In article <312e5b0d.1042146@nntp.ix.netcom.com>, obryk@ix.netcom.com says...
>John Gay wrote:

>> In March 96 Outdoor Photography, Galen Rowell states in his column
>>Photo Adventure, pg. 22: "Before autofocus, top photojournalists peaked in
>>their late 30s or 40s, just as their ability to focus on the ground glass
>>was starting to wane." How common is this problem? Being on the wrong side
>>of those ages, having just had an optometrist welcome me to the world of
>>bifocals, and considering buying a MF system, not being able to sharply
>>focus all those $$$$ in a few years would be disastrous. I did have
>>trouble focusing a Mamiya C330 but a Rolliflex 6006 with the 45 prism was
>>just fine (my wallet couldn't handle it!). Or is he just selling 35mm
>>Nikon autofocus? I won't be able to afford MF SLR autofocus when it
>>arrives anyway. Comments?

>I have managed this focusing problem for about 20 years now (first
>with a twin lens Rollei and for the last 8 with a Hasselblad) by
>having the viewfinder magnifying lens replaced from time to time with
>a correction lens ground to my latest optical prescription for less
>than $50. I am fortunate in having found old fashioned camera repair
>men (from Europe) who know how to do this.
>Autofocus is useless for landscape photography anyway.

I have myopia combined with astigmatism and age-related inability to
focus. (The astigmatism makes a diopter inserted into the camera
eyepiece impractical, since correction would be wrong with a 90 degree
turn of the camera for verticals.) Since I find tri-focals too awkward,
I had a pair of glasses made that corrected for four distances by
alternating corrections between the main lenses and the bifocals - which
has worked very well (infinity correction for non-camera eye, camera VF distance [about 4'] for the camera eye, next closest distance for the non-camera eye bifocal [25mm flat-top, set low], and the closest distance
set for the camera eye bifocal). It took about 2 weeks to feel comfortable
with night driving and movie watching, but for everything now,
continuous sharp focus has been restored, and I can see the camera
VF very sharply again. I highly recommend this solution - but be careful
with night driving at first (my camera eye, set for about 4' focus,
wanted to take over sometimes when subject detail was not sharp and
contrasty...). BTW, I consider a sharp VF GG screen (alas, newer ones
are getting worse...!) sharply seen (with good eyeglasses corrections)
still the easiest and most accurate way to focus (and it is good
enough to clearly see the AF errors that occur much of the time with
most AF camera focus systems).
Hope This Helps