[toni-a]

And you, dear toni-a, once again have no clue what this distance scales do: Estimating.

 

On Fuji:

 

There's an index on a scale showing the estimated distance. This distance scale remains the same with every lens, no matter if it's a 12 or a 400 mm. I never saw same scales on lenses with such a variation. When manual focusing the index keeps on moving although I already stopped turning. You never see the minimal focus distance as the scales starts at 0.1 m, jumping to 0.5 - 1 - 1.5 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 10 - ∞. The space between 0.1 and 0.5 is about the same as between 5 and 10 m. Look at any prime lens or professional grade zoom lens and check the distance scale.

 

Two samples:

0.875 - 1 - 1.1 -1.3 -1.5 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 6  - ∞

0.27 - 0.35 - 0.5 - 1  - ∞

 

Both are f/1.8 lenses, one is 135 mm and the other 14 - but nobody had the idea to multiply the scale of the 14 mm to 2.7 - 3.5 - 5 - 10  - ∞ . It's not practical, that's why. And you cannot rely on them, that's the other why. I would not dare to set any focus wide open by these scales - and they show more steps in between than the Fuji.

 

Besides: What good is it to set the focus to, say 6 m, if I cannot estimate a 6 m distance myself? Of course, I can take my laser distance meter with me, but I need to aim it at something more or less rectangular to the laser beam. 

 

It would not hurt if you get yourself informed before you conclude what Canon and Nikon owners don't know - some of them do know a bit. And still make mistakes. 

All I said standard lenses have focus scale written on them, in total darkness you can focus to infinity by looking just on the lens barrel

focus by wire lenses don't have focus scale on them, some cameras like Sony A7 and surely many others show you the focus distance on the camera LCD and thus you can focus to the desired distance with the lens

Focusing to take this one  was a nightmare with 10-18 that focuses by wire, had t focus scale or did the camera write focus distance on the LCD things would have been much easier,, anyway I am not quite happy with the focus here, I should have focused a little further