Manual Focus

Manual Focus

In low light or when the subject has very little contrast auto focus may not work well or will not produce consistent results. Have you ever been in a situation where the auto focus “hunts” or takes so long that you miss the action? Or maybe the camera shifts the focus point with each new shot so that the subject is not consistently in focus. These are times when you need to take control.

The simplest way to take control of the focus is to set the camera in the Manual Focus mode. Many lenses have a switch on the side labeled AF/MF (or simply A/M). Many newer cameras have a menu setting for selecting Manual Focus. If you are not sure where to find the Manual Focus control consult your camera manual. Once you turn off the Auto Focus, turn the focus ring on the camera lens barrel while looking through the viewfinder* until the subject appears in focus.  For cameras with a live view or electronic eye level viewfinder there is usually an option to magnify the image to obtain a more critical focus. A few camera models may even have the magnification turned on by default. When you turn the focus ring on the lens you will automatically see a magnified image. Once you have the focus set depress the shutter release halfway to view the entire frame. At this point check your composition and then take the picture. Another feature in many recent camera models that can aid in manual focusing is called Focus Peaking**.

In the Auto focus mode most cameras by default will not allow you to release the shutter until the focus has been acquired. Occasionally you may miss a shot if the camera will not focus. When you are in Manual Focus the shutter can be released at any time. With your camera in Manual Focus you can anticipate the action and have the camera pre-focused on the subject.  When the action occurs just press the shutter release and the camera will fire immediately.

Manual Focus is best used when the camera to subject distance does not change and, when for the sake of consistency, you do not want the camera to arbitrarily shift the focus point.  I use Manual Focus whenever I am photographing landscapes with the camera on a tripod. I have chosen my focus point to attain optimal Depth of Field and do not want the camera to change the focus. I recommend you use Manual Focus for taking pictures at night or when photographing the stars and moon.

TIP – If subjects and information appear out of focus in the viewfinder you may have to adjust the diopter scale to your eyesight. Look for a wheel or slider next to the viewfinder and turn or slide it until the display appears clearly in the viewfinder. If you can’t locate the diopter adjustment consult your camera manual.

**  Focus Peaking is a focusing aid in live preview or electronic viewfinders on digital cameras that places a white or colored highlight on in-focus edges (contours) within an image using an edge detect filter.