Sony NEX-5: MF magnification doesn't work with peaking?

[Poki]

Hi all,

there's one thing that I find very disgusting with my NEX-5: You can set the manual focus magnification just from "Off" to "2 sec", "5 sec" and "Forever" - or however they call it on the english NEX. So if you set the lower soft key to MF magnification and have turned it "Off", it doesn't work. But if you set it to one of the other settings, it magnifies as soon as you operate the focus ring. But that's not what I'm intended to - I just want to magnify after I got the focus in peaking mode about right ...

In the NEX-5N there's a menu option where you just can set it to "On" and "Off", and another where you CAN set the time, but don't have to. Is there any way to do so on the NEX-5?

Thanks for your help!

Poki

 

[C Wadsworth]

That is odd. I recall peaking worked just fine in MF assist mode on the original 3 -can't imagine why it wouldn't on the 5.

 

[neodraig]

Peaking mode is working great with manual lenses but with E-mount lenses it's not so good.

I tried on both my "old" NEX-5 and my new NEX-5N, and they both have the same "problem": as soon you turn the focussing ring the display enlarges and make the peaking function useless and there's no way to disable that behaviour, that sucks!

 

[Janis]

It works for me.

On my NEX5n I don't have any buttons set for MF, but I do have focus assist turned on in the menu for two seconds. I just tried it with the kit zoom and it worked fine with peaking. I press the shutter halfway and turn the focus ring and I get the enlarged view with peaking as long as I am in good light. Peaking never works well for me in poor light, with or without Focus Assist. I don't remember this being different on the NEX 5.

 

[neodraig]

The main interest of the peaking is not having to enlarge the view to focus.
The fact that the view enlarges as soon you touch the focussing ring sucks and there's no way to deactivate that behaviour.

 

[Janis]

Wrong. You deactivate the enlarged view by turning off Focus Assist in the Menu. Kindly learn how to use the camera before you make misleading statements in a public forum.

 

[neodraig]

You obviously never use manual focussing.

There are times when the peaking mode isn't precise enough or won't work because there isn't enough contrast in the scene and you need the manual focus assistance to enlarge the screen to focus properly. If you turn off the MF assist in the settings you won't be able to use it at all, even when it's necessary in those moments.

So YOU are the one who should learn how to use your camera.

 

[Travisennis]

Janis and neodraig, we are all here to learn from each other. If you feel like you could help someone better understand something, then try to be polite about it as you explain it. There is no need to be rude. We are all here to share in our hobby and hopefully get better as photographers together.

 

[heatherthevet]

I use the peaking to get close then use the 7X magnification or 14X if needs be, is that not what you want?

 

[Poki]

Thanks, neodraig. You seem to be the only one who got my point.

To the rest: I want to set the focus in about the right position with peaking mode, and activate the MF magnification AFTER that. That's not possible with the NEX-5, and, according to neodraig, it's also not with the 5N. Would be a helpful feature - at least for me.

Thanks everybody! Now at least I know it's not my fault.

Poki

Edit: @heatherthevet: Yeah, that's it. But do you use a NEX-5N? Like I said I saw a "On" - "Off" Switch in the Software of the NEX-5N in a video preview, but the button doesn't exist on my NEX-5 - there's just a button with "Off" and several time settings, where the peaking function turns useless.

 

[heatherthevet]

I use the bog standard NEX with other lenses. Once I'm done with the peaking bit I hit the button at the bottom right to get 7x image, and scroll to get the bit of the picture I want, then do my fine tuning. Hitting the same button again gives me 14x. Then a half press on the shutter bring it back to full size, click, one marvellous picture to wow all my friends at TalkNEX.

I'm not sure if it will do that with the E mount lenses or not, there must be a way to ask it nicely.

 

[Poki]

Thanks again for your explanation. But once again: Which NEX do you have? On the 5N I saw a special option for that, so I'm not sure if the problem are the E-Mount-lenses or the NEX-camera.

 

[heatherthevet]

Nex-5

 

[Poki]

Okay, that said the problem are probably the E-Mount lenses. Nice to know.

 

[neodraig]

I use the bog standard NEX with other lenses. Once I'm done with the peaking bit I hit the button at the bottom right to get 7x image, and scroll to get the bit of the picture I want, then do my fine tuning. Hitting the same button again gives me 14x. Then a half press on the shutter bring it back to full size, click, one marvellous picture to wow all my friends at TalkNEX.

That's exactly how I use my NEX-5N (and how I used my NEX-5) but with legacy lenses.
You can't do that with E-mount lenses because as soon you touch the focussing ring the screen enlarges, defeating the purpose of the peaking mode.

@Poki
What option on the NEX-5N are you talking about?
I found that the settings for the manual focus assitance were the same in the NEX-5 and the NEX-5N, and if you turn it off you won't be able to use it at all even if you set MF assist as a short cut.

But maybe I haven't understood really well, my English isn't as good as I would wish.

 

[Poki]

Hmm... strange it's different with E-Mount lenses ...

The option I'm talking about is a dedicated "On" - "Off" switch in the 5N-preferences, which isn't available at my NEX-5. But I saw it in a preview video, so possibly they changed this in the final version. On the NEX-5, theres just one setting where you can turn it "Off" or set a time. I'm happy to hear that it works for legacy lenses which I'm going to buy as soon as I have money left.

@neodraig: Your english is perfectly fine. Mine also isn't perfect - especially when it comes to grammar - but I think everybody can understand me, and of course you too.

 

[heatherthevet]

The great thing about the adapter ring + lens of all sorts method is that they are sooooo much cheaper! I bought 2 of my favourite, just in case one gets damaged, and at £15 a go it doesn't break the bank. I don't even have the 18-55 as I haven't been able to justify the cost to myself. And of course you can get such a variety of lens types.

But for me, it's an odd mental thing about feeling like i'm "doing" photography properly. If I just point the camera at something and it autofocuses and takes the picture, I feel like a glorified tripod. I got an awesome camera so I could learn how to do stuff. I'm not learning very much if I let the camera do it all for me.

I know I'm mental. I'm cool with that.