Suggestions on focus

[Talie]

reading one of the other threads when mention was made of focusing reminded me that I haven't used my manual camera for a long time - the primary reason being I have vision problems and with or without my glasses I can't always tell if i'm in focus - it's really frustrating - just wondering if anyone has any tricks I could use to help me focus even if I can't see 100% if it's in focus or not?

 

[The_White]

Hmm, I dont know about your camera but my moms old one has a little circle in the middle which is divided by a line, either half the circle can shift up and down or change to black, you use that to test focus (when it is lined up and clear). It sounds annoying but the size of the circle makes it OK.

If it is harder to tell if you are in focus without galsses, you could always try placing them over the lens first?

 

[Deamiter]

A different diffraction plate could work well to help (as The_White suggested) but that's only if yours is removable. Your best bet, however, may be to learn to focus with your hands instead of just with your eye. Move the focusing ring back and forth until you can find where it just goes out of focus (to your eye) on both sides (both close and far). Then move the focusing ring half the distance from one to the other.

Of course it takes a lot of practice, and you'll have to deal with some frusteration as your hand learns to focus when your instinct is to do it 100% visually. After some time, professionals learn to do it right the first time (without having to twist back and forth) but it's really how you're going to have to focus whether you have perfect vision or not.

Since your eyes will see the object out of focus the same amount on both sides, you should be able to get very close. Good luck!

 

[michabo]

My eyes aren't great (though I don't have glasses) and this is what I do.

First, I use auto-focus lenses. I can generally tell when the camera is focused on the correct subject, so that works well. For my point-and-shoot, this works even better as I put the focus dot on the subject, depress the shutter half way, and then move the camera around to frame the picture as I wanted. Doesn't always work, but most of the time it does.

Second, some cameras have a dioptric adjustment knob, a small dial beside the eyepiece which will let you change the focus. Use your autofocus to focus in on a large, flat wall (so there's no doubt about what the subject is), and then play with the dioptric knob until your eyes agree. This is generally only available on manual focus cameras, but then these cameras require it as they aren't ment to be used as point-and-shoots.

 

[Southern Cross]

Sounds like you need a camera with a diopter adjustement or a replaceable diopter in the viewfinder.

Most newer SLR cameras have this, it's a little slide/click swtich next to the viewfinder that allows you to "tune" the viewfinder so that you don't need to wear glasses if you have "mild" vision problems.

Some manual and autofocus SLRs made by Nikon, Canon, and I think Pentax had replaceable lenses in the viewfinder that offered different diopter adjustments. I see them pop up on Ebay from time to time.

Your other option is to try to find a camera with a larger viewfinder, and autofocus with selectable AF points. If you see the little red square in the viewfinder lock onto your subject, you know it's in focus. Not every camera offers this, and it's a bit more complicated than my description on some cameras, but it works very well!