When to manual focus?

ramkuma

ramkuma

Well-known member
Under what conditions would you want to manual focus? It seems that the auto focus does a fine job. The only time it has gotten funky on me is when filming a sunset.
 
ikander said:
I never use auto focus, as I like the control of manual.

To each his own, I guess. :-)
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Same here. I've never used auto... but it will take a bit of work to get to that point. A good zoom controller when on a tripod helps a lot.

I just don't like trusting a computer algorithm to decide when and what in my shot should be in focus.
 
Jordan_S said:
If you wish to obtain shallow depth of field, you will need to focus manually.
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You assumed my next question: to get the shallow depth of field look you would open up the iris? Correct? Are there any other things you would tweak to ge the shallow depth of field? Thanks!
 
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ramkuma said:
You assumed my next question: to get the shallow depth of field look you would open up the iris? Correct? Are there any other things you would tweak to ge the shallow depth of field? Thanks!
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Open up the iris, zoom in, and keep your background as far behind the subject as possible.
 
Ramkuma,

I thought you had Barry's book. Barry explains in detail how to minimize depth of field.

Regards,
Ken
 
AF is definitely useful in a lot of run 'n gun situations. In fact, it would be foolhardy to make it difficult for yourself if there was no benefit or reason, particularly when you've got a lot of other shti to worry about.
 
I admit it: I sometimes switch the cam to auto to get it "in the range" of my subject. Then I switch it to manual and fine-tune it from there. I often do the same with the iris.

For smooth rack focusing, this camera's ergonomics can really benefit from a follow focus mechanism.
 
ramkuma said:
What benefit do you get from manual focus?
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A lot. You have better control of depth of field and can often fine tune the shot. I have instances where I left auto focus on to record one person interviews in front of a busy background, only to fine that his/her light skin was sot in comparison to the back ground....as the AF focused the background instead of the subject.
That's just a couple of examples.
 
Autofocus is almost never used in a professional setting - you need to know where your focus is, be able to change it quickly , NEVER have your camera seeking focus as it will lose it sometimes. Look at the big cams and you will almost never see autofocus even be an option
 
ramkuma said:
What benefit do you get from manual focus?
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That's an easy one. You know what is actually in focus, rather than hoping the camera is auto-focusing on what you are 'hoping' would be in focus.

It's far too easy for the camera to focus on something in the foreground or background rather than the subject itself, especially if the subject is off centre (i.e. rule of thirds).

I've found that while the HMC AF is OK in some circumstances, there are many more that it simply cannot be relied upon - so I don't.
 
some weeks ago a hectic redakteur grabbed my cam HVX 201 and wanted to shoot himself, he switched to full auto and was mighty pleased when afterwards he saw that the face was out of focus because the background was so full of "info" ( sagrada familia in barcelona).....

I NEVER use AF !
 
I never use AF, even when I'm filming skiing and "following" the subject, because in that case I just widen the zoom all the way and focus on infinity. My camera has been on MF since the day I got it.

I love pulling a crisp focus - nothing pleases me more. Rack focuses too are impossible with AF. Just learn how to manually focus efficiently and you'll be all set.

If you want info on DOF, check out some of the tutorials in the 35mm adapter forum - there's a nice video outlining the aspects of DOF and what makes it; quite a good watch. Check it out if you have time.
 
I have always used manual focus, that is until last weekend when I was shooting kayakers. Using manual focus was almost impossible. As a last ditch effort I hit the auto focus switch (once I figured out where it was) and it did great. I had no further shots out of focus. I was really impressed that it was so accurate.
 
The first video camera I owned or used that had auto focus is my current GL2. I switch between auto and manual depending on circumstances, but due to the limited resolution of the EVF and LCD manual focus can be very hard to judge accurately sometimes, plus the focus encoder ring has no stops or reference points. The AF doesn't work very efficiently in low light and sometimes is a bit wonky on what it chooses to focus on. Fixed lens prosumer cameras have not generally been very good in this respect as far as my experieince.
The TV station Betacams and Ikegami HL95s I shot with professionally were strictly manual focus, but the high contrast high resolution monochrome EVF's were very easy to accurately focus by eye with.
With a good EVF or LCD and some of the focus assist tools available now on pro level cameras manual focus by a skilled operator will beat AF most of the time. It does take a bit of practice though. Focus is more critical and less forgiving with HD than it used to be with SD.
 
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