To auto focus or not?

[billy_the_kid43]

It sounds like the majority believes that manual focus is a must for macro work and for most everything else default to auto focus giving room for the unknown where it may give you problems, in which case you take the time to manual focus.

Sound like I got this right?

 

[matfoster]

If I'm doing macro work, it's almost always manual and almost always by moving the camera rather than the focus ring.

yes, good point.

 

[williambarry]

I like to use auto focus to get close, then manually adjust. For candid shots though... I have to say sometime auto focus is just so much quicker

 

[matfoster]

street shots from the hip..mostly either AF or use zone-focus.

 

[vd853]

I only use MF when I shoot on a tripod, and usually with the help of live view and digital zoom; my eyes are just not good enough to focus manually, even on a tripod.

 

[LokiZ]

The two most often uses of manual for me is as everyone has pointed out close up shots.

But for me there is a twist. As others have mentioned with digital cameras manual focusing can be tougher then the older film cameras. (mine wers pentax k1000 and canon Ae-1 program. So for me if I am going to use manual focus I tend to do so where light is plentyful and abundant.

That for me is the soccer fields. I use manual focus then because the ball travels in both directions and changes at the drop of a hat quite often. I find it hard to use the center point as auto focal point and then get set up frame wise before the moment has passed. So I usually rely on manual focus instead.

Oh and I almost forgot I also use manual focus when doing low light night photography. A very big spot light and manual focusing. LOL.