Focus assist or peaking on a manual lens and hdmi?

[EvangelionAdams]

This is driving me crazy. I'm shooting video and I have things setup where I can't see the cameras built in screen. Focus peaking does not work over HDMI. Focus assist does not work with manual lenses (is this really true?). When I'm tethered to a computer so I can zoom in on the live view to see if I'm focused the camera refuses to start recording video (with Capture One Pro, I'd try Canon EOS Utility but the program won't connect to my camera. 

Is there really no way to turn on peaking over hdmi or focus assist with a manual lens? Do I really have to spend another $100 on a monitor that can do peaking or rig up some way to push the zoom button remotely so I can be sure I've nailed focus?

Is peaking a feature of any of the iOS apps that tether wirelessly? What if I get that special hotshoe phone holder and connect through it?

[Tiffany]

Welcome to the forum!

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[EvangelionAdams]

I selected my camera (R10) on the original post

[stevet1]

deleted

[stevet1]

Evangelion,

I'm just guessing, but I would think that focus assist would be a function of Af. If you're using a manual lens, there's no way for the lens to talk to the camera.

Steve Thomas

[EvangelionAdams]

I don't understand why the lens needs to talk to the camera for it to measure the image sharpness at one point. I would have assumed it was just some analysis running in software on the camera body. Why can't focus peaking be shown on the HDMI out. 

Nevermind, it doesn't really matter why, I just need to know if there's a way to do either via tethering a computer or phone or some trick to get peaking or focus assist (the feature shown in the screenshot below) to show up on hdmi out with a manual lens. 

I saw there's a firmware update that allows peaking over usb tethering in DragonFrame (for $100), but that firmware completely disables the HDMI output, which I very much need. 

Is there any way to make the on camera screen stay on when HDMI is being used? I could rig up some mirrors or some junk USB webcam to show me the on-body screen so I can see the peaking if that's possible. 

[Stephen]

Hello!

You may want to call support to verify that your EOS R10 can meet your project's needs. The R10's target audience is people upgrading from smartphones to create better-looking content.

Support is available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ET) at 1-800-652-2666.

[deebatman316]

Its not as simple as you think. A lot of lenses have focus distance encoders in them that report focus distance information back to the camera. This helps the camera with the manual focus assist feature. This is how the camera helps you manually focus. A lot of older EF lenses especially those from the early days of EOS lack a focus distance encoder. The focus distance encoder also helps the accuracy of E-TTL II flash metering. This focus distance information is NOT used during wireless flash, when the flash is in the bounce position or during macro flash photography. Old lenses with Arc Form Drive AF motors lack distance encoders so the manual focus assistance feature doesn't work. But focus peaking does work with these lenses. Canon's TS-E and MP-E lenses are manual focus and the manual focus assist works with those lenses since they have to still communicate with the camera to set the aperture. Even though they don't have AF capabilities but they still contain focus distance encoders for E-TTL II.

[stevet1]

Evangelion,

I have a Canon T8i and I use an app called Camera Connect and Control.

I just tested it out by wirelessly tethering the camera to my tablet.

I flipped the lens over to manual focus and tried peaking. The peaking does not work on my Android tablet. The zoom or magnification works, and I can focus with the focus ring on my camera lens, but  peaking doesn't work.

I'm a little puzzled about your use of hdmi to do your tethering, but that's probably just over my head. Usually, the hdmi port on a computer is to send signals out, not to bring them in. Are you using an hdmi capture card of some kind?

Steve Thomas

[justadude]

The focus assist features DO work on manual lenses for photography (I use it often on many manual lenses) but I don't do video with any of these lenses, so I can't answer that part of your question.