another basic lens question (sorry!) at DVinfo.net

Manus Sweeney · October 6th, 2009, 04:29 PM

As someone whos never shot with an interchangeable lens camera, im thinking about the 7d.. i have several old nikkor lenses, zooms and primes..
i know many people say its better to work with manual focus so its no problem using non canon lenses but i'm wondering as a workflow, isn't it much easier to have the function, before recording to quickly autofocus the subject as a reference?
for this reason i was thinking of picking up one of the slower kit lenses (EF-S 18-135 3,5-5,6 IS?) to use for a standard lens and the nikkors when i want more control over dof..
would this make sense? would there be a better AF lens (on quite a tight budget), or do you think i would be ok with just the nikkors?
Thanks!

Daniel Browning · October 6th, 2009, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manus Sweeney

...isn't it much easier to have the function, before recording to quickly autofocus the subject as a reference?

For fast paced shooting like event video, yes, it is convenient.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manus Sweeney

do you think i would be ok with just the nikkors?

I think you would be OK. One of the nice advantages of the Canon lenses is the automatic vignetting correction.

Manus Sweeney · October 7th, 2009, 06:21 AM

thanks.. i also see that there are nikkon to eos adapters with an option for 'focus confirmation'.. does anyone have experience with these, do you think they would actually work with a 7d and do you think this would be in any way a compromise between fully manual and AF?

http://haodascreen.com/Nikon.aspx

Kin Lau · October 7th, 2009, 11:15 AM

AF confirmation doesn't work in video mode. It's for manual focus when shooting stills, by letting the AF system confirm that the subject is in focus. Similar to how it would work with MF Nikkors on a F4 or F5.

I have a M42 adapter with AF confirm, and I rarely use/count on it. I prefer a split-prism, or in the case of the 7D live-view/movie mode... you can zoom in 10x _before_ you start recording, but it goes back to 100% when recording starts.

For stills, the VF on the 7D is very good. It's only slightly smaller than my full-frame 1Ds.

October 6th, 2009, 04:29 PM	#1
Manus Sweeney Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, NL Posts: 217	another basic lens question (sorry!) As someone whos never shot with an interchangeable lens camera, im thinking about the 7d.. i have several old nikkor lenses, zooms and primes.. i know many people say its better to work with manual focus so its no problem using non canon lenses but i'm wondering as a workflow, isn't it much easier to have the function, before recording to quickly autofocus the subject as a reference? for this reason i was thinking of picking up one of the slower kit lenses (EF-S 18-135 3,5-5,6 IS?) to use for a standard lens and the nikkors when i want more control over dof.. would this make sense? would there be a better AF lens (on quite a tight budget), or do you think i would be ok with just the nikkors? Thanks!

October 7th, 2009, 06:21 AM	#3
Manus Sweeney Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, NL Posts: 217	thanks.. i also see that there are nikkon to eos adapters with an option for 'focus confirmation'.. does anyone have experience with these, do you think they would actually work with a 7d and do you think this would be in any way a compromise between fully manual and AF? http://haodascreen.com/Nikon.aspx

October 7th, 2009, 11:15 AM	#4
Kin Lau Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ottawa, ON Posts: 385	AF confirmation doesn't work in video mode. It's for manual focus when shooting stills, by letting the AF system confirm that the subject is in focus. Similar to how it would work with MF Nikkors on a F4 or F5. I have a M42 adapter with AF confirm, and I rarely use/count on it. I prefer a split-prism, or in the case of the 7D live-view/movie mode... you can zoom in 10x _before_ you start recording, but it goes back to 100% when recording starts. For stills, the VF on the 7D is very good. It's only slightly smaller than my full-frame 1Ds.