Manual Focus Vs Auto Focus

[Derrel]

Many AF lenses have extremely hair-trigger manual focusing adjustment at distances beyond about 3 to 5 feet; with many AF lenses, a one-millimeter off mis-adjustment of the manual focusing ring can easily lead to a focus point that misses the subject distance by anywhere from a foot to 15 feet. MOST AF lenses have fairly sloppy manual focusing rings, and this makes it tricky to set the distance with precision and accuracy. Additionally, the in-camera viewfinder focusing screen in most D-SLR cameras is very bright, yet slightly low in contrast, and the "scatter" level of the screen's grind makes differentiating in-focus from out-of-focus much more difficult than the type of screens used in manual focus cameras from bygone eras. If you're focusing a lens using LiveView, then manually focusing can be pretty easy, esp. if the camera offers focus peaking. Overall though, for most people, using autofocus, and carefully selecting the AF bracket in use, and aiming it carefully, will lead to good focus most of the time.

Some lenses will be very challenging to focus accurately with high confidence in many situations, while other lenses will be relatively easy to focus manually in most scenarios; slow lenses, like f/3.5~5.6 small zooms like say 28-80mm cheapie, can be a real PITA to focus manually in light that is not very bright. Fast primes like 85mm f/1.4 will focus easily, same with 300mm f/4 lenses. Slow zooms like say the 70-300mm f/4.5~5.6 AF-Nikkor are easier to focus accurately at the long end, but not quite so easy to focus at the shorter end of their zoom.

The decision to focus manually using hand-and-eye is not to be taken lightly; focusing deliberately, but allowing the camera's focus drive motor or the lens's motor to drive the elements to the proper distance is usually the best thing, for most people; the more experience you have, and the more the lens works in your favor and not against you, the better manual focusing is likely to be.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Derrel, where have you been????? Anyway, I focus manually almost all the time. But you need to try it out and see what works best for you under what circumstances. And should be doing that and practicing and getting good at it so you know what to do looong before you think about taking on clients. (Weren't you talking about clients in another thread?? if not then nm, I might be thinking of someone else...)

 

[480sparky]

I'm-a hankerin' fer some manual-focus lenses, which I will eventually obtain, so then I will have no option but to focus manually. Meanwhile, since my current setup will focus acceptably, I just let it.

None of your lenses have the option to turn off AF?

 

[Designer]

I'm-a hankerin' fer some manual-focus lenses, which I will eventually obtain, so then I will have no option but to focus manually. Meanwhile, since my current setup will focus acceptably, I just let it.

None of your lenses have the option to turn off AF?

Yes, but since they focus without any help from me, I just let them.

 

[Advanced Photo]

I use A/MF and let the auto get close and refine with manual takeover.

 

[Causapscal]

I can use an excellent vintage lenses with manual focus and the Zeiss or Leica lenses. The Sony A7 series was great for that.

 

[table1349]

Unless you want to install a new focus screen in your DSLR, modern cameras really aren't made for manual focus. Micro/macro is the one exception where it is generally preferred, but for most shots AF would by far be preferred. Back in the days of split screen focus screens manual focus was easy and fast. Now it is better to stick to AF for most things.

 

[Alexr25]

Great images were taken long before the advent of AF. Just saying.

Very true, however long before the advent of AF both cameras and lenses were designed to be focused manually. The cameras had focusing aids built into the focusing screens and lenses had 180 - 270 degrees of rotation allowing fine focus adjustment.
The present crop of digital cameras and lenses are not designed for manual focusing, they have plain matte focus screens without any focus aids and the lenses go from close-up to infinity in a 1/4 turn, if you're lucky, 1/8 turn if its a cheap kit lens.
There are those that say you can turn off the AF and use the focus indicator in the viewfinder but if you do that you may as well go the whole hog and let the AF motor focus the lens for you, its going to do it a lot faster and a lot more accurately than you can do it manually.

 

[EIngerson]

Never understood the "always shoot manual mode" thing. Is that some sort of status? or just not knowing how your camera works?

 

[480sparky]

........... its going to do it a lot faster and a lot more accurately than you can do it manually.

Maybe, maybe not. AF misses focus more than you think. I hope you don't honestly think AF is 100% accurate.

Yeah, it usually focuses on something, but not always what I want the point of focus to be.

 

[zombiesniper]

I always find it funny when this topic comes up.
There are 3 basic types of shooters that come up in these threads.
Auto shooters. Always auto. Normally because they haven't found a reason to shoot manual or are to afraid.
Those that shoot whatever to get the shot....
And the "I always shoot manual." crowd.

The first two normally don't care what you do as long as it works.........not so much with the elite crowd that must point out that "Great photo's were taken before AF." Well great crops were grown before the tractor and if farmers had that attitude we'd all be starving.

It's fine and dandy that you shoot manual but quit going all vegan about it. You won't convert or impress people with your religious quoting of photographers past. There's a place for everyone.

P.S. If you must know 99.9999% of the time I shoot auto focus. Why? You aren't going to beat the auto focus for birds in flight. Don't care who you are.

 

[480sparky]

I always find it funny when this topic comes up.
There are 3 basic types of shooters that come up in these threads.
Auto shooters. Always auto. Normally because they haven't found a reason to shoot manual or are to afraid.
Those that shoot whatever to get the shot....
And the "I always shoot manual." crowd.

The first two normally don't care what you do as long as it works.........not so much with the elite crowd that must point out that "Great photo's were taken before AF." Well great crops were grown before the tractor and if farmers had that attitude we'd all be starving.

It's fine and dandy that you shoot manual but quit going all vegan about it. You won't convert or impress people with your religious quoting of photographers past. There's a place for everyone.

P.S. If you must know 99.9999% of the time I shoot auto focus. Why? You aren't going to beat the auto focus for birds in flight. Don't care who you are.

Not trying to convert anyone. Just stating facts.

If AF is what floats your boat, paddle on. If MF is your only way to go, go right ahead. If you are a switch hitter, that's fine too.

If we all actually took the same attitude you claim we 'religeous vegan nut-jobs' profess, no one would be shooting digital either.

 

[table1349]

I always find it funny when this topic comes up.
There are 3 basic types of shooters that come up in these threads.
Auto shooters. Always auto. Normally because they haven't found a reason to shoot manual or are to afraid.
Those that shoot whatever to get the shot....
And the "I always shoot manual." crowd.

The first two normally don't care what you do as long as it works.........not so much with the elite crowd that must point out that "Great photo's were taken before AF." Well great crops were grown before the tractor and if farmers had that attitude we'd all be starving.

It's fine and dandy that you shoot manual but quit going all vegan about it. You won't convert or impress people with your religious quoting of photographers past. There's a place for everyone.

P.S. If you must know 99.9999% of the time I shoot auto focus. Why? You aren't going to beat the auto focus for birds in flight. Don't care who you are.

Not trying to convert anyone. Just stating facts.

If AF is what floats your boat, paddle on. If MF is your only way to go, go right ahead. If you are a switch hitter, that's fine too.

If we all actually took the same attitude you claim we 'religeous vegan nut-jobs' profess, no one would be shooting digital either.

We wouldn't even be shooting film, we would all be shooting wet plates.

 

[480sparky]

I always find it funny when this topic comes up.
There are 3 basic types of shooters that come up in these threads.
Auto shooters. Always auto. Normally because they haven't found a reason to shoot manual or are to afraid.
Those that shoot whatever to get the shot....
And the "I always shoot manual." crowd.

The first two normally don't care what you do as long as it works.........not so much with the elite crowd that must point out that "Great photo's were taken before AF." Well great crops were grown before the tractor and if farmers had that attitude we'd all be starving.

It's fine and dandy that you shoot manual but quit going all vegan about it. You won't convert or impress people with your religious quoting of photographers past. There's a place for everyone.

P.S. If you must know 99.9999% of the time I shoot auto focus. Why? You aren't going to beat the auto focus for birds in flight. Don't care who you are.

Not trying to convert anyone. Just stating facts.

If AF is what floats your boat, paddle on. If MF is your only way to go, go right ahead. If you are a switch hitter, that's fine too.

If we all actually took the same attitude you claim we 'religeous vegan nut-jobs' profess, no one would be shooting digital either.

We wouldn't even be shooting film, we would all be shooting wet plates.

 

[table1349]

Everyone knows that you can't get instant film for the Polarock camera the days.