Unit Ten : Getting More Advanced with the Camera
The above photo was taken with an old manual film lens (Helios 44-2) adapted to a Fujifilm X-T10.Manual Focus
Autofocus technology has advanced significantly and, in most situations, will outperform a photographer’s ability to manually focus. For stills photography, relying on AF allows you to work faster and more efficiently, especially in fast-moving environments like street photography, sports, or wildlife, where precision and speed are key.
However, there are notable exceptions where manual focus becomes advantageous or necessary. In low light, such as when capturing the night sky in astrophotography, AF may struggle to lock onto a subject. Similarly, when shooting macro photography, where depth of field is razor-thin, manual focus gives you greater control over exactly what part of the subject is sharp.
Tilt-shift lenses, often used in architectural photography, require manual focus because of the unique way they manipulate the plane of focus. Budget lenses, which may have slower or less accurate AF systems, might also benefit from manual focus to achieve the sharpest results. Lastly, in video work, manual focus is often used to maintain consistent focus during movement, ensuring smooth transitions that autofocus can’t always guarantee.
Understanding when to switch from autofocus to manual focus can help you navigate a variety of challenging shooting conditions and produce sharper, more intentional results.
Using manual focus
Manual focus film cameras often included built-in focusing aids in the optical viewfinder to assist photographers in achieving sharp focus with greater speed and precision. These aids were crucial in the era before autofocus systems, allowing photographers to work confidently, even in fast-paced or challenging conditions.
One common focusing aid was the split-image rangefinder, which displayed a split view of the subject in the center of the viewfinder. When the subject was in focus, the two halves of the image would align, indicating sharpness. Another popular tool was the microprism ring, which surrounded the split-image area. When out of focus, the microprism would cause the subject to appear blurry or shimmer, and once the focus was correct, the shimmering would disappear, providing a clear signal of sharpness.
These focusing aids were particularly useful in fast-moving environments like street photography or portraiture, where achieving precise focus was critical to capturing a fleeting moment. Though autofocus has largely replaced these manual methods, many photographers still appreciate the tactile and deliberate nature of manual focusing with these aids, especially in classic or vintage cameras.
SLR Manual focusing demo
The following video demonstrates how the manual focus works on an older SLR (Minolta X-700 - my personal favorite SLR).
Video source: @ttcalan
Low Light
Your camera’s autofocus system relies heavily on the available light to detect contrast and lock onto a subject. It needs a certain level of brightness and contrast to perform efficiently. In well-lit environments, autofocus works quickly and accurately because the camera can easily detect differences in light and shadow, allowing it to pinpoint the subject and lock focus.
However, in low-light situations, the camera’s autofocus may struggle or fail to work entirely. This happens because there isn’t enough contrast for the autofocus system to differentiate between the subject and the background. As a result, the camera may hunt for focus, continually moving the lens back and forth without finding a clear point to lock onto. You might notice this in dimly lit rooms, at night, or during events like concerts, where artificial or uneven lighting complicates focus detection.
In extreme low-light scenarios—such as when shooting at dusk, indoors without adequate lighting, or in environments like astrophotography—autofocus may be so inconsistent that manual focus becomes necessary. Some cameras have features like an autofocus assist beam or the option to switch to higher-sensitivity AF modes, but even these have their limitations.
When you encounter poor autofocus performance in low light, switching to manual focus gives you complete control over where to set your focal point, ensuring that your subject remains sharp despite the challenging lighting conditions.
100% Magnification Live View
In challenging focus situations, like astrophotography or macro photography, using your camera’s Live View at 100% magnification can be a game-changer. When you enable Live View and zoom in on your subject, it allows you to fine-tune your focus with much greater precision than using the optical viewfinder alone. This feature is particularly helpful in low-light scenarios or when working with shallow depth of field, where even slight focus errors can be noticeable. By zooming in to 100% magnification, you can manually adjust focus until your subject is perfectly sharp, ensuring accuracy that’s hard to achieve otherwise.
When working in macro, keep in mind that as magnification increases, usable depth of field quickly shrinks. When taking macro photos, the plane of sharp focus is very thin, often a couple of millimeters. Generally, a human operator makes better use of that narrow DoF.
Bahtinov Mask
A Bahtinov mask is a popular focusing tool used in astrophotography to achieve precise focus on stars and other celestial objects. It’s a physical mask that fits over the front of your lens or telescope and creates a diffraction pattern when pointed at a bright star. This pattern produces three distinct spikes, and when the middle spike is perfectly centered between the other two, your focus is spot on. Once focus is achieved, you can remove the mask and proceed with your exposures. The Bahtinov mask is widely regarded for its simplicity and effectiveness, allowing even beginners to achieve sharp focus in the challenging conditions of night sky photography.
Tilt Shift
Tilt-shift lenses provide a unique way to manipulate both focus and perspective through manual control, making them valuable tools for specialized photography genres like architecture, landscapes, and product photography. Unlike regular lenses, tilt-shift lenses offer two key adjustments: tilt and shift, each serving a distinct purpose.
The tilt function adjusts the plane of focus by tilting the lens relative to the camera’s sensor. This allows you to manipulate depth of field more creatively than with a standard lens. You can achieve either an extended focus range, keeping both foreground and background elements sharp, or a selective shallow depth of field to emphasize specific parts of your image, often creating a “miniature effect.” This is particularly useful in product or landscape photography where controlling focus across different planes can be challenging.
The shift function, on the other hand, is used to correct perspective distortion, which is especially helpful in architectural photography. When photographing tall buildings, for example, vertical lines can appear to converge if you angle your camera upward. The shift function moves the lens independently from the camera body, ensuring that vertical lines remain straight, providing a more accurate and professional representation of the scene .
One key aspect of tilt-shift photography is that it’s entirely manual focus, requiring a more deliberate, slowed-down approach to composition. Mastering this technique takes practice, and many photographers find it beneficial to use a sturdy tripod to maintain precise control while making adjustments.
Additional reading on tilt shift:
Budget Lenses
If you can work without autofocus, there are several budget-friendly options for expanding your lens collection, and adapting older lenses is one of the most popular approaches.
Adapting Film-Era Lenses
Many photographers turn to vintage lenses from the film era, which can be easily adapted to modern digital cameras. These lenses, often made with high-quality glass and craftsmanship, are widely available and significantly cheaper than modern equivalents. Adapters for mounting old lenses onto digital bodies are affordable and can open up a whole new world of creative possibilities. With decades of lens production from brands like Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Minolta, you can find lenses in every focal length, aperture, and style, from portrait primes to telephoto zooms.
The process is relatively straightforward for many camera systems, especially mirrorless cameras, which are particularly adaptable due to their short flange distance. The only downside is the manual nature of these lenses—they lack autofocus, and you’ll also need to adjust the aperture manually in many cases. However, for those who enjoy a more hands-on approach to photography, the tactile experience and control offered by these lenses can be very satisfying .
Budget-Friendly Third-Party Lenses
In addition to vintage lenses, third-party manufacturers like Samyang (also known as Rokinon in some regions) produce manual focus lenses at a fraction of the cost of autofocus models. These modern manual lenses are often designed for niche uses, like astrophotography or portraits, where autofocus isn’t always necessary. They deliver high image quality at a lower price because they eliminate the electronics required for autofocus, making them an attractive option for budget-conscious photographers .