Manuel Focus

[jgonzalez1980]

I just recently purchased a Nikon 1.8 50mm lenses for my D60. Since, it doesn't support the autocues for the D60, I was curious to see if I can get any tips to help me get my focus right. To me it seems like there is a range of focus when every I do get my subject into focus, but upon review, the place I was thought I was focusing on is still out of focus and some other point close to where I wanted to focus is sharp. I'm a manual focus newbbie, and I know it will take time for me to learn the lens and steady my hand. So any help on what to look for, would be greatly appreciated.

[Ray Dockrey]

I tried this same lens on my D40x and I didn't have the patience to try and manual focus it. I ended up finding a D200 used for a great price and it will auto focus with this lens. But to your question. The focus beep doesn't work but the green dot inside the viewer will so when that green dot lights up it is in focus. Also, if you have the lens wide open you may be seeing a shallow depth of field and not a focus issue. The other alternative is the 35mm AF-S lens that is very popular. It will auto focus on the D60, is closer to a true 50mm due to the crop factor, and can be had for around $200 which is a bargain. I also have it and it is quite the lens for the price.

[wulf]

The green focus blob is a useful indicator. If you aren't working with razor-thin DoF (aperture wide open and subject very close) not shooting at too slow a speed (and getting handshake blur) then you may find that it often lets you lock in focus as quickly as autofocus would (although it won't help with tracking moving objects so much).

Wulf

[kencaleno]

Have you set your dioptre?

Like this: ?

Detach lens, (so you are adjusting focus on focus point, not image) - adjust dioptre (next to viewfinder) so focus points are sharply in focus. (easier against a white, or light background) Re-attach lens.

Ken

[inkista]

Not for the faint of heart or thin of pocketbook, but another possibility is to swap out the camera's focus screen for one with manual focusing aids. There are a lot of drawbacks to this (not the least of which is possibly damaging your camera and/or focus screen and funky metering issues), but it's out there as a possibility. Haoda and Katzeye both make split-circle/prism-collar focus screens for most popular dSLR models, and there are a ton to be found on eBay. This article is a good illustration of how these types of focus screens can help you focus more accurately, and what the drawbacks of using one are.

One of the main reasons I enjoy shooting with manual focus lenses on my Canon 50D is that it's easy to change the focus screen, and I can swap one in or out in just a few seconds. Most camera models don't have a little hinged-door slot for the focus screen, but hold it in place with a spring-loaded clip that can be very fiddly to remove/replace.

[dcclark]

Your D60 has a cool feature. It has not only the green focus blob that wulf mentioned, but an even more precise focus indicator. When you're in manual focus mode, the exposure indicator bar (looks like |..|..0..|..| in the camera) turns into a focus fine-tuning indicator. As you focus, you'll see bars go back and forth. Your goal is to get them to 0 (when the focus dot will light up, as mentioned above).

I'm not sure if this is a setting you have to adjust, but I'm pretty sure it just works that way out of the box. You'll have to be turning the lens's focus ring to see any change, of course -- otherwise the exposure bar stays as an exposure bar.

[jgonzalez1980]

Thanks for the tips, I've playing around with it the past couple of days and I feel my focus is getting better and quicker. I really haven't had time to shoot outside yet, so everything I've taken has been indoors. Its been hit and miss, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. It sure does make taking pictures a little more difficult, but at the same fun because I actully have to work on getting my image right.