AF vs Manual - When do YOU use it?

[DBA]

I shoot fast action sports (motocross) with a typical DOF of 6'ish feet and the subjects take up 5'ish feet. If I shot manual focus I'd be lucky to get one decent one out of a 1000. :lmao:

Single point AF-C is what I use.

1 out of a 1000 !! Then that would have to be very bad technique 6 feet DOF, man that is a lot, try inches and it gets tough. MF is all about technique and we used it for fast action long before AF came along and we still get a lot more than 1 out of a 1000 now days using MF Heck, I would give up at that ratio.

All the best and just out of interest, how many times have you tried it ??

Danny.

First off the 1 out of a 1000 was a joke...

Try inches? DOF is 6 ft and the subject is 5 ft deep/long, which would give you inches leeway front and back...

For example this corner shot:




Looking at old photos from my industry they didn't shoot with this shallow of a DOF or this tight either, which would make MF easier as you have more room to work.


Inside corner shots (like above) would be the easiest to shoot MF as that's about the slowest they'll go, otherwise you're going to have to follow them coming at (or away from) you at 30-45 mph. AF works for me so I'll continue using it, I don't see MF as a badge of honor.


AF does have a weakness in fast motion with low light though, missed this shot the first time.

 

[nzmacro]

Nice shots and darn good timing. Shallow DOF, the reason we got the MF long fast lenses is so that you can use a lower ISO and fast shutter speeds, which is still the same today. Otherwise we might as well get a less open lens and a lot cheaper at that. I shoot all my lenses fully wide open and the DOF for a lot shots would be .18 feet (.06 meters) so not a lot to play with. MF is not as hard as a lot of people think and no, you don't get a badge of honour for using it Some of us it just suits and that includes fast action.

All the best James and nice work there.

Danny.

 

[jayel993]

I use autofocus for the most part. I do use manual if the camera focuses on a subject I dont care for.

 

[table1349]

I use which ever tool, be it AF or MF , that is the best for the particular situation. Seems to work real well that way for me.

 

[CdTSnap]

I hardly ever use manual, unless im using a prime lens, like my 35mm just walking around the street. Then I like to use manual just for practice and total control. I feel like the shot is special when on manual mode with manual focus.

 

[limr]

I have a Canon point and shoot digital and I use AF on that because it's a major PITA to use that effing wheel on the back as MF.

Other than that, I don't have a single camera that has AF capabilities, so it's all manual all the time.

If I ever get a DLSR, I imagine I'll still use MF most of the time. It's what I'm used to and as others have suggested, the camera sometimes develops a mind of its own and insists on focusing on something I don't want. That drives me ever so slightly insane. Best to avoid insanity for as long as I possibly can.

 

[Civchic]

I was terrified of MF, thinking it would take sooooo long to focus I'd never get the shot. Then something clicked a couple of weeks ago while my lens was hunting, hunting, hunting (even on single point focus) for the right focus on a warbler through branches that it would be way quicker for me to focus on the little bird manually. Since then I've been turning off AF more and more often when the surroundings aren't good and the lens searches for focus.

 

[Bamps]

I personally only use manual for night shooting and to be honest, I am very new at that.

 

[greybeard]

I use AF most of the time. I set my D7000 to single point with the shutter release controlling focus hold. The only time I switch to manual is with Macro work.

 

[EIngerson]

I'm too lazy to manual focus.

 

[danicali]

I'm usually in AF and take most of my photos in that. I switch to manual when the lens isn't focusing on what I'm interested in focusing on. This can get tricky so I try to use it sparingly and only when I feel that I can capture something great with a different point of focus.

 

[SoulfulRecover]

MF when the camera I am using does not have AF or the AF keeps missing what I want and I have to do it myself.

 

[imagemaker46]

I use whatever it takes to get the images.

 

[Life]

MF with using smaller fstops (f11 and higher). For simple things AF works fine thought.

 

[bhop]

I generally focus manually only when i'm using a camera without autofocus capability. (rangefinders, old nikons, etc.) I don't really see the point in using MF when modern AF is so excellent. Exceptions might be if i'm shooting on streets, on the move and have my lens zone focused and set for f8 or smaller, or if my lens isn't focusing on what I want (usually with a long zoom, or shooting the other side of a fence)