SLR Lenses & Focusing Tabs

[allen_a_george]

For various reasons I've been using a range of SLRS recently, both film & digital. One thing I really miss with these cameras is the focus tab on the lens. Having a focus tab really speeds up MF and with practice you can focus by feel . . . which brings me to my question: "Why don't SLR lenses - even the old MF ones - have focus tabs?"

 

[mooge]

cause they're usually big and fat... I borrowed a Leica with a 35 f/2- that lens needs a tab because it's very thin and there's no real place to grab it with.

and placement as well- it's body, aperture, focus on SLRs, as opposed to body, focus, aperture on RF lenses. I grip the side bottom of the camera when I use a tab...

or something like that.

 

[allen_a_george]

On Canon L lenses at least, the focus ring turns continuously . . .

On the Nikon AF models as well - but surely this isn't the case for the pure MF ones?

 

[mwooten]

And you can mostly tell with SLR's when your finger is in front of the lens.

 

[ZeissFan]

Focusing tabs -- ugh.

If it must have a tab, I'd rather it also have a focusing ring to give you an option to not use it.

The Carl Zeiss lenses for the Contarex had two lobes, while its ZM lenses have one.

 

[Ronald M]

tie wrap or worm gear clam.

 

[peter_n]

Older lenses of any type probably don't have tabs because they generally have longer focus throws than the more modern lenses. Modern lenses of longer focal length (>=75mm) also don't have tabs.

 

[David R Munson]

Sorry to piggy-back, but it's related. Does anyone know of any sort of add-on focusing tab one can add to a lens? Or, rather, one of the focusing handles or whatever they're called that I know you could get for Bronic and Hasselblad lenses at very least. I shoot a lot with a Mamiya 645 with the 80mm f/1.9 and that lens focuses very smoothly, but it's a little on the stiff side so quick focusing while doing portraits on a tripod can be a challenge. I was thinking some kind of tab or handle or something that could give me a little more leverage might help. Mamiya never made them, though (as far as I can tell) so I'm looking for adaptive solutions.

As for the OP question, I think Peter got it right with the longer focus throw.