What does your eye focus on?

[rc01082]

This might sound a stupid question, but when you look through a viewfinder, what does your eye focus on?

For instance, if something is out of focus on the camera, your eye cannot adjust, it just views an out of focus image and waits for the camera, so what are you looking at that stops you trying to focus?

[ian in lancs]

in an SLR it is the focus screen. The lens projects the image on the focus screen. If the lens isn't focussed on an object the image projected on the focus screen is out of focus and vice versa. The eye isn't focussing on the object itself; just the image on the screen.

[Simpo Two]

My dad used to process his own b/w photos. When showing a friend how all the kit worked, said friend looked at the enlarger in action and retorted 'Ah so you can take photos out of focus and make them sharp in printing!'. Hmm.

[rc01082]

ian in lancs said:

in an SLR it is the focus screen. The lens projects the image on the focus screen. If the lens isn't focussed on an object the image projected on the focus screen is out of focus and vice versa. The eye isn't focussing on the object itself; just the image on the screen.

Ok, I get that (and I'm not being argumentative here, just curious), the focussing screen is less distance than my personal minimum distance, with glasses that's probably 8". So what gives?

[ian in lancs]

rc01082 said:

Ok, I get that (and I'm not being argumentative here, just curious), the focussing screen is less distance than my personal minimum distance, with glasses that's probably 8". So what gives?

There's a lens between your eye and the focus screen; the eye piece which can be fine adjusted to suit viewer.

[rc01082]

ian in lancs said:

rc01082 said:

Ok, I get that (and I'm not being argumentative here, just curious), the focussing screen is less distance than my personal minimum distance, with glasses that's probably 8". So what gives?

There's a lens between your eye and the focus screen; the eye piece which can be fine adjusted to suit viewer.

Of course. Never even considered that.

Many thanks!

[andy-xr]

Usually the subject, or the thing I'm taking a photo of. I'll do a top left to bottom right scout around the viewfinder after composing, and then open my left eye when I've checked the speeds and feeds are roughly what I'm expecting them to be, just incase the eye that's up to the camera isnt seeing something that's there. Especially with 95% viewfinder, there's no fun to be had photoshopping cow st or out of focus seagulls