Topic: Better Focus Manually or Automatically

[stevetoney]

I'm curious, do you DSLR photographers prefer manual focus over autofocus?

I'm finding that even with my very sharp Canon lenses, I'm liking manual focus more than auto.  Has more to do with image control, but also just making the things I want in the image the sharpest they can be.  If I am forced to rely on autofocus, seems more than not that the key subject of the image is a little softer, but I can say that I don't think it's a camera issue.  It's just that I think I'm able to do a better job than the camera.  Having said that, I used the 40D to shoot a concert a couple weeks back and the quick autofocus was awesome for the sake of just grabbing the shot as it happens without having to worry about setups. 

I guess I should qualify this statement by saying that when I look at my images, I'm constantly assessing my DOF, so I'm kinda freakishly anal about having the right DOF for my images.

Curious about other's feelings on auto versus manual.

[stirinthesauce]

with shallow depth of field shots and auto focus remember a couple things.  When focusing, focus on the eyes.  They are set back further in the head.  Means you will get the face and head in focus as well.  If you focus on the subjects body, often times the face will appear soft or out of focus.  Also remember that AF systems do not like low light situations so manual focus may in fact be your best bet.  Me, I love autofocus especially on my L glass.  Quick and quiet. 

How is your AF setup on your camera?  That too can make a difference.  Certain situations call for a different setup. 

[neutrino]

I use a Canon 5D and use auto-focus 99% of the time. I not familiar with the particulars of the 40D but I've found the focusing on the 5D to be highly accurate.

[Brian]

i'm a 40D owner(no L lenses FWIW) and i've *nearly always* had better results at concerts focusing manually. the only good lens i have for low light is a 50mm 1.4.  with a L zoom lens, it might be a different story. stirinthesauce's comment about focusing on the eyes of a subject is a great tip . That really improved my concert shots because i found that if i positioned myself right, the rest of the subject will be in clear focus as well.

now trying to get shots of my 1 year old son who can't stay still? that AF really comes in handy

[Red Boink]

I go manual focus, and aperture.  If you're familiar with photo fundamentals, you will always be better off being in charge of the technical parameters of an image.  The only time I use auto is with small point and shoot cameras and smaller, automated video cameras.  On the video cameras, the lens just goes around, there are no distance markers or infinity, or stops marked, so working with it in manual is a study in frustration.

But if you're working with an slr or a good 3chip video camera, you will have excellent manual controls, so use them.  If you don't know how, learn, and buy a camera which offers good control.

Best,


John

[sunjan]

I'm curious, do you DSLR photographers prefer manual focus over autofocus?

I'm finding that even with my very sharp Canon lenses, I'm liking manual focus more than auto. 

Good point!
Having shot concerts for 15 years with pure manual focusing (Nikon FM2), it was a major tradeoff for me when going DSLR.
I tried manual focusing with my D70, but it's just a pain, when there's no split-circle to guide me. I came to the conclusion I'll just have to take more shots with AF and discard the badly focused ones....

[stevetoney]

I tried manual focusing with my D70, but it's just a pain, when there's no split-circle to guide me. I came to the conclusion I'll just have to take more shots with AF and discard the badly focused ones....

Interesting points sunjan.  I'm wondering if you saw my post back a month or two ago asking about focus screens on Canon gear.  In that post, Sanjay pointed me to the following website, where you can buy a split circle focusing screen for most of the popular DSLRs on the market today...I plan to buy one of these for my 40D soon.

http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/

[sunjan]

you can buy a split circle focusing screen for most of the popular DSLRs on the market today...I plan to buy one of these for my 40D soon.

http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/

Neat!
This inspired me to do a search on ebay, and it turns out you can get custom focus screens for Nikon there too. Less than $20 incl shipping. ;-)
I'm jumping the gun on one of these. Thanks a million!

[Petrus]

I shoot professionally (30 yeaers now) and practically never focus manually. But I never shoot autofocus either. HOW COME?

I call it auto-assisted focus. I practically never just use all focusing points and let the camera deside for me. No, usually just one focusing point is selected, I place it where I want focus to be and autocomputerthingy built into the camera does the rest. So I focus (choose the place, for people always the closer eye) and the autofocus system assists me in getting it perfect, and fast.

One point to notice: It is possible that the body-lens combination constently focuses wrong. When I got my first Canon EOS-1D body the 85 f1.8 lens focused about 5 inches too close for head-and-shoulders shots. It took me a month to belive it was the camera and not an operator mistake. Service fixed it, and actually this is so common that EOS-1DmkIII body now has 20 presets for different lenses which the owner him/herself can do the calibration with no need to take the camera to shop. So if the autofocus shots are soft and manually focused are better, this could well be the reason.