Auto or Manual Focus?

Trenton Romulox · May 21, 2007

What do you guys use?

I always use manual focus. I don't know why, but I always do. I like the challenge of having to focus quick and pay close attention to what I'm shooting. Sure, I mess up shots, but it's fun to me, to have that extra challenge. And you don't always know what your shots are gonna look like till they are uploaded onto the computer, fun stuff! I did sports shooting this weekend at 300mm on a 70-300mm lens, that was a nice challenge right there.

But what do you all do, manual or auto focus the majority of the time?

ksmattfish · May 21, 2007

Manual focus all the time. I find it troublesome to go back and forth between AF and manual focus. I get used to one, and then I'm sluggish with the other. Most of my cameras are manual focus only. Of my AF cameras there's only one where I really trust the AF. It's just easier for me to stick with manual focusing all the time.

Sw1tchFX · May 21, 2007

Autofocus all the time. My eyesight isn't good enough to manually focus.

deadtoaster2 · May 21, 2007

Auto-focus, unless I am doing night photography... then manual.

spazoid1965 · May 21, 2007

I don't have any auto focus lenses. Nor do I want any.

Iron Flatline · May 22, 2007

Manual focus on the Leica, when I'm shooting creatively for myself.

Auto focus with the Canon, when I'm shooting the kids.

Alex_B · May 22, 2007

AF if it does the job, when AF is not reliable, such as : complex composition, Macro, low light, then I focus manually. couldn't give a percentage, depends on the day

Steph · May 22, 2007

I only have one camera with autofocus (Canon EOS 50E + 24-85mm). I don't like the autofocus so much and I find it hard to focus manually (poor viewfinder). All my other cameras are manual focus and I very often use hyperfocal focusing (I shoot mainly landscapes). To me, it is almost impossible to use hyperfocal focusing on autofocus zooms as there are not any distance markins on the lens barrels.

darich · May 22, 2007

Like some others - AF most of the time.
I only use MF when light is low, low contrast, complex subject (eg tree branches).
On the L lenses i have, they're always set to "AF on" but i can manually focus them without switching the AF off. IT's also easier that i use * button to focus to so pressing the shutter halfway down doesn't alter the focus.

EOS_JD · May 22, 2007

AF mostly. Onl;y time I use MF is when in low light and using a wide angle lens. I use flash and set focus to 1.5m and aperture to f5.6 and just shoot (just about everything is in focus then).

Garbz · May 22, 2007

AF is just that. It automates what I used to do manually. It is dead accurate 99% of the time when it picks the right subject. It is far better than I could ever do seeing how most modern cameras have no split prism mirror. It's very fast too.

Mind you if it so much as starts selecting the wrong subject I just grab the ring and overwrite it. It is fantastic but it's not perfect.

usayit · May 22, 2007

Of course if its an old camera... manual focus. Especially with rangefinders... so easy to focus.

With the Canon EOS system.. AF almost all the time. Its quick with USM lenses and pretty darn accurate. Not to mention they took away the split screen/prism focus screens used in old manual cameras.

Alex_B · May 22, 2007

usayit said:
With the Canon EOS system.. AF almost all the time. Its quick with USM lenses and pretty darn accurate. Not to mention they took away the split screen/prism focus screens used in old manual cameras.

I think for some EOS cameras you can get a screen dedicated for manual focussing ...

sabbath999 · May 22, 2007

What is this "focus" thing I am hearing about these days... is it some new fangled thing you young whippersnappers have come up with?

Let me assure you, there ain't no a such a thing as focus on my pinhole camera...