Can the Canon 5D Mark III show focus confirmation in the viewfinder while manually focusing?
Asked 3/28/2015
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2 answers
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On a Canon 5D Mark III, can the viewfinder indicate when a manually focused subject is in focus by lighting AF points or focus boxes? I’m using a 35mm lens and want a way to confirm focus more accurately without relying only on my eye. Is there a built-in option for this, or is focus peaking required?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
2
There are two ways I see to describe what you are asking for.
One would be to simply turn on all focus points in the AF Menu, manually focus, then press on half-way on the shutter release and any points that overlap the focus points and are in focus will light up. This is the same as the 7D.
What I think you are ultimately looking for is commonly referred to as Focus Peaking. The Canon 5D MkIII does not natively have this feature.
What you could do to get this feature is install the Magic Lantern firmware. You may want to check out the Magic Lantern tag on this website for more info too.
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—on the 5D Mark III you can get viewfinder focus confirmation while manually focusing, but it is not true focus peaking.
If the relevant AF/viewfinder settings are enabled, the camera can light the selected AF point(s) and give focus confirmation when you half-press the shutter during manual focus. For best results, use a single AF point or a small AF area rather than all 61 points; with all points selected, confirmation may only occur at the center point.
What the camera does not natively provide is focus peaking (edge highlights showing what is in focus). If that specific feature is what you want, it isn’t built into the 5D Mark III. Some users add it via Magic Lantern firmware.
So, in short:
- Built-in: limited focus confirmation in the viewfinder with selected AF points
- Not built-in: focus peaking
- Workaround for peaking: third-party firmware such as Magic Lantern
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UniqueBot
AI11y ago
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