Manual focus practice?

[white]

Ok, so here's my issue... I am trying to force myself to learn the basics of photography, and manually focusing has been a HUGE frustration for me. For some reason, I always seem to miss the focus, just by a little bit, when compared to the AF. The AF gets it right 98ish percent of the time (the other 2% is usually user error, wrong focus mode, AF point, or just miss it, ect.) But when I take a photo using MF, I always seem to miss it by just that tiny margin, blowing my ability to crop the picture very much. I will play with the focus until it looks tack sharp to me in the viewfinder, release the shutter, then review the image and shed a few tears... Like I said, I only miss it by a teeeeeny tiny bit, but miss it none the less. Given that my camera does so well on AF, I think it's safe to eliminate the camera as the problem, leaving quite obviously...me. Am I going nuts? Or is this a learning curve most new photographers go through? Does anyone have tips or tricks I could use to practice? Or things that may be particularly easy to practice on?

It is much easier to focus my film SLR/rangefinders than my dSLR. I love how most of the basic information on old SLRs is not included on some lower-end dSLR stuff, and I especially like how the manual focus indicator is a stupid green dot in the lower left corner.

Seems like consumers are being nickled and dimed for features that came standard years ago.

/rant

 

[...take the shot!]

Just my 2 cents.
Ever since I got my D3000 I always used the manual focus, its just my personal liking.
I hate automatics, with cameras, cars, even playing car based video games, lqtm.
And I hate my view finder, I wish it had live view.
The way I shoot is I just twist the manual focus ring back an forth until it looks sharp, and then ill do it again just to be sure, all before I take the picture.
I agree with the diopter comments and practice-x3.

 

[rusty9]

well i assume that you were using one of the kit lenses listed in your signature. those lenses have cheap manual focus rings. it is easier with a lens of better quality.

 

[crimbfighter]

I do mostly use the kit lenses, but I also now have a 35mm f/1.8G AF-S (which I'm pretty sure is meant to MF as well as AF) and a 50mm f/1.8G AF.

Thankyou all for the great suggestions, and explanations of how these modern DSLR's work. Certainly gives me a lot more to work with (and practice with).

And I do remember the old days with those split image screens. I didn't even make the connection until you mentioned something about them, Graystar. I can definitely see how modern DSLR's weren't meant to be manually focused if they take such effective tools away which aided manual focusing, at least on the lower end models, anyway.

 

[supraman215]

Auto focus doesn't work well in all lights. and my auto assist beam doesn't always go on, sometimes it goes back and forth. My 35mm is the worst about it.

 

[burstintoflame81]

Do you need glasses? I don't mean that as a crack, but seriously, maybe get an eye exam. Also check the diopter as stated. Try using live view so you have a bigger image to work with. Also, try using your f/1.8 lens, the view finder will be brighter. Start with that lens and then work your way to the harder stuff.

Also, its good to practice if you do alot of shots that may require this. However, unless AF is chasing due to low light. or if you are doing macro with insane depth of field, there is really no reason you should be using MF on a modern dSLR. Thats like push starting your car and popping the clutch everytime you need to go to the store for milk instead of using the ignition, just because you may have to do it someday if your battery dies.

These cameras have these features for a reason and they are tools to make your job easier, faster, and more consistent. Just as you said about user error, the more you remove the human element, the more consistent things become. I not going to chop down a tree by attaching a sharpened rock to a stick, I am going to use a chainsaw ( ok I just wanted to get one more analogy in ) .

 

[LarryD]

If you want to practice with the focus of your modern DSLR, read about how many focusing points you have and how to quickly navigate between them.

Sometimes you want them all on, like for broad landscapes, other times you have a distinct subject and want to only use the center point, or one of the offset points if you choose to frame the subject left or right of center...

Do this with your metering also. Many DSLR's have center weighted, spot, and matrix average.......... there is a time where one if more valuable than the other.......

Knowing how everything works, and when to use it, on your camera is as important as knowing how to manually adjust these things to achieve what you want..

 

[crimbfighter]

Do you need glasses? I don't mean that as a crack, but seriously, maybe get an eye exam. Also check the diopter as stated. Try using live view so you have a bigger image to work with. Also, try using your f/1.8 lens, the view finder will be brighter. Start with that lens and then work your way to the harder stuff.

Also, its good to practice if you do alot of shots that may require this. However, unless AF is chasing due to low light. or if you are doing macro with insane depth of field, there is really no reason you should be using MF on a modern dSLR. Thats like push starting your car and popping the clutch everytime you need to go to the store for milk instead of using the ignition, just because you may have to do it someday if your battery dies.

These cameras have these features for a reason and they are tools to make your job easier, faster, and more consistent. Just as you said about user error, the more you remove the human element, the more consistent things become. I not going to chop down a tree by attaching a sharpened rock to a stick, I am going to use a chainsaw ( ok I just wanted to get one more analogy in ) .

My vision is 20/10, but that would have been a good place to start!

I liked the analogies, it's definitely a good point of view to consider.
Thanks

 

[Petraio Prime]

Ok, so here's my issue... I am trying to force myself to learn the basics of photography, and manually focusing has been a HUGE frustration for me.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this, but modern SLRs were not meant to be manually focused, so they don't have split-image focusing screens. A split-image screen has a circle in the middle that looks like it's cut in two, and the images you see in the two sides of the circle are misaligned. You adjust your focus until the images are aligned. This, BTW, is exactly how your camera auto-focuses.

This is the old way of focusing...cameras used to have split-image screens, but not anymore. You can buy a split-image screen and install it in your D5000 if you really want to manually focus, but I'd just use auto-focus.

We have mentioned it, several of us.

 

[AlexL]

You can practice (at least on the canons I know) by pressing the shutter half way and when your manual focus is right, the AF point is going to flash.

That way you can see the manual focus is correct or not.

 

[Petraio Prime]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this, but modern SLRs were not meant to be manually focused, so they don't have split-image focusing screens. A split-image screen has a circle in the middle that looks like it's cut in two, and the images you see in the two sides of the circle are misaligned. You adjust your focus until the images are aligned. This, BTW, is exactly how your camera auto-focuses.

This is the old way of focusing...cameras used to have split-image screens, but not anymore. You can buy a split-image screen and install it in your D5000 if you really want to manually focus, but I'd just use auto-focus.

We have mentioned it, several of us.

Only the first responser noted that “newer cameras don't seem to have the same little focus helpers in the middle of the frame that the old ones used to” but didn’t identify it as a split-image focuser, and said nothing more of it. No one made the point that modern SLRs are not meant to be manually focused, that a split-image focusing screen is necessary for manual focusing, or that one can be bought and installed in the camera.

Stating that "lower-priced SLRs don't have good focusing screens" is not the same. The problem is not the quality of the screen, but it's design. No one explained the design issue.

You're nitpicking. Several of us have mentioned that the screens of the cheap SLRs are not that good for manual focussing, for whatever reasons. It doesn't matter why...they are just not that good. Get a Leicaflex if you want to see what a focussing screen should look like.