calling all toggers with dodgy hands

Will if you can't turn the focus ring well enough then surely Auto Focus is the answer ?

Failing that I am sure it would be possible to whittle something up that would spread the load, like some sort of lever ?
 
when you find the answer please let me know.. joking aside i know what you mean as i have the same problem i have looked but have failed to find anything that really helps.
 
auto focus means that I'm not getting the shot, that I'm getting a snapshot and might as well use a point and shoot cause my hands are too pathetic to take a proper picture.

My hands are so stupid that I don't have proper control over them and when they're stupid like this, when I turn the focus ring, I just keep missing the focus, over and over. It's driving me crazy and I hate it. Just emphasises stuff.
 
Hi Nattelie. I take it you have a problem with gripping your camera (or bits of it) What about a plastic filter wrench around your focus ring and taped/stuck/fixed there? It would serve as a type of lever to make it easier for you.
 
wontolla said:
Hi Nattelie. I take it you have a problem with gripping your camera (or bits of it) What about a plastic filter wrench around your focus ring and taped/stuck/fixed there? It would serve as a type of lever to make it easier for you.
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with the sony alpha models, they have a pathetic excuse for a lens hood, which actually comes in really handy for helping me turn the focus ring when it's on back to front. Honestly it's a gem of a cock-up on sony's part! Just at the moment my hands hate me so much that even that isn't enough. :thumbsdown: Thank you though.
 
Maybe putting a rubber band or similar around the focus ring would make it more 'grippy' so make things easier?

I've got to admit, I don't agree with your point of view that anything not manually focussed is cheating, autofocus is just another tool to take a cool photo... you're still adjusting the focus points or whatever and telling it 'what' to focus on :/
 
Will try a lacky band, see if that makes any difference.

My biggest problem I think, is that I don't have enough control of my hands to turn the focus ring just a tiny bit. It's infuriating.

I don't mean to sound like a bitch, but if I always had the choice on whether or not to manually focus, if it was a mental choice not a "it'll have to do cause I can't move the ring properly" I'd probably agree with you itsdavedotnet, but atm for me personally, it's striving to defeat the odds, to do something that I should (in my stubborness) be able to do.
 
Using the auto focus is part of any camera, but all I can think of that hasnt already been said is bang it on a tripod and try so your not gripping the camera.
 
Not knowing what difficulties you have, this might not help, but, I use a pair of Lowepro photography gloves for cold weather. They have multiple little grippy dots all over them especially on the finger tips. Apart from the warmth, these dots give a much better grip on the camera and the controls, and make turning/gripping things easier. They aren't particularly thick and so they give good feel too. Perhaps its worth considering. Hope this helps and good luck.
 
What about wrapping some tape around the focus ring, Nattelie? Something like skateboard or cycle grip tape might do the job :shrug:
 
Trev4 said:
Not knowing what difficulties you have, this might not help, but, I use a pair of Lowepro photography gloves for cold weather. They have multiple little grippy dots all over them especially on the finger tips. Apart from the warmth, these dots give a much better grip on the camera and the controls, and make turning/gripping things easier. They aren't particularly thick and so they give good feel too. Perhaps its worth considering. Hope this helps and good luck.
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Thanks, with the extra grip does it make it (I suppose) so that you have more control with the focus ring? :thinking: My words are all gobble-de-gooked tonight so I hope you understand what I mean?

I have a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (lucky me, I have it in all 4 limbs...) it's a neurological condition that stops the brain and nerves communicating with each other properly, both to and from the brain. All fun and games...
 
would they not end up removing any filters that I had on or the lens hood though? (Or worse still, knacking the end of the lens?)

The problem that I have is that I move the focus ring, but I can't manage to move it just a tiny bit, so I can get it close to focus but when my hands are loudly expressing their loathing, that's the best I can get 90% of the time and I spend 10 minutes or more trying to get the focus for a single shot. Then inevitably I lose my temper, turn into a huffy cow, wonder if I'm wasting my time even bothering trying and get myself all upset. I suppose I probably sound like a drama queen to some, but it's a bitch when you can't do something that is stupidly simple.
 
MagicMynx said:
auto focus means that I'm not getting the shot, that I'm getting a snapshot and might as well use a point and shoot cause my hands are too pathetic to take a proper picture.
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not 100% I get this logic, when you make a choice re whats in focus (where you focus and the DoF). You choose the exposure to highlight the important bit and you compose. It's the thought process that makes it photography not the method (imho)
 
Just because its been designed to remove filters it doest mean you cant use it for any thing else. ;)

You could just simply have this on the focus ring with maybe a laggy band over the handles to keep it tight to the ring and just nudge it up or down to fine tune your focus :D

Ooooor, avoid been a huffy cow and just use auto focus :bonk:
 
Nattaelie, i don't know if this will help but if you can get something called a Cable Tie (used by electricians to tie cables together) you could tie this around the focus ring, they work on a ratchet system, tighten it up just enough to grip the focus ring, cut off the excess using a pair of pliers or leave it on if it helps . It will give you a little bump sticking out which you should be able to move with a finger tip when you want to fine tine your focus.
They are cheap to buy and come in all different widths and lengths.
Hope this helps.
 
MagicMynx said:
what do you do when you just can't do it? When you can't turn the focus ring properly and keep missing the focus? I don't want to put it on auto, auto isn't the answer. So what do you do?
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Sorry, Nattalie, I have to disagree, auto IS the answer. You still decide WHAT is in focus, it's just that the camera focusses on it once you've asked it to. I think you're being unnecessarily hard on yourself, use the tools you've got!
 
MagicMynx said:
Thanks, with the extra grip does it make it (I suppose) so that you have more control with the focus ring? :thinking: My words are all gobble-de-gooked tonight so I hope you understand what I mean?

I have a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (lucky me, I have it in all 4 limbs...) it's a neurological condition that stops the brain and nerves communicating with each other properly, both to and from the brain. All fun and games...
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The gloves do offer more grip and in my opinion they give you very good feel/feed back. Wearing them in the cold (which is where my fingers go on strike), I get more or less the same feel as normal, but I also get to grip rings etc. more positively and I can use fine control which is what I think your asking.
There's a big difference between arthritis and CRPS though, so I don’t know if this will help.
There's a picture here

Ideally you should try some and see if they help. If you can’t find these local to you, companies like 'Blacks' outdoor clothing people, do a similar glove but a different make (not designed specifically for photography though) but with the small grips on, perhaps there's a branch by you where you could take a look.

Failing that, while its nice to do these things yourself, there's also nothing wrong in using auto focus, as has been mentioned a few times earlier, the choice of focus point and the type of focus is still your decision, so your not giving up control of your photography to the camera, your still making all the decisions, just using the camera to do what its designed for.
Good luck Nattelie and please dont be so tough on yourself, as Jon said, "use the tools you've got".
 
How about some foam lagging? like the type wrapped around pipes to stop them freezing. You could in theory then make a larger ring similar to a lens hood that slots over your different lens but making them as wide as your lens hood ... does that make sense? Its light weight for carrying and easy add onto or decrease depending on how yours hands are.
 
Natt stop being so hard on yourself.. as other s have said use what you have got it is hard i know i have missed or ****ed up lots of shots but just have to keeep going...
 
Hmm.. I'd be looking for something similar to those wrenches that you can securely fasten around the focusing ring. The thing is, when you've got something on there with a long lever, then any movements you make are reduced, if that makes sense. So if your condition means that you get jerky or sudden movements, they won't be so pronounced and you'll stay closer to your focusing goal, and if it's a case of that it causes pain to use your hands to turn it, then the lever should alleviate the stress on the muscle and tendons when turning it.

Say, for example, we were talking about a Canon 24-70mm lens, then you'd have something just a bit bigger than a 77m ring to fit onto the focus ring which can be tightened into place, and then a metal stick or something firmly attached to that about 10-20cm long. I can picture it in my head anyway, I hope you can!
 
ahh ok, makes sense now (having a physics block today I think! :lol:)

So, the wrenchy thingys, if I used those, it would mean that it would take more kinetic energy to make a small movement, than without, meaning that my spasms and jerky movements would have less of an impact of the focus ring, thus making it easier to turn the focus ring adiquetely and not "over shooting the mark" so to speak?
 
MagicMynx said:
Photography is a form of art and is personal to the artist. How they do their photography, their techniques and habits are all part of it.
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Of course but you have a situation that you need to overcome, so you do need to actively do something about it. You can't get away from that.

So what I'm getting at is, instead of actively choosing to wear gloves or tape bits of pipe lagging to your lenses, you could overcome the situation more easily by actively choosing to use AF, sort of a manual AF, if you will. Wouldn't you just be replacing one problem with another if you start fiddling with bits of tape/cable ties etc? It really seems like stubbornness for the sake of it, Nattelie. I just think it would be much easier and give you far greater flexibility to change your attitude (that sounds harsh and I don't mean it to) than your kit.

Jon.
 
Jon in the nicest possible way, I don't like AF and prefer to MF, by wearing a pair of gloves or attaching a wrench when needed, isn't changing the kit and a fiver or so is a very small price to pay to be able to continue to do something when your body doesn't want to play ball.
 
i cant see **** on my poxy 400D viewfinder, so it AF all the way.

doesnt the sony have that "cant remember what its called".... ?? - back button focusing??

i use it on my canon as sort of a compromise.
 
MagicMynx said:
Jon in the nicest possible way, I don't like AF and prefer to MF, by wearing a pair of gloves or attaching a wrench when needed, isn't changing the kit and a fiver or so is a very small price to pay to be able to continue to do something when your body doesn't want to play ball.
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Are we definitely talking about the same type of AF here? As in, not flat out AF but....YOU select which AF point YOU want to use, YOU put that AF point over the portion of the frame YOU want to focus on, YOU press a button (not necessarily the shutter button) to AF, YOU (possibly) recompose the frame, YOU press the shutter button and then YOU review the image to make sure the focus hit what YOU wanted it to? If we are then.... ok, I give in... :-( but I do wish you all the best and I hope you sort something out so that you can carry on twizzling that focus ring around! ;-)
 
MagicMynx said:
with the sony alpha models, they have a pathetic excuse for a lens hood, which actually comes in really handy for helping me turn the focus ring when it's on back to front. Honestly it's a gem of a cock-up on sony's part!
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depends on the model - some of them just don't need much of a lens hood as the element is so recessed.

& I know that it's your decision & you don't want to but personally I (& others obviously) can't see the difference to the end result between you manually focusing on a particular part of the frame or the camera doing it under your instruction (i.e. you choose focus point) - you should end up with exactly the same image.
 
MagicMynx said:
yep, we're talking about the same AF - doing that isn't much different to using a bridge camera and if I'd wanted to stay using a bridge camera, I wouldn't have bought the sony but stuck with the fuji bridge camera.
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I couldn't disagree with that more.
 
jontucker said:
I couldn't disagree with that more.
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My fuji bridge camera you can change aperture, shutter speed, fairly sure you can change ISO, you can change focal length, white balance... obviously it's auto focus pretty similar to a DSLR autofocus.

Overall there are obviously differences, but one of the things that appealed to me about using a DSLR is manual focusing
 
MagicMynx said:
yep, we're talking about the same AF - doing that isn't much different to using a bridge camera and if I'd wanted to stay using a bridge camera, I wouldn't have bought the sony but stuck with the fuji bridge camera.
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:bang: you sound like my mother and she was an obstinate mare too!! AF is not an admission of defeat,....hell, set everything manually but if you are struggling with focus, use AF, its what its there for. If YOU have decided the shutterspeed, the aperture, the ISO, using MF doesn't make it any more YOUR picture, its just makes YOU more frustrated that something beyond your control is stopping YOU do and enjoy YOUR hobby!! Hell, I dont know ANY photographer that doesnt use AF on a regular basis, not even the highly paid types. Sure as hell I bet very few round here use manual focus for anything more than specialist circumstances [macro for instance] or where AF is not available [older lenses for example] - and I know this to be true as I have been out on meets with many of them and Auto-focus is NORMAL!

Sorry, I know it sounds like a rant, but having lived for 25 yrs with someone with similar difficulties who could be obstinate, pig-headed and overly independent to the point of stupidity and cutting off nose to spite face, I find it difficult to be quiet.


Anyway, if you insist on being that daft, as already said, put camera on a tripod and get one of those rubber strap things for opening jars, the sort with a plastic handle that the end of strap sits in, and wrap it round the focus ring then use the handle for moving the ring. I know this works, Dad used it on the odd occasion mum wanted to take a pic with his film dslr - she had to use left hand after losing all use of her right, and and trouble with doing anything 'delicate'. Add in bonus of course being that they are adjustable and therefore you only need one to cover all lenses. ;)
 
MagicMynx said:
My fuji bridge camera you can change aperture, shutter speed, fairly sure you can change ISO, you can change focal length, white balance... obviously it's auto focus pretty similar to a DSLR autofocus.

Overall there are obviously differences, but one of the things that appealed to me about using a DSLR is manual focusing
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I meant the notion that the reason for upgrading to DSLR is so you can manually focus. Manufacturers spend many hundreds of thousands of pounds developing AF systems (which MOST people, including pros, use) and you dismissing it as a amateur novice function is just nuts!
 
jontucker said:
I meant the notion that the reason for upgrading to DSLR is so you can manually focus. Manufacturers spend many hundreds of thousands of pounds developing AF systems (which MOST people, including pros, use) and you dismissing it as a amateur novice function is just nuts!
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Thats probably what I should have said [and its oh so true]. Sorry Nat, please ignore my rant, but don't dismiss AF as a 'weak' option, it really isn't, just use it when you need to and enjoy taking pictures, please.


and to add to what Jon has said, 2 weeks ago I was at a seminar, where we got to play with Hasselblads, 25 grand of camera, plus a lens, and the very well paid, well known pros that were running the seminar...they were both using AF. ALL that money, let it do some of the work ;)
 
I'm not dismissing it as an amature function, I'm saying that I don't like autofocus, it takes some of the control away, when I'm on manual and do all the settings, I'm in complete control (granted not of the thing I'm shooting unless it is a still life shot), the picture is mine and mine alone, captured with a machine, that I have the control over. Once I put it on autofocus, the machine is doing some of the work, - and for all there's a time and place for that, I don't like using it, it takes something away, it's doing something for me instead of me doing it myself. Manual is the setting that I use the most, not very often that I use aperture priority or shutter priority, auto, portrait or the other bits etc.

I know I might sound like a nutty old-school film togger that refuses to "get with the times" and cuts their nose off to spite their face, but truth be known, if film photography was more accessible to me (I can't wind on or farce on in a dark room) I'd probably shoot a fair bit of film too.

I enjoy manually focusing, that's one of the reasons that I bought a DSLR.
 
i cant see **** on my poxy 400D viewfinder, so it AF all the way.
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i was using reverse psychology, but i prefer Yv's approach now....

note to self - must be more direct!!
 
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