Focus confirmation light, on which non-AF/manual focus medium format camera models?

MattKing · Dec 15, 2024

I expect that you would only see such a feature on a very modular system - something designed to permit later adding AF as an accessory option.
Or a system that offers a lower feature, budget model, that is built on the basic structure of the primary product line.
Something like the Mamiya 645e model - which was not AF in any way - that was available at the same time as the much more highly featured Mamiya 645 Pro-Tl.
Compared to the Mamiya line, I have much less knowledge about the Contax or Pentax medium format AF equipment. I'll leave it to those who know about those to advise.

Pieter12 · Dec 15, 2024

MattKing said:
I expect that you would only see such a feature on a very modular system - something designed to permit later adding AF as an accessory option.
Or a system that offers a lower feature, budget model, that is built on the basic structure of the primary product line.
Something like the Mamiya 645e model - which was not AF in any way - that was available at the same time as the much more highly featured Mamiya 645 Pro-Tl.
Compared to the Mamiya line, I have much less knowledge about the Contax or Pentax medium format AF equipment. I'll leave it to those who know about those to advise.

I almost seems like the opposite to me. AF is built into both the lens and the body. Adding it later would be either clunky or involve a technician. I don't think there are any cameras that allow you to just slide a component into the body like a PC board or drive.

MARTIE · Dec 15, 2024

MattKing said:
I expect that you would only see such a feature on a very modular system - something designed to permit later adding AF as an accessory option.
Or a system that offers a lower feature, budget model, that is built on the basic structure of the primary product line.
Something like the Mamiya 645e model - which was not AF in any way - that was available at the same time as the much more highly featured Mamiya 645 Pro-Tl.
Compared to the Mamiya line, I have much less knowledge about the Contax or Pentax medium format AF equipment. I'll leave it to those who know about those to advise.

This was precisely my thinking.

Late high-end/professional medium format film camera models, dabbling in technology during the transition between film and digital.

It's not too far fetched or totally inconceivable that focus confirmation was introduced or trialed on late Non-AF film camera models.

Anyway, it never happened!

xkaes · Dec 15, 2024

I'm not sure but the Pentax MZ-M/ZX-M -- which was a manual-focus only camera -- might have focus-confirmation in the viewfinder, since it was one in a series of AF cameras.

MattKing · Dec 15, 2024

Pieter12 said:
I almost seems like the opposite to me. AF is built into both the lens and the body. Adding it later would be either clunky or involve a technician. I don't think there are any cameras that allow you to just slide a component into the body like a PC board or drive.

Exactly - this is why you don't see it anywhere.
It would only be in existence if the camera makers had proceeded the modular way.
The parallel that occurs to me is the early FL/FD Canon models that added automatic exposure capabilities via an add on accessory. The lenses needed to come from the manufacturer with the included mechanical connection capabilities.

cowanw · Dec 15, 2024

Contax had a 35 mm focus confirmation camera but its 35mm auto focus solution was based on a completely different mechanism of moving the back plate.

xkaes · Dec 15, 2024

You're thinking of the Contax AX -- which allowed AF focusing by moving the film plane back & forth (slightly). I have no idea if it has focus confirmation in the viewfinder.

The AX is a 35mm SLR made in 1996 by Kyocera/Yashica. It is innovative in offering autofocus with any existing manual-focus lenses that mount, by means of a focusing motor in the body which moves the film-plane to achieve focus, while if a contemporary AF lens is mounted, its own AF capability is used. This impressive ability results in a rather deep camera body. With manual-focus lenses, using both the focus ring of the lens and the internal back-focus adjustment allows closer-focus than the lens could achieve on another camera (and of course the focus scale on the lens does not give correct distances in this situation). Several features of the design were patented.

dokko · Dec 15, 2024

The Contax RX actually is a fully MF camera with AF confirmation indicator. not a MF camera though.
One could use a Contax 645 with an adapter for V lenses if funds allow

cowanw · Dec 15, 2024

Just pointing out that the RX had AF confirmation with no Auto focus and then the AX had auto focus but totally not through a lens mechanism. A quite different concept than the idea of auto focus and focus confirmation being part of the same lens centred technical path.

Focus confirmation light, on which non-AF/manual focus medium format camera models?

MattKing

Moderator

Pieter12

MARTIE

xkaes

I'm not sure but the Pentax MZ-M/ZX-M -- which was a manual-focus only camera -- might have focus-confirmation in the viewfinder, since it was one in a series of AF cameras.

MattKing

Moderator

cowanw

xkaes

dokko

cowanw

Focus confirmation light, on which non-AF/manual focus medium format camera models?

Moderator

I'm not sure but the Pentax MZ-M/ZX-M -- which was a manual-focus only camera -- might have focus-confirmation in the viewfinder, since it was one in a series of AF cameras.​

Moderator

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I'm not sure but the Pentax MZ-M/ZX-M -- which was a manual-focus only camera -- might have focus-confirmation in the viewfinder, since it was one in a series of AF cameras.