Some more birds using the canon fd 400 f4.5

[brian1208]

I reset the dioptre adjustment on the EM-5 and found that I had been using it slightly out of focus, which of course had been throwing the focus point of the 400 f4.5 off.

These three were shot through the usual conservatory window whilst having coffee, all hand-held and ISO400 with f8 and shutter speeds from 1/800th to 1/1600th

Dunnock at about 15ft




Bluetit at approx 40ft



Chiffchaff in my neighbour's garden at about 50 ft



Its a bit of a lump but I'm beginning to enjoy using this old lens

[David Morison]

Re: Some more birds using the canon fd 400 f4.5

Nice shots, really pleased hat there are still a few of us that enjoy MF on long legacy lenses.

David

[brian1208]

Re: Some more birds using the canon fd 400 f4.5

thanks David, yes there is something very satisfying about picking up a decent long lens very cheaply and learning to get decent images from it (mind you, a good image quality, reasonably cheap 400mm prime m4/3rds lens at f4.5 ,with AF would be nice too )

[Greytop]

Re: Some more birds using the canon fd 400 f4.5

Very nice job Brian, I particularly like the Dunnock.
Looks to be a fine lens you've got there.

[Bikie John]

Re: Some more birds using the canon fd 400 f4.5

I reset the dioptre adjustment on the EM-5 and found that I had been using it slightly out of focus, which of course had been throwing the focus point of the 400 f4.5 off.

Could you elaborate on this please Brian? I can understand that having the dioptre setting out of kilter would make it harder to focus, but it shouldn't produce errors. You are looking at an image on a screen, so if you have the compensation wrong all that happens is that it is harder to see when the screen is at its sharpest - it should not lead you to focus on a different point. It would be a different matter if you were trying to focus on an aerial image, like in a telescope.

I wish the dioptre dial had some numbers marked on it. I have to change it depending on the weather - if it's raining I wear contact lenses which are a different strength from the specs and it would make life easier if I knew I had to set it to (say) 3 with specs and 5 with contacts rather than fumbling around each time.

John

[brian1208]

Re: Some more birds using the canon fd 400 f4.5

I am short sighted so if the dioptre adjustment in my EVF is not correctly adjusted I will see an image apparently in focus when it is not (being front or back focused depending on how the dioptre adjustment is out).

For AF this is irrelevant but when in MF I am relying on the EVF to determine when the image is in focus, hence a wrongly set Dioptre will result in a wrongly focused image

[Bikie John]

Re: Some more birds using the canon fd 400 f4.5

I understand what you mean about being short sighted. However I don't see how it would cause you focus wrongly in a system like the E-M*. There is a real image on a screen, either on the back of the camera or inside if you are using the EVF, and it is at its sharpest when the image is in focus. This is completely independent of any dioptre adjustment. If you have the adjustment wrong, all it means is that its peak sharpness is not as sharp as it should be. It will be harder to see but will still be in the same place. In other words it is harder to get right, but should not mislead you into getting it wrong.

It would be a different story if you were focussing on an aerial image. For example the OM series had some clear focussing screens which were recommended (I think) when using long lenses in poor light. You had to learn the technique of focussing your eyes on some marks on the screen, then adjusting the lens so that its aerial virtual image was sharp at the same time. In this case having the dioptre adjustment wrong could lead you astray more easily.

I don't want to contradict your real-life experience, I am just trying to understand how it works

John

[brian1208]

Re: Some more birds using the canon fd 400 f4.5

Diopter Adjustment

Before moving on to the various autofocus modes I should address the focusing screen. You will notice that the image is focused at the focusing screen. This is also where the digital display for the camera meter and other numerical information is projected. If the focusing screen is not in focus thru the eyepiece you will have difficulty in getting accurate manual focus, but it will not affect autofocus. To focus the screen thru the eyepiece you need to adjust the diopter setting.

from here

http://www.photographic-academy.com/camera-basics/84-camera-basics/97-2-focusing

and

http://www.olympusamerica.com/crm/oneoffpages/ask_oly/crm_e_ask_oly_09_08.asp

and

So what happens if you don’t adjust your diopter? Well, if you are shooting on Manual focus then all of your photos, yes all of your photos, will be blurry

from here

http://scottwyden.com/what-the-camera-diopter-is-and-why-use-it/

(hopefully these will explain it better than I could, I just do it )

[RogerRamjet]

Re: Some more birds using the canon fd 400 f4.5

I think I am with you Bikie John on this - setting the dioptre on the viewfinder to suit a user will enable the user to see more easily whether the image on the focusing screen/EVF is in focus or not. But you cannot bring an out of focus image on the screen into focus by adjusting the dioptre setting (you would need an unsharp mask setting or something to do that). An object at 10 yards is in focus when the lens is set to the 10 yard focus point regardless of who is using the camera or what eyesight corrections they require.

That said - the 400mm looks like a nice sharp piece of glass!

[brian1208]

Re: Some more birds using the canon fd 400 f4.5

Oh well, maybe it was just better focused because I could see what I was doing?

(as I said, I just do what works but the articles I referenced suggested that the dioptre setting was doing more than that - who cares so long as I get sharp pics when I manual focus )