 BetterPhoto Member |
clarification about lens I just bought a Minolta x700. When I'm looking through the lens, there is the center circle and then everything around that is slightly fuzzy, even when in focus. Should I be worried about focusing what's in the circle or around it? Also, there's a horizontal line through the circle, and I don't know what the two halves are for. I would consult my manual about this, but it didn't come with one.
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Jon Close |
Download the manual here: http://kmpi.konicaminolta.us/eprise/main/kmpi/content/cam/cam_SupportCenter/Support_Manual. The center circle is a split-image rangefinder. Adjust focus so that the image lines up, top and bottom. With lenses with smaller maximum apertures this circle will be dark and unusable. In that case use the microprism band around the center circle, or the matte screen of the rest of the viewfinder.
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Michael H. Cothran |
Jon's response is right on the money, but allow me to go into a little more detail for you. In essence, what Minolta has done here is to give you, the viewer, three different ways of focusing on your subject. 1. The center circle is called a 'split image' rangefinder. If you look at a vertical object like a pole, and place it so that it is in the center circle area, you'll note that when the image is way out of focus the top and bottom portions of the pole are 'split.' As your focus comes in closer, those two 'split images' will come together, and once they are together, they are in focus. Using this focusing aid requires a subject, or portion of a subject, that is vertical in nature, and thin enough to fit into the circle. 2. Surrounding this circle is another focusing aid, called a 'microprism', and made up of hundreds of tiny pieces of glass. This area will look blurry or choppy, but when the subject comes into focus, it should immediately snap clear, and your subject should look clean. The slightest bit of mis-focus with the microprism will cause it to go way out of whack, so it is very accurate. 3. Last, but not least, is the rest of your viewfinder, which is called a 'ground glass.' This area depends solely on your eye to determine when the subject looks in focus. The first two methods are called 'focusing aids,' as they help you focus, even if you cannot tell by the ground glass that your subject is or isn't in focus.
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