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I was totally against digital focus peaking until a job last month changed my mind
For years I swore by ground glass and a loupe for manual focus, thought focus peaking was just a gimmick for mirrorless hobbyists. Then I had to repair a 28mm shift lens for a real estate shooter in Denver who needed it back in 48 hours - using the peaking on my test camera cut my calibration time from 45 minutes down to 12. Has anyone else had a tool they hated turn out to be actually useful once you gave it a fair shot?
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caleb2621mo ago
Ground glass and loupe guys usually have that same reaction, myself included for a long time... makes you feel like you're cheating somehow. But calibration work is where it really proves itself, cutting that kind of time off a repair is no joke when you're on a deadline. What got me was how well it handles tricky lighting situations, like shooting into a window or through leaves where your eye just gives up on ground glass. Once you learn to trust the little colored lines instead of fighting them, it changes how you think about focus entirely.
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jordanc321mo ago
Yeah "makes you feel like you're cheating" is exactly it. I remember the first time I pulled out an autofocus assist tool on a job and my buddy just stared at me like I was some kind of fraud. But honestly, once I got past that feeling, it was a game changer for stuff like shooting through a dirty window or trying to nail focus in harsh midday shadows. Your eyes just can't compete with those little lines in those conditions. Now I keep it in my bag for the tricky stuff and only bust out the loupe when I'm feeling nostalgic or the light is perfect.
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