Canon Eos 3 focusing!

[Mada]

You can, but focussing will likely be more difficult than your OM-10 or medium format camera, due to no center split image/microprism focussing aid in the center of the viewfinder. You will also need to set exposure manually, I don't remember how to do this with an EOS. I think the lens does not have an aperture ring?

Ha! I already thinking of selling it! Too complicated for me
I am sorry for wasting your all time! I'm so dunno at this moment!

Regarding AF lock.... How I understood...
I have to focus on object ( I use single centre point)
I press shutter half way to get that focus
I press AF lock (*) button
I press shutter

If I am right then how it's said in the manual after pressing AF lock in the viewfinder the star should appear but it does not! I even tried to hold for a few sec but nothing!

Once again sorry for all these questions.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Ha! I already thinking of selling it! Too complicated for me
I am sorry for wasting your all time! I'm so dunno at this moment!

Regarding AF lock.... How I understood...
I have to focus on object ( I use single centre point)
I press shutter half way to get that focus
I press AF lock (*) button
I press shutter

If I am right then how it's said in the manual after pressing AF lock in the viewfinder the star should appear but it does not! I even tried to hold for a few sec but nothing!

Once again sorry for all these questions.

There are many (too many) different modes and settings on that camera, I'm not familiar enough with it. Maybe Les can help??

 

[MattKing]

Once again sorry for all these questions.

No apologies are necessary!
It's great (and a lot of fun for me) when people ask questions, receive answers and learn things.
You may want to continue to persevere for a while with your EOS3. It is a very powerful and competent camera, and makes an excellent complement to an OM-10.
I use my OM stuff more than my Canon EOS stuff, but I enjoy having both.

 

[Mada]

while with your EOS3.

No apologies are necessary!
It's great (and a lot of fun for me) when people ask questions, receive answers and learn things.
You may want to continue to persevere for a while with your EOS3. It is a very powerful and competent camera, and makes an excellent complement to an OM-10.
I use my OM stuff more than my Canon EOS stuff, but I enjoy having both.

Matt,
You are not helping me at all! My head is burning already of reading and not knowing how to shoot tomorrow Probably women should not go for EOS 3

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Matt,
You are not helping me at all! My head is burning already of reading and not knowing how to shoot tomorrow Probably women should not go for EOS 3

It has nothing to do with being female.
Personally as a male with over 40 years experience with cameras and darkroom including repairing and restoring cameras, 30+ years with large format, I find these cameras frustrating, with auto-everything you must actually know more about the camera to use it effectively.

 

[Mada]

I do photography just for 3 years so still to learn A LOT!

Ok so. Would it be easier to set up eye focusing? And then all my problems would be resolved? Or is there percentage that also eye focusing could fail?

 

[MattKing]

Probably women should not go for EOS 3

Not at all.
Although it may be true to say that EOS 3s and similar cameras can be complex. You should expect to have some initial difficulties with that complexity. For most people it is necessary to put time and some film into learning how best to make proper use of a camera with the capabilities of an EOS 3.

 

[MattKing]

I do photography just for 3 years so still to learn A LOT!

Ok so. Would it be easier to set up eye focusing? And then all my problems would be resolved? Or is there percentage that also eye focusing could fail?

The eye control focusing is great if it works for you. Canon no longer includes it as a feature in any of their cameras because for some people it doesn't function reliably..
I would suggest becoming familiar with the rest of the focusing system first. Once you have done that, try out the eye control.

 

[Mada]

The eye control focusing is great if it works for you. Canon no longer includes it as a feature in any of their cameras because for some people it doesn't function reliably..
I would suggest becoming familiar with the rest of the focusing system first. Once you have done that, try out the eye control.

Matt,

I am trying to figure out why AF lock doesn't appear in the viewfinder. It should blink (*) but it doesn't.

 

[MattKing]

I've researched and handled an EOS 3, but the eye focus control bodies I own and use are different models, so I think you best look to help from an EOS 3 user for help with this.
Good luck!

 

[neilt3]

Matt,

I am trying to figure out why AF lock doesn't appear in the viewfinder. It should blink (*) but it doesn't.

The reason why when you press the (*) button that the AF doesn't lock focus is because the (*) button is an AE ( EXPOSURE) lock , when you press that all your doing is locking the metered exposure .
The button next to it ( to the right ) is for selecting which AF point you are going to use .

To have the camera so that you can lock focus and then recompose , do this ;

On the lest side of the top plate , press the "AF" button while rotating the front dail until "ONE SHOT" appears on the LCD screen .
Not "AI SERVO" .
You will have single shot AF rather than continuose .

Next while pressing the "AF" selection button , turn the dail until the AF point in the viewfinder that you want to use is selected .

Finally .
Turn the "EYE CONTROL" dial to "OFF" .
When you try to learn how to use the seperate functions , try to calibrate this function then , or just leave it switched off .

By doing the above you can now lock focus and while holding the shutter release button in the same position , recompose then fully press the button for the shot .

Regarding exposure ;
Set the ISO to what you want , as you have done .
Don't enter any exposure compensation unless you need to .
Don't press the "AE-Lock" button unless you need to .

If the scanned negative come back duller than expected , it's because the firm that developed and scanned your film did not know you wanted them overexposed , because you didn't tell them you did .

And because for some mad reason you haven't got your negative back , just a scan , there's not a lot you can do about it .

Always keep your negatives .

If in doubt , read the manual ; http://www.cameramanuals.org/canon_pdf/canon_eos_3.pdf

 

[Ron789]

Ok so... To be honest it's a bit complicated for me as a female to understand it all and with English as my second language

What's this.... "AS A FEMALE"...... that is no excuse, come on! English as a second language... yes I can understand that makes it more complex for you. As mentioned before in earlier reactions, exposure and focusing are 2 different things. If the problem is focusing, focus on the focusing. Ignore anything related to exposure. An EOS3 has a superb autofocus system, use it. You need to understand and master the use of the focusing options, like calibrating and using the eye-controlled autofocus. If not using that, learn about selecting the focus point and freezing the focus before recomposing. This is al well described in the manual. As others said before.... ignore Youtube, just study the manual; maybe you can get a manual in your mother language?

 

[Hatchetman]

What you see through the viewfinder is what you get. Maybe lens is switched off autofocus?

 

[John Koehrer]

Yeah, what Ron789 said. There's Nothing you can't do as well or better than a manly man.

I have two daughters and when they were even in elementary school always told them that. Today they're both successful women.
One self employed and one in a corporation both doing well..

 

[film_man]

I owned a couple of EOS 3 cameras and the AF and metering is just excellent. So first of all...read the manual. Have a look at "focus lock" and "auto-exposure lock". You can compose, focus, lock the focus, recompose and shoot. You can also compose, meter, recompose, shoot. You can do that in as many combinations as you want in between. The focus and meter functions can be linked to the shutter button, the * button, or the AF button. If I remember correctly you can switch the * and AF functions. So read the manual but first of all I would say find how to reset all the custom functions, set the camera to single AF mode (not continuous AF). At least this way you know that
1. if you keep your finger on the shutter button half pressed autofocus will lock to whatever it focused first time (when it beeps and the green dot shows up in the finder).
2. you can then use the * button to lock auto exposure to whatever the viewfinder is looking at.

Try this, just activate the meter, move the viewfinder around in A mode and watch the shutter speeds change as you go from say the sky to the ground or your ceiling lights to the carpets. Then hit the * button and see how it locks.

In general I found the EOS 3 to be very accurate in pretty much every situation that doesn't include looking directly at a lightbulb or the sun. Focus too unless you're shooting wide open and at close distance. Hope this helps!