/17/2013 12:36 PM, Savageduck wrote:
On 2013-05-17 09:14:53 -0700, PeterN said:

On 5/17/2013 11:39 AM, Savageduck wrote:
On 2013-05-17 03:02:12 -0700, Whisky-dave said:

On Friday, May 17, 2013 5:46:31 AM UTC+1, nospam wrote:
In article , Eric Stevens

Le Snip

it's hard to focus if you keep moving the camera around, and in some
cases, it will change the focus.

On most DSLRs, including the D300s both of us use, have a little button
labeled "AF lock".

Which is a pain if your subject actually moves quickely.

My D300S has "CF" mode or constant focus, a menu setting for "Focus
tracking with lock on", "Dynamic AF area"; 3D Tracking, all of these
features have proven to be very useful for me at sporting events, motor
sport events, and air shows.

I have not yet learned how to use those features, in my camera.

With the focus mode switch on the front of the D300 you can select from
"S", "M", or "C".

In the custom setting menu go to a3 Dynamic AF area and select "3D 51
points (3D-tracking).
Using this can be a bit disconcerting at first as the active FP seems to
jump all over the place especially when you are tracking or panning with
a moving target. For example at an airshow when a plane is making a low
fast pass at several 100 MPH shooting with AF "S" mode and using a
single FP, making a good, focused capture with a high shutter speed pan
is very difficult to achieve. Using AF "C" mode and 3D-tracking, as you
pan the AF point is jumping all over the tracked target, and one might
think "WTF is this damn camera doing?". What it is doing is what is very
difficult for even the best of us to do with standard settings. It
allows me to get airshow shots such as this:
http://db.tt/B1Q9fEoI


Although the settings on my camera are slightly different, I know the
physical settings. My lack of understanding is when and how to use them.
Something that can only come with practice. For example: Yesterday I
spent several hours learning how to use multiple exposure to obtain the
effects I was looking for. While I have not perfected the technique, I
am starting to understand the principles. Many of the features take time
and understanding.

--
PeterN

In article ,
Neil Ellwood wrote:

I have an old 500mm mirror lens and could even focus that using the
main body of the focusing screen.

why not use the camera's focus confirmation?

You didn't actually read , did you?

The lens is OLD and only has manual focusing. No focus confirmation in the
camera because of that.

Neil-

Back in the days of the split-image focusing aid, it did not work for
lenses with a small aperture. Somewhere around f/8, one half of the
split image would be black.

I understand modern autofocus systems, including focus confirmation, are
also limited by the lens' maximum f/stop. What is the f/stop of your
500mm mirror lens?

Fred

In article , PeterN
wrote:

I took the plunge about 2 months ago and bought An EOS 60d (my 350d is
rather old and the batteries are on the blink.

Because the 60d has interchangeable focusing screen I also invested in
a Katzeye rangefinder screen. Even at my age (80) it was easy to change
and went in centrally first time.

I have an old 500mm mirror lens and could even focus that using the
main body of the focusing screen.

why not use the camera's focus confirmation?

You didn't actually read , did you?

The lens is OLD and only has manual focusing. No focus confirmation in the
camera because of that.

Some cameras have focus confirmation with old lenses. noapam assumes all
cameras do. Yours obviously doesn't, but you knew that going in. Enjoy it.

i didn't say all cameras did, and that's not what he said anyway.

old lenses is not what defines whether or not there's focus
confirmation.

In article , PeterN
wrote:

... while all the time you are trying to frame the image as well as
focus.

it's hard to focus if you keep moving the camera around, and in some
cases, it will change the focus.

Which is a pain if your subject actually moves quickely.

that's why autofocus works better. the camera is faster than a human
and can track moving subjects, even while you fire off multiple shots.

Depends on the lens. e.g. the original Nikon 80-400. If you don't
believe me, who owned one, read the reviews. Some lenses focus faster
than others.

although the 80-400 is not that fast, the camera is still going to be
able to track a moving subject faster than you can. it only needs to
make very minor adjustments to the focus, not rack the entire focus
movement.

In article ,
Whisky-dave wrote:

... confirming focus on what?

whatever you want.

I thought it was what the camera was currently aimed at.

it's whatever is at the selected focus point(s).

Which isn't always where you want the focus point to be, hopefully it's in
the middle, which is where most shots need to be sharp.

which is why there are multiple focus points, or you position the
camera so that one (or more) is on the subject, although that may not
always work (and wouldn't with manual focus either).

it's hard to focus if you keep moving the camera around, and in some
cases, it will change the focus.

Which is a pain if your subject actually moves quickely.

that's why autofocus works better. the camera is faster than a human

and can track moving subjects, even while you fire off multiple shots.

it isn;t it's making adjustments faster but if you're follwong a car or
sportsperson its handy not to have it re-aadjust.

lock it or set it to not auto-track. it's up to the user.

One of my fists spoerts was taking photos of power boat racing, I used a
135mm (35mm camera) hand held and adjusted the focus, and as the boat came
into focus clicked. If I'd had the focus constantly changing it's put me off.

you did that only because there was no other option.

But as you say digital is better because now I can set up a 4k camera on video
and ****ed off to the pub in stead of standing there taking photos, come back
an hour later with a HD movie that I can take frame from as still.
The olny thing that'd be blurry would be me :-)

i didn't say that at all.

it's no different than putting the split-image or microprism part of a
focusing screen on your target and focusing, except for being less
accurate than had you used focus confirmation.

When I did that the lens remained at the same focus until I changed it,
it didn't vary depending on what the camera was pointing at.

it still does. autofocus doesn't mean continuous focus, unless you want
that functionality.

True but you need to decide which is best on a shot basis and re-set the
camera accordingly. manually you do what feels correct at the time.

with manual focus, you don't have the choice. it's made for you.

I used to use my eye for focus confirmation, those were the days

only because there was no other option. now there is.

There was always fixed focus lenses where 'everything' was in 'focus'
Then again we oonly used top have optical viewfinders it seems peole still
want such things though I wonder why .

you can still set a lens to its hyperfocal distance.

In article 2013051708392977633-savageduck1@REMOVESPAMmecom,
Savageduck wrote:

it's hard to focus if you keep moving the camera around, and in some
cases, it will change the focus.

On most DSLRs, including the D300s both of us use, have a little button
labeled "AF lock".

or just half-press, but that's not the issue.

aiming the camera, focusing and then recomposing can cause focus errors
in some situations.

http://www.visual-vacations.com/Photography/focus-recompose_sucks.htm

http://digital-photography-school.co...e-focus-recomp
ose-method

Which is a pain if your subject actually moves quickely.

My D300S has "CF" mode or constant focus, a menu setting for "Focus
tracking with lock on", "Dynamic AF area"; 3D Tracking, all of these
features have proven to be very useful for me at sporting events, motor
sport events, and air shows.

none of that will work with a manual focus lens, which was the original
issue.