two questions re: manual focus and viewfinder

[adityasoman]

I'm looking and I can't find a way to punch in and focus.

Hmm..needed to be more precise

When in live view you see a square..when u press the + button..u start zooming in
Aim that where u want the focus to be sharp..like first get the red square there thru the 4 way key..and then use + (same one which u use in playback to zoom in)..and then half press the shutter to get it in perfect focus or u can manually adjust the lens..depends on you


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[WayneF]

Exposure compensation doesn't affect the metering in manual Wayne. I took two shots with identical settings besides 0EV and +5EV and they both are identical. I guess the fact I can set the compensation on the D750 is something they didn't bother changing. On the D3300 it's disabled once I go manual so I had hope on the D750 I could affect the metering somehow in manual but alas.

I guess those two lines of code less saved them another 5 cent.

Sorry, but I think you are not understanding yet.

Exposure compensation cannot reach out and change the aperture or shutter that you set. Manual means manual, what you set.

So Yes, the two resulting manual exposures will use the same settings and will look the same.

However, Exposure compensation still absolutely does change the light meter you see in the viewfinder or top LCD of the camera. Each little tick mark there is 1/3 stop. Manual settings do not use that light meter, manual is what you set instead. The light meter reads the light, and the manual camera settings determine the exposure you use.

You can tweak the manual settings, adjusting them to zero the meter manually, which is what camera A, S, P modes do automatically. Compensation will affect the meter, and therefore their final result.

Or, if Auto ISO is on, ISO will tweak your manual exposure result automatically (automated exposure), but it cannot reach out and change your manual settings. If a sports photographer is dead certain he must use 1/500 second /f5.6, he can do it in Manual, and then Auto ISO makes the exposure correct (if it has range to do it). Likewise, TTL flash is still automatic flash in camera Manual mode.



D3300 reference manual, page 118:

In Manual mode M, Exposure Compensation affects only the exposure indicator (the visible meter).

This is just how it is, and has always been. Manual is Manual, but Manual does not use the meter.

 

[J-see]

Yeah the lightmeter does nothing that affects data.

I incorrectly assumed it did. I remember testing it with the D3300 and when normalizing two different exposures, the images were not identical. That was only possible if the lightmeter somehow affected the to be stored values of each pixel. This annoyed me greatly since I didn't see the logic in it. When retesting today with the D750 the shots turned out to be identical so I retested the D3300 too and apparently I messed up my first test and incorrectly assumed the lightmeter these days did more than it actually does.

Turns out it does exactly the same thing it did when handheld and only is of use in any mode where it needs to set or suggests the aperture or shutter value (or ISO). But once in manual the meter is of no importance. It also becomes irrelevant the moment I hit a limit whether that is aperture or shutter.

All in all it's a good thing it doesn't do anything but for night shots it would've been handy. The only thing I now can do to get more light when at my 30 seconds is opening the lens more or manually open and close the shutter. That's going to be trial and error. Take a shot, check the histogram and clipping and if all is fine, take another with an even longer duration.

 

[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

You can't zoom in and focus and then zoom back and shoot. The focus is different at different zoom ratios. You have to focus at the zoom ratio you want to shoot.

 

[WayneF]

Turns out it does exactly the same thing it did when handheld and only is of use in any mode where it needs to set or suggests the aperture or shutter value (or ISO). But once in manual the meter is of no importance. It also becomes irrelevant the moment I hit a limit whether that is aperture or shutter.

True as said, the meter cannot change Manual settings. However, something similar to exceptions can be stated.

We can manually adjust settings to zero the meter in Manual mode, and quite a few seem to think that is what Manual mode is. But camera A, S, or P mode does the same thing, faster and simpler, possibly more accurately then our own mistakes. However, not quite centering it manually is another way to do exposure compensation, actually can be easier when used to it.

And Auto ISO certainly will affect the Manual mode result, yes, at those same fixed camera settings, but which becomes full auto exposure according to the meter, within the ISO range.

 

[J-see]

I usually shoot A and when needed use EV (or ISO) to adjust my shutter accordingly. But it only works until I hit a limit.

I'll have to look into lightmeters to see if I can use them for the low light/long duration of night shots. I'm not sure if they'd be of any help there since the light I need really depends upon what I can get out in LR instead of what is needed to get a correctly exposed shot. Last night I tried manually opening and closing the shutter but without a stopwatch, it's not a very accurate technique. I have to check the manual to see if I can use a timer and somehow program that on the D750. I noticed bulb and -/- but don't know if I could set time in that last or if it's something else.

It's no longer about knowing how to get correct exposure but about finding out how much you can violate this correct exposure.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

I'm making the jump to DSLR from low end pro video cameras and am slowly figuring out the differences interchangeable lenses make.

I'm really surprised my new D3300 doesn't have anything to help focus. Most camcorders, even at the consumer level, now come with focus peaking or zoom focusing. Is there something on this camera I haven't uncovered yet? Or is it just up to my ability to squint at the viewfinder/LCD?

Also, I don't understand at all why I can't see my shutter/aperture/ISO aren't visible in the viewfinder. I have to look at the picture I just took to see how what my settings look like. This seems like I'm doing something really, really wrong. Is there some setting to make the viewfinder functional for more than framing?

Thanks,
Jay

I know that the D3200 has an “electronic rangefinder” feature, and I would be very much surprised if the D3300 doesn't also have the exact same feature. Look for “Rangefinder” in the index to your owners' manual.

If you're going to be doing a lot of manual-focusing, then you should seriously consider installing an aftermarket focus screen. Search on eBay for “Bresson focus screen D3300”.

 

[J-see]

The D3300 has. When he looks into the viewfinder, in the middle is a <<<<<<o>>>>>. Those arrows give a focus indication even when in manual.

Correction; when manually focusing the lens.

Tried editing this post 5 times and each time it froze. Strange.