chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

I am trying to get focus peaking to work on my Z6ii with a 500mm Nikkor f/8 mirror lens attached via the FTZii adapter. Of course this is an all manual setup. I read the manual and also a 3rd party book on the Z6ii specifically regarding setting up focus peaking but can't seem to get it to work.

1. MF is enabled.
2. Lens parameters are set in the lens data section...500mm, f/8
3. Focus peaking enabled - tried different highlight colors.

Any other settings? Using M mode with auto ISO.

Thanks..

letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

Have you tried another lens with the same setup?

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

That is my next step, just as a test. I didn't get a chance yet...just wondering if there was something obvious I'm missing...all my other lenses are AF and work fine in AF mode.

letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

I have used that lens or one similar, as I recall it was not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

User ID

Peaking doesnt actually judge focus. It simply highlites contrasty edges ... which is usually an indicator of sharp focus.

The 500/8 reflex lens is by nature a low contrast lens, and due to essentially zero DoF verrrrrrrry little is in focus. There is simply little to nothing for the peaking to latch onto.

You tried different colors but did you set maximum sensitivity ? (See pix below.)

Your screens may differ a bit from my Z7.

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Rack of CDs. Max sensitivity, level 3 with red peaking, using a 250/5.6 reflex lens.

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chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

Yep I know. I am experimenting with this as an "art" lens...definitely not a substitute for a $5-13k 500mm prime refractor. Last time I had a mirror lens was in the film world with an OM-2S. It's was even worse then because the finder split prism would darken so a different focusing screen had to be used - a clear screen with a microprism only worked well as it was bright enough, but it was very touchy with only a sliver of DoF. I played with it for a while then sold it.

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

Thanks for the tips - I was using level 2 but will bump it to 3.

User ID

Ive always kept it on level three. If it gets to be annoying I have the forward facing Fn button just below the shutter assigned to easily and instantly switch it off or on.

I use mostly manual lenses so very easy access to peaking and magnified MF are priorities in my controls set up. YMMV.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

I find that you want the lowest level at which you can still see the focus peaking. What you want is for there to be very little travel of the focus ring at where you see the focus peaking. When turned too high, it will light up over a broader range of rotation of the focus ring and that won't help you at all.

Additionally, I am most interested in the focus peaking I see when I'm using focus magnifier at the same time since this with help nail the focus.

I have many manual lenses and focus can be easy and accurate if done correctly.

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That is generally all excellent advice but focusing with a reflex lens is different. There will not be any "broader range" of peaking due to the profound lack of DoF.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

The DoF is similar to other 500mm lenses at f/8. That’s not the problem.

Unlike conventional lenses, the image is formed with donuts of light, not circles. There are two sources of diffraction, the inner and outer edges of the donut. Wee can see the blur more easily and the oof highlights are ugly.

User ID

Right. So, you agree that DoF is almost zero. Whats your point ?

The OP is trying to get focus peaking to work. Near zero DoF combined with the typical low contrast of reflex lenses doesnt produce much in the way of contrasty edges, so its a real challenge trying to use focus peaking.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

It's not the DoF that's the problem. It's the f-stop. The image is too dark to use in daylight.

About 40 years ago I had a reflex telescope with a 1500mm focal length on an equatorial mount that took sharper pictures focused at infinity. It worked fine at night with bright stars on a black background. The whole kit cost little more than the 500mm Reflex Nikkor lens.

I thought that the 500mm mirror lens might be a great alternative to a normal lens that cost 10x as much. After a couple of rolls of film I could see that it was almost impossible to get a sharp image, even on a tripod, so I got rid of it.

One reviewer pointed out that it's, "A poor choice for photography. The Nikon 500/8 Reflex has superb optics, but the ultra-high magnification also magnifies even the most microscopic camera movement. It is nearly impossible to get sharp images, either hand-held or on a tripod, since its tiny size and weight does nothing to damp vibration. It's also very difficult to focus perfectly, since the finder image is dim."

User ID

Maybe try the Vivid setting in the picture styles. This compensates for the low contrast image of a reflex lens, and might give the peaking something to latch onto. Youd hafta set the live view to "show settings effect" so that the contrast increase is applied to the viewing-focusing image.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Decided to put my Tamron 500mm SP f8 mirror lens on my Sony A7iii and see what it was like to use focus peaking.

It's a different camera and a different lens. But it is a mirror lens and it is 500mm and it is on a full frame camera.

Focus Peaking was easy to use. Before using the focus magnifier, I could see the peaking edges in all 3 levels, including the lowest level. If using focus magnifier at the same time, I needed to go to Peaking level 2 in order to see the peaking. There was no need to go to level 3 at all. And there was no issue with poor contrast.

As I manually focused, the peaking snapped into view easily. And if I also did focus magnification, I could see it there too. And the image was not dim. It was as easy to use as it would have been using a 50mm lens.

Attaching 3 images. The palm frond was so easy to obtain peaking, and I did switch to focus magnifier and used the peaking there to take this image.

And then a robin with a very dirty face from looking for worms came hopping by. Easy to get peaking to show and I got a shot. Notice the donuts behind it from the mirror lens.

The 3rd is leaves on a nearby tree. If the DOF was extremely narrow I would expect to see many leaves out of focus. But I don't see that. Many leaves are in focus. I really don't think that the DOF on a mirror lens is all that much different from what I would get using standard refractive type lenses.

I also have a second mirror lens, the Minolta 500mm f8 Reflex which is autofocus. AF works great on that lens, but I don't like the focus ring on that lens and prefer not to use it for manual focus. Nothing wrong with the focus ring. Its the way it is designed with very little rotational travel and tricky getting a manual focus. The Tamron has plenty to rotational focus travel and is a breeze to use as a manual lens.

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