auto focus vs manual

[J G]

I use auto-focus because my eyes are not as good as they use to be lol, but I use manual when my camera is struggling to find the right AF point.

[pjrios]

I use it manual in low light conditions. When I want to ensure a "good" focus I use it auto.

[gturner]

I just don't trust my eyes and hardly ever take pictures of completely still objects

[romanplesko]

I use manual focus in two occasions:
- when shooting stationary objects on a tripod - I find it easier to focus on a non central point
- when shooting video - you can achieve better focusing on moving subjects then with autofocus

[DSmith]

I have always felt I wasn't really taking good pictures because I only use auto focus. I wear glasses and if I manually try to focus, everything is blurry. Auto focus seems to work best for me. Now I need to learn how to use my Photoshop Elements 10

Canon EOS Rebel XT

[gazsus]

All my auto focus lenses are slowly gathering a thick layer of dust, since the turn of the year I have been hooked on old manual lenses.
I don't remember how it started but I know my first lens was a Helios 44-2, bought for £11 on ebay. Being a thrifty Scotsman I liked the fact I was getting great glass for few pennies and did some research into manual focus lenses.
I now have a dozen or so and I haven't picked up an AF lens in months. I really wish I'd done this sooner, my enjoyment of photography has risen ten-fold.

Some folk will say certain types of photography are impossible with manual focus, eg fast, unpredictable action.
Not so.

Taken with old manual focus lenses;

Falconry with Kenlock 135 2.8 (lens test)-3 by Gaz Sutherland, on Flickr

Falconry with Optomax 135-2.8 @ 5.6-3 by Gaz Sutherland, on Flickr

Falconry with Optomax 135-2.8 @ 5.6-4 by Gaz Sutherland, on Flickr

[sk66]

I only use manual anything when I can't make the camera do what I want automatically. Hell, I have enough vision issues these days I can't be certain I'm seeing things right when working in post.

With autofocus I will sometimes focus on the "wrong point" in order to place the DOF where I want it.

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by sk66

I only use manual anything when I can't make the camera do what I want automatically. Hell, I have enough vision issues these days I can't be certain I'm seeing things right when working in post.

With autofocus I will sometimes focus on the "wrong point" in order to place the DOF where I want it.

+1..

The view finder is too small to accurately focus on anything. If I do hit it spot on in manual(which you do seem to have done Gazsus) it's usually because I preset my focus and waited for my subject to come into the field of focus.

Mind you, my M645 doesn't come with Auto anything, so I'm learning to become quite a good judge of exposure and quite fast with my manual focus.

[gazsus]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

+1..

The view finder is too small to accurately focus on anything. If I do hit it spot on in manual(which you do seem to have done Gazsus) it's usually because I preset my focus and waited for my subject to come into the field of focus.

Mind you, my M645 doesn't come with Auto anything, so I'm learning to become quite a good judge of exposure and quite fast with my manual focus.

I have tried to pre-focus with shooting those birds but I have a lot more success tracking and adjusting as I go. Keeper rate isn't particularly high but it's no worse than shooting with AF.
I'm now considering getting the focus screen changed to help, but they're not cheap (plus getting a pro to fit it) so maybe I'll keep lumbering along as I am.

[DanielLane]

It all depends on the subject matter. If I'm shooting a big landscape or something, it's auto. Same with portraits and the like. But when I get into macro photos, manual is so much easier to get the focus exactly where I want it. The main one for me with manual though is shooting the MMA fights. I shoot them often and always have to shoot through the cage at some really fast moving action. If I go auto, the camera will always find the cage before it finds the fighters, and I'm not there to shoot chain link fencing. And also with the unpredictable movements of the fighters, manual is easier since the camera is usually freaking out in auto when everything it tries to focus on jumps all over the place.