Nokton48
Veteran
I use these short Imagons by Rodenstock (120mm/150mm) mostly on medium format, but I do have a focusing helical for 35mm use. By adding a Minolta SRT T-Adapter, and a SRT/Nex Adapter, I'm shooting my short Imagons on the Nex-3!
Here is the setup with the two short Imagons, and here is a Nex-3 shot that shows the characteristic "Imagon Glow", yet the details are still razor sharp in the lower values. You can't get the same effect with a Zeiss Softar, or whatever, it's not the same at all. The Imagon uses snap-in stops, with concentric holes around a central large stop. By opening and closing the "petals" on the stop, you set different "H-Stop" values for the lens. This lens does not use F/Stops.
Here is the setup, and also, a shot with the 150mm Imagon Cell and H/5.8 disc setting, on the Nex-3, at ISO 1600. Notice the characteristic "Imagon Glow".
Here is the setup with the two short Imagons, and here is a Nex-3 shot that shows the characteristic "Imagon Glow", yet the details are still razor sharp in the lower values. You can't get the same effect with a Zeiss Softar, or whatever, it's not the same at all. The Imagon uses snap-in stops, with concentric holes around a central large stop. By opening and closing the "petals" on the stop, you set different "H-Stop" values for the lens. This lens does not use F/Stops.
Here is the setup, and also, a shot with the 150mm Imagon Cell and H/5.8 disc setting, on the Nex-3, at ISO 1600. Notice the characteristic "Imagon Glow".
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douglasf13
Well-known
Cool!
As for peaking, I think you just need to master it. If you look closely, you can see when the subject you're focusing on is at its "red-ist"(or whichever color you use.) When you focus, allow the red to well up in whatever you're focusing on, and, when the red starts to diminish, pull back to the peak of the "red-ness." Don't let the surrounding "red-ness" on other parts of the image distract, and only pay attention to your subject's redness.
I must say, I was a little concerned the first day with peaking, but, now that I've had a chance to walk around and practice, this is as accurate and maybe even as quick as any other manual focus situation I've used with any system. Brilliant.
As for peaking, I think you just need to master it. If you look closely, you can see when the subject you're focusing on is at its "red-ist"(or whichever color you use.) When you focus, allow the red to well up in whatever you're focusing on, and, when the red starts to diminish, pull back to the peak of the "red-ness." Don't let the surrounding "red-ness" on other parts of the image distract, and only pay attention to your subject's redness.
I must say, I was a little concerned the first day with peaking, but, now that I've had a chance to walk around and practice, this is as accurate and maybe even as quick as any other manual focus situation I've used with any system. Brilliant.
Bugleone
Established
The peaking is a waste of time to download and annoying to use,..also inaccurate. It works a little with long focus lenses but where you really want it, ie with wides where focus can be a tad difficult, it's less than useless. Fortunately the 7x & 14x works quite well. Also it's not possible to engage peaking at will,..it's either 'on' or 'off' and you need recourse to menus to do so. It might be more useful if you could use it via the customised buttons but that seems not to be possible. All over the web people are raving about how brilliant the peaking is but I can't see it myself. I was hoping that the peaking would be an 'electronic depth of field' indicator but sadly no,....Sony don't seem to think that DOP is very important,..they'r emore interested in stupidities like the 'smile shutter'....
....I like my new NEX 3 tho'.......it has the makings of an excellent camera!
....I like my new NEX 3 tho'.......it has the makings of an excellent camera!
Nokton48
Veteran
Here's Another, Switching to 120mm Imagon
Here's Another, Switching to 120mm Imagon
Notice how the only the high values "glow". That is the characteristic Imagon effect. The lower values are sharp as a tack. With a soft filter, the low values would look like "mush".
Here's Another, Switching to 120mm Imagon
Notice how the only the high values "glow". That is the characteristic Imagon effect. The lower values are sharp as a tack. With a soft filter, the low values would look like "mush".
douglasf13
Well-known
Wow, I think you must be doing something wrong. I'm nailing wide open 35mm 1.4 lenses easily with focus peaking. I've got Hasselblads, Leicaflex SLs, Sony A900, etc, and manual focusing with this little camera is now just about as easy or easier than any other camera I've used.