Any new Focus Meters out there?

[rory 0]

The Rapport 2 looks nice but doesnt have the focus part, also expensive.

However it does have a DVR built into it now .. sweet!

 

The Camera Master 2 or 3 whichever they have now, well its still expensive also, and no small LCD. Doesnt have the features of the Rapport so it seems.

 

Anyway .. im just looking for a basic focus meter .. i located something from the UK called the Ranger FM1 Focus Indicator, but could only find it on a retail site from the UK - price seems good though, half the price of the Camera Master if my sterling to dollars is correct.

 

Now how well any of them work is beyond me as Ive never had the cash flow to try them.

Anyone else out there tested these yet .. the focus part I mean?

Anyone know of anything else out there?

This whole manual focus thing is become a PITA ...

 

Looks like it might also be called a Focus Indicator.

 

Thanks!

[hardwired 0]

Cheapie notepad/UMPC running VLC, or some other cap application that can be set to show the filesize of a MJPEG stream from a USB capture adapter should work, the filesize should track the amount of detail in the image, which would be the same as focus (or noise, if you close the iris too far-although the Camera Master has the same drawback).

**********Edit*******

I do have the Camera Master, it works fairly well, although if you have a lot of depth of field in the shot, you do not know if you are focusing on the foreground or background... It has a lot of other useful features, too, though.

 

BTW, the auto back focus on the newer Panasonic and Sanyo IP Megapixel cameras (and a few others now, I think), is the one of the greatest things since sliced bread.....

[hardwired 0]

This whole manual focus thing is become a PITA ...

 

Have your arms become too short over the last few years to hold the spot monitor at the right distance, like mine have , and trying to hold a big enough monitor to see clearly ... Getting older is the PITA!

 

At our office my boss and I are in a race for larger monitors, I get each one that's gotten too small for him... he's up to a 24", I just got his 22"...

[tomcctv 190]

the Ranger FM1 Focus Indicator is very good i have had one for 3 years. it does however have 1 problem. it does focus the camera very well but if you try to use it were they is alot of movment i.e setting cameras in a bussy shop it can not focus if it has movement in its line of site. so you have to go back to the good old monitor.