Need some pointers

[hamlet]

This picture is unedited straight from the camera.

I'm still fiddling around with my manual focus. Can you give me some criticism or advice? Today most op my shots were out of focus.

 

[480sparky46 45]

1/20sec is a bit long for 55mm. Upping the ISO to 400 would have allowed you to go to 1/80sec.

Not sure which lens you used, but a slower lens is harder to focus manually as the viewfinder is much darker.

I can't really tell if it's OOF, a soft lens, or if there's a bit of camera motion......... or a combination of any of those three.

 

[amolitor]

Well, I'd use autofocus, if it's available..

What sort of camera are you using? Without a replacement screen most "modern" cameras with an AF system cannot be reliably focused by eye. You have to rely on the AF system to give you feedback about when such and such a focus point, or whatever, is "in focus" anyways, so you might as well use the motor and let the system sort it out by itself anyways.

I use MF lenses on an AF body, and what I do is select single point AF, so the one little red dot in the finder that lights up is the place where the camera is going to be checking focus. Then I put that dot on the cat's nose or eye. Then I twiddle the lens until the camera says "ok, in-focus" (my camera has a handy little digital "rangefinder" thing that tells me which way to turn, which is nice). Then I recompose as-needed, and press the shutter release.

 

[hamlet]

Its my kit lens 18-55vr on the d3200.

 

[hamlet]

1/20sec is a bit long for 55mm. Upping the ISO to 400 would have allowed you to go to 1/80sec.

Not sure which lens you used, but a slower lens is harder to focus manually as the viewfinder is much darker.

I can't really tell if it's OOF, a soft lens, or if there's a bit of camera motion......... or a combination of any of those three.

In my viewfinder all my targets were clear and in focus. But my pictures are all blurry.

 

[480sparky46 45]

1/20sec is a bit long for 55mm. Upping the ISO to 400 would have allowed you to go to 1/80sec.

Not sure which lens you used, but a slower lens is harder to focus manually as the viewfinder is much darker.

I can't really tell if it's OOF, a soft lens, or if there's a bit of camera motion......... or a combination of any of those three.

In my viewfinder all my targets were clear and in focus. But my pictures are all blurry.

Once you've focused, move your focus ring ever so slightly... does the image still appear to be in focus? If so, then you've learned that relying on what 'looks' in focus isn't.

You may also have a back-focus issue with the lens.

 

[robbins.photo]

1/20sec is a bit long for 55mm. Upping the ISO to 400 would have allowed you to go to 1/80sec.

Not sure which lens you used, but a slower lens is harder to focus manually as the viewfinder is much darker.

I can't really tell if it's OOF, a soft lens, or if there's a bit of camera motion......... or a combination of any of those three.

In my viewfinder all my targets were clear and in focus. But my pictures are all blurry.

I guess my first question would be, is there a particular reason why your attempting to manually focus as opposed to using the autofocus? As someone else mentioned your shutter speed is awfully low here, and if you switched to manual focus mode as a result you also shut down the vibration reduction system at the same time. So for this shot to be nice and sharp using manual focus, you'd most likely need a much higher shutter speed. With no VR at that shutter speed you most likely introduced a lot of camera shake into the final image.

So you could switch on the AF and the VR and use the slower shutter speed, or increase your shutter speed (and ISO, if needed for proper exposure) to try and weed out some of the camera shake that is most likely softening your image.

 

[runnah]

I guess my first question would be, is there a particular reason why your attempting to manually focus as opposed to using the autofocus?

This!

 

[cosmonaut]

Study the Rule of Thirds and basic composition. It's all over the internet.

 

[480sparky46 45]

I guess my first question would be, is there a particular reason why your attempting to manually focus as opposed to using the autofocus?..........

Same reason you manually choose a certain ISO, shutter speed, aperture or white balance: You don't like what the camera chooses.

 

[amolitor]

I use the AF system to place the focus where I want it.

On my camera, without a replacement focusing screen, it's much more accurate than trying to do it "by eye".

ETA: This does demand an object to focus on at the correct range. For other situations, where I would be placing the focus point between two ranges, say, I would focus on one and then the other, and then manually place the focus at some midpoint. Again, I use the AF system to find the focus on the one range, and then the other, while manually turning the focus ring, and then manually find the midpoint. The AF system here pretty much just replaces the split prism gizmo in a good screen.

 

[hamlet]

I guess my first question would be, is there a particular reason why your attempting to manually focus as opposed to using the autofocus?..........

Same reason you manually choose a certain ISO, shutter speed, aperture or white balance: You don't like what the camera chooses.

Exactly right. its not to say i'm doing a better job now, but if i get this under my belt, i don't need to rely on the lens to focus for me once i have a practices hand. I am also questioning if its me or its the camera that's not focusing right. I will take some pictures and compare them to see.

 

[robbins.photo]

I guess my first question would be, is there a particular reason why your attempting to manually focus as opposed to using the autofocus?..........

Same reason you manually choose a certain ISO, shutter speed, aperture or white balance: You don't like what the camera chooses.

Well if you truly are that much of a purist, ok - but since your switching to manual mode which will disable VR if you want sharp photos with low shutter speeds you'd best use a tripod or a monopod. If you honestly think you can focus better based on what your seeing through the viewfinder and that your vision is stone cold perfect, your diopter is adjusted to perfection, and all the other variables involved (and there are tons) have been accounted for great. My vision isn't that sharp, nowhere near. I couldn't even begin to compete with the autofocus built into the camera. Not in my wildest dreams. Plus call me crazy but it seems silly to me to spend money on VR lenses and then disable the technology when it really isn't necessary. But hey, to each there own I guess.

 

[480sparky46 45]

........ but since your switching to manual mode which will disable VR .........

Must be a Canon thing.

 

[KmH]

DSLR cameras don't have the very effective in-the-viewfinder manual focusing aids, like a split-screen prism, SLR cameras had before AF became a routine feature in SLR cameras in the late 80's.

The D3200 has Rangefinder manual focusing mode, which is not available when Manual shooting mode is selected. (page 142 of the D3200 user's manual.)
When using Manual shooting mode, the D3200 will still light the in-focus indicator in the viewfinder when manual focus has been achieved at the selected AF point.