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July 7, 2012
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Replies: 17

Manual or auto focus?

Forums > Art Related > Photography
:iconadamalexanderking:
=AdamAlexanderKing Jul 7, 2012  Professional Photographer
I've had my camera for about 10 months now, I'm feeling pretty confident using manual settings and I've started using Manual focus more over the past couple of weeks.

I've not encountered limitations using auto, as far as I'm aware. So I'm interested to know who uses manual settings and reasons for doing so. Is it just personal preference or are there other reasons?

Thanks in advance for your input!
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:iconmeowpic:
~MeowPic Jul 9, 2012  Hobbyist Photographer
I've learned how to use my autofocus to my advantage. I have it so it only focuses on the centre point of a photo. So I'll move the camera to focus on what I want, then compose the frame again. This helps so I can choose what I want to focus on while still being accurate.

However, autofocus acts up sometimes. I'll switch to manual. I try to never do it with my 50mm lens though because I always seems to think it's focused, and it turns out not to be. My other lenses are a lot more forgiving.
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:iconpiadabbak:
~PiaDabbak Jul 8, 2012  Hobbyist Photographer
Manual, sometimes an out of focus photograph is stunning in a given situation, something you cant achieve with auto-focus, plus anyone can just hold a DSLR with auto focusing and auto mode and just walk around pressing the shoot button, that's not art, that just dumb.
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:iconjuliannecrea:
*juliannecrea Jul 8, 2012  Student Photographer
Manual. Maybe it's because I started off with a film camera with no auto. Now with my DSLR I know better than the camera does what I want to focus on. Also, it's quicker for me to do it myself.
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:iconaureusocularis:
!AureusOcularis Jul 8, 2012
I use both. Depending on what I'm shooting. Using AF all the time isn't the very best idea in my opinion. Sometimes you simply have to use manual focus.
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:iconworldwar-tori:
~WorldWar-Tori Jul 8, 2012   Photographer
I use both. Depends on what I'm doing (and more-so if I have my contacts in)
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:iconphotomark:
~photomark Jul 8, 2012  Hobbyist Photographer
Never had an auto focus camera
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:iconfallisphoto:
`FallisPhoto Jul 8, 2012
If you are used to focusing manually, you wouldn't like it anyway.
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:iconadamalexanderking:
Mood: Love =AdamAlexanderKing Jul 8, 2012  Professional Photographer
Thanks guys, you've given me some food for thought. :D
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:iconfuzzypiggy:
*Fuzzypiggy Jul 7, 2012  Hobbyist Photographer
Used to shoot auto focus all the time but when I got my latest camera, a Canon 5D MkII last year, I found the auto-focus is absolutely bloody terrible and I had no choice but to learn to manual focus! I also learned about hyperfocal distances and using manual focus to ensure point to point sharpness and it's made a huge difference, I now use manual focus about 98% of the time. The only time I use auto focus is when I am purely handholding and it's a very fast moving situation, a big event with a big crowd or if it's raining while hand-holding and I am trying to avoid spots on the front element.
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:iconkintarotpc:
~Kintarotpc Jul 7, 2012  Hobbyist Photographer
I use auto focus when shooting birds and people, usually manual focus when doing landscape or really anything that's not moving. I used to do macro and would manually focus then as well but I don't shoot macro anymore.

The autofocus, particularly on my telephoto lens, is way faster than I can focus and is dead accurate every time if I do it right. Yes, there is a difference in the way you should use your autofocus. Namely aiming for areas of contrast that are near where you want to focus if you can't get a good focus or know you won't get a good focus on what you want.
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