Manual focusing and adapters

[tizeye]

Perhaps a newbie issue as switching from Nikon to Sony (a7rII) and think I have it set up correctly. Manual focus works fine with FE lens with the zooming assist. However, whenever I put the Nikon 70-300 + adapter (cheap Kiwi) on and attempt to manual focus, the zoom assist never activates. Is that 'normal' for the dumb tube manual adapters? As I look at forums, I don't see people complaining about the lack of feature when using 3rd party + manual adapters.  Will the electronic adapters - Sony and Metabones - pass a signal to activate when manual focusing or does everyone just guestimate on the non-enlarged viewfinder?  It is important as looking at lens in the 70+ range. Options are...
1. Keep the Nikon and wait for the Commlite electronic adapter, renting the FE70-200 as necessary (like in 2 weeks)
2. Expensive option - buy the FE70-200, and later the 70-400 + Sony adapter LA-3?? (or whatever new glass Sony announces in that range for FE)
3. Cheap option - buy the Tamron 70-300 in either Sony or Canon mounts with the LA-3 or Metabones which also opens up options for the long zooms where 300-400 gain may not justify the $2000 cost. Only reason considering Canon mount is the 'potential' for 5 axis stabilization with stabilization included in the lens where the Sony versions relied on in-body which presume would limit me to 3 axis.

[seb]

First: I only own adapters without any electronic in it. but without any connectors, isn't it obvious that the body don't recognize you are focusing. not?

with an electronic adapter it should pop up in MF while focusing (like on native lenses) as long as the adapted lens using the connectors of the adapter...

[Guest all8]

You can just assign MF Zoom to one of the custom buttons. That's what everyone does who is in this situation.

[JPR]

You can just assign MF Zoom to one of the custom buttons. That's what everyone does who is in this situation.

That only works if you photograph in jpg.

It´s amazing that a camera targeted to the Pro is so limited in software options.

[Guest all8]

That only works if you photograph in jpg.

Oh, really ... that's interesting, I should have noticed that one by now  

[mkg3]

Perhaps a newbie issue as switching from Nikon to Sony (a7rII) and think I have it set up correctly. Manual focus works fine with FE lens with the zooming assist. However, whenever I put the Nikon 70-300 + adapter (cheap Kiwi) on and attempt to manual focus, the zoom assist never activates. Is that 'normal' for the dumb tube manual adapters?...........

1. Keep the Nikon and wait for the Commlite electronic adapter, renting the FE70-200 as necessary (like in 2 weeks)....

 

I don't use zoom assist but do use peaking for MF.  And I simply optically zoom in to focus using peaking.

 

I am waiting for Commlite F to E adapter w/AF as shown at SAR. Did buy SEL70200G f/4 rather than wait for the adapter (I needed AF for sports and my AFD 80-200/2.8 is old anyway).  Great lens.

 

I'd like the AF adapter for my AFS 24-120 f/4 VRII Nikkor (but am using currently MF or with my Nikon) and probably will pickup  16-35 f/4 Z.  I like my zoom to overlap so the lens change is less.  If Commlite doesn't appear (or like capability), then I will have to find midrange zoom in a native E-mount.

 

For my all other Nikkors, AF would be nice but not a big deal since I can take time and focus whereas these above are be used most often with moving subjects.

[Trad]

Focus magnify is really the only way to achieve critical focus when using manual lenses using the A7ii or similar bodies. Peaking provides at best a rough guide to what "may" be in focus. You assign Focus magnifier to whichever button you prefer using Custom Key settings. My manual focus adapters do not have electrical contacts.

I use the Metabones mark4 smart adapter for EF to E. My manual focus Contax lenses all have adapters to Canon mount and thanks to the recent update to the A7ii firmware, my Canon EF lenses now autofocus and share the same mount as my manual focus lenses onto the Sony via the Metabones adapter which is always on the body. I do not have any Sony native lenses. Not sure how you might achieve the same convenience with Nikon, perhaps others can help out there.

[Golem]

You can just assign MF Zoom to one of the custom buttons.

That's what everyone does who is in this situation.

 

MF Zoom is incorrect jargon, and I'm not being

pointlessly picky here. The posts that follow yours

are misled by it and go off down the rabbit hole.

  

The correct Sony-Speak is "MF-Magnification" or

"MF-Assist", and it very surely DOES works when

shooting RAW. It is NOT limited to Jpeg-only.

 

The word "Zoom" used in a few subsequent posts

implies that some of those who replied there use  

 "Digital Zoom" to enlarge the image for focusing. 

  

That is a waaaay lousy approach. It doesn't offer

anywhere near the degree of magnification [10X]

for aid in focusing as you could enjoy when using

the proper MF-Magnification control. 

  

Digital Zoom, or Clear Image Zoom, or whatever

Sony is calling it lately, is no good for focusing. It's

just a form of in-camera cropping by ignoring the 

outer margins of the sensor and then filling up the

frame with the resulting lower resolution image.