Manual Focus

N

Naguya

New member
I own the DVX 100A and I usually always shoot in manual focus. When I am using manual focus, I usually never use the manual focus ring, but rather hold down the auto focus button for a few seconds to secure focus when I need it. For some reason, I trust this method over my own eye and using the manual ring. I have talked to many videographers who also do this.

My question is, "What do you think about this method of securing focus?"

Any feedback would be most appreciated.
 
David Jimerson said:
It's a way to go. But it doesn't teach you how to focus manually, and you can't do things like rack focus that way.
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Not to mention that if you're shooting 24p, the auto-focus takes too long; you could get proper focus a lot faster by using the focus ring.
 
I suppose that's all right if you can be sure that's it actually going to be focusing on what you want it to focus on. If you're moving the camera around in shot and need to change the focus in shot, then it'll definitely be much too slow.
 
There are three ways to go: 1) full manual focus, 2) manual focus with focus assist, and 3) full auto focus.

Each of them are useful in different circumstances. I like using autofocus to perform a smooth slow rack focus by controlling the framing to manipulate the focus. Also, if I'm shooting handheld I'll sometimes concentrate on framing and let the autofocus run. The rest of the movement in the scene tends to cover the autofocus shifts.

Manual focus with focus assist (what you described), is great when the subject is stationary, but not in the center of the frame. So I'll frame up the actor in the center, use focus assist to set the focus, and then reframe the shot with the actor off-center. This is really handy, fast, and reliable.

Full manual focus gives the most control and also the best chance of messing up the shot. I prefer it for faster rack focus and when I need to choreograph focus to match blocking in the shot and need that kind of control.
 
It's not a bad way to go but in 24p, it's way faster just to do it manually. I rather trust me own eyes than a sensor. Plus depending on your frame, you might get an inaccurate focus (it might be focusing on the wrong portion of the frame). Manual focusing is pretty accurate if you do the zoom in, focus, zoom back out method. When it comes to professional/prosumer video/filmography, the more you can directly control your picture, the better.
 
Thanks for all the feedback.

I am a documentary videographer and I usually have very little time to set up the perfect shot. Stylistically, I shoot cinema verite, also known by the phrase, "fly on the wall." I usually always shoot handheld, so for this reason, I find the auto focus assist button very helpful.

Andy, you mentioned that you sometimes shoot in autofocus mode when shooting handheld so that you can focus on framing.

I am curious to know how others obtain focus when they are shooting handheld. If you were on the run, shooting handheld, would you prefer manual focus mode or auto mode?

Thanks.
 
To aid in precise focusing you can turn on the Env Dtl (also called peaking) on the DVX. Frame your shot, zoom in all the way (tele-mode), open up the iris all the way, focus manually with the focus ring until the subjects/objects in the scene have a clear, sharp outline around them. Note what is the focus number. This is critical focus. Then zoom out & adjust your iris optimally.

While shooting handheld, I prefer to adjust focus manually with the focus ring.
 
And that means that the DVX lens doesn't get out of focus by zooming, right? In photography I have seen many zoom lenses where the subject shifts out of focus when you go from tele to wide.
 
Naguya said:
Thanks for all the feedback.

I am a documentary videographer and I usually have very little time to set up the perfect shot. Stylistically, I shoot cinema verite, also known by the phrase, "fly on the wall." I usually always shoot handheld, so for this reason, I find the auto focus assist button very helpful.

I am curious to know how others obtain focus when they are shooting handheld. If you were on the run, shooting handheld, would you prefer manual focus mode or auto mode?
Click to expand...

A lot of my work is documentary/verite/reality shooting, and I never use auto-focus. Either I zoom in to full telephoto on the subject to check my focus, then zoom back out to my chosen focal length, or, at wider focal lengths, if I don't have the time to zoom in to check the focus, I guesstimate the distance to the subject and set the focus accordingly (knowing approximately the distances represented by the arbitrary 0-99 focus scale on the DVX or the ff/mm scale on the HVX.

Given DV's large depth of field (compared to 35mm film), in wider shots, the focus doesn't have to be spot on. I find that manual focus is not only usually faster (if you're shooting 24P) but more accurate than the auto; as previous posters have mentioned, the auto focus can easily be fooled into focusing on something other than your subject, especially when you're shooting handheld and moving around a lot. Nothing quite as annoying as auto-focus hunting, with the image drifting in and out of focus as the camera searches for the proper focus.
 
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