How to Use Manual Focus and When Should We Using It ?
Why we have to know about how to use Manual Focus (M or MF)? Even there is new autofocus technology? Actually we never know when we will need manual focus, sometimes we have situation when the autofocus failed in focusing , the focus points in a mess everywhere. And do you know that some expensive lens like Leica or Carl Zeiss don't have autofocus feature?
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When we need Manual Focus?
Most of Macro photographers using manual focus because its quite hard to lock the focus when the subject only 20 cm in the front of lens. Likewise when we shoot in tricky condition, like when we shooting subject in the behind of glass, or when we shoot moving subject that really fast and we just can predict the focus point to the direction where the subject will be come.
How to Use Manual Focus?
First Step : Switch to M
Firstly, set the focus position in lens, you can see the marking "M/A" or "AF/MF" in lens, switch on M position.
Second Step : Rotate The Focusing Ring
To determine where is the focus what you want, we just rotate the focusing ring. In lens usually there are 2 rings that you can rotate, if one of them is to zoom , so the other is to focusing ring, rotate it while your eyes on peek in viewfinder. Sometimes we have to rotate to the right and left while determine the area that you want to focusing really sharp.
Third Step : Use The Distance Scale
Lens is featured by distance scale in its body to help us in manual focus, when we shoot in low light condition, distance scale is very useful for us to predict where is the focusing ring must be rotated, to the right or left.
Fourth Step : Use LCD screen to check the sharpness
To check how sharp the photo result, check the photo result in LCD screen and zooming in and direct to area that we want to be sharp. Usually when we shoot the face, we must to check the sharpness in eyes area. Zooming in eyes area and repeat again if your shoot isn't sharp yet.
Manual focus directly proportional with your experiences, more you practise more fast you can do it and the result is more accurate. Veteran photographers usually can lock the focus in less than one second.
Best Of Lucks!
