Manual Focus in Photography

Have you ever cursed your camera for missing that special moment in the streets? Do you ever struggle to get the subject quickly in focus before the fleeting moment is lost forever in the aether? Well then why not try manual focus?

Manual focus might seem like a daunting prospect, but it is not as difficult as it sounds and it can really open up many possibilities when it comes to street photography. The main advantage of manual focusing over autofocus is speed.

Yes, it can be faster to manually focus rather than letting the camera seek focus automatically, regardless of whether you’re shooting with a high grade camera body or not (sports photography, certain wildlife photography, etc. are exceptions due to the erratic motion of the subjects).

This is especially true in good light because it allows for shooting at f/8 or f/11. At small apertures the depth of field, or DOF, becomes large. Also, with sharp lenses, one does not need to nail focus exactly on the subject. Even if focus is slightly off, the subject will be sharp due to the large DOF. When using auto-focus, the camera will search for perfect sharpness which increases the time required to focus.

With practice, one can very quickly guess the approximate best focus with great speed and accuracy. In addition, depending on the auto-focus settings (matrix, spot, etc.) the camera might not focus on the desired point in the frame. The photographer has more control over what should be in focus, and most importantly can make the decision more quickly with manual focus. There’s no need to mess around with focus select points and little joysticks on the back of the camera body. Selecting the focus point happens instantly in your mind.

What Is Manual Focus?

Manual focus is the process of adjusting the depth of field of a camera lens to bring an image into focus without relying on autofocus or other technical aid. For most of the twentieth century, manual focusing was the only method of focusing a camera until autofocus became a standard feature of more modern cameras in the 1980’s. Most professional photographers continue to forgo using an autofocus system because manual focusing allows them maximum control over their images.

How to Use Manual Focus for Sharp Shots

Switching to manual focus is as easy as flipping that switch on the lens barrel. Getting your subject sharp, however, isn’t quite so simple. So how do you get a sharp shot with manual focus? There are a few tricks and techniques that increase the probability of getting a sharp shot.

• Use Live View instead of the viewfinder

Typically, it’s easy to see if a shot is sharp or not by using the LCD screen instead of the viewfinder. Start by turning Live View on, it’s in the menu for most Canon cameras and with a LV shortcut button on most Nikons.

Live View comes in handy—click the button with the magnifying glass to zoom in on your subject (on most cameras, you can click more than once to get in even closer). Use the arrow keys to move your view if the subject isn’t in the center. When you are zoomed in on your subject, it’s easier to see if the subject is sharp as you turn the focus ring.

• Try pre-focusing for action

While autofocus is usually best for action shots, there are a few scenarios where manual focus still wins out; like macro with a moving subject or shooting a race through a fence. How do you get a sharp shot without missing the moment?

Pre-focusing on a distance where you expect the subject to be allows you to capture shots with manual focus quickly. This means focusing on a flower before the bug lands on it, or focusing on a nesting area in wildlife photography. Of course, this method only works with subjects that have predictable movement patterns. Remember as you set your prefocus that manual focus is based on distance, so be sure to choose a distance that you expect your subject to be at momentarily.

• Use Camera-Assisted Manual Focus

Camera manufacturers know how difficult it is to use manual focus, so many of them equip their cameras with features to help. On a Nikon camera, watch the bottom left corner of the viewfinder as you rotate that focus ring. When your image is in focus, a circle will appear, when it’s not, there are arrows indicating which direction you should adjust. To get that focus assist to really help, use the single point focus area mode and move the point over your subject.

On a Canon camera, the focus point that is in focus will light up when the proper focus is achieved. A focus confirmation light will also turn on.

Many mirrorless cameras with electronic viewfinders also come equipped with focus peaking. This feature highlights the part of the image that’s in focus in red, so you can see where your focus lies. Look for the feature in your camera menu to adjust just how it works and to turn it on and off.

Manual focus is a great tool—but it does take some practice and the right techniques to master. Switch to manual focus on your DSLR by using the switch on the lens and turning the front ring to adjust. Using Live View and zooming in on the subject makes it easier to get sharp shots. If your subject is moving, try pre-focusing on a spot where you anticipate they will be. And, get to know your camera’s manual focus assistance features. Like learning manual modes, switching off autofocus requires some practice, but it is often worth the results.

Advantages of Manually Focusing Your Photography

There are particular instances when manual focusing is especially useful and autofocus should be avoided. Some of these include:

1. Low light conditions: Autofocus is not very good at picking up focus in low light conditions. If you’re planning on shooting in low light, you’ll probably want to opt for manual focus.
2. Focus stacking: Focus stacking is a method of ensuring that your final image is in focus by taking multiple shots of the same frame with different focuses. After you’ve taken the images, you can stitch them together using photo editing software to ensure that the entirety of your image is in focus. If you’re focus stacking, you’ll want to use manual focus to make subtle adjustments for each of your shots.
3. Selective focusing: Sometimes you are trying to focus selectively on a small depth of field that your autofocus mode might not know to adjust to. In this instance, you might have to use manual focus in order to focus on the element you are trying to highlight.
4. Low contrast: Autofocus is most useful when you are shooting images with high contrast. If you’re shooting something that has a lower level of contrast then autofocus is less likely to produce a sharp image.
5. Focus shift: Focus shift is a focusing issue that is exacerbated by autofocus. Certain autofocus systems switch to maximum aperture when taking focus before stopping down to your intended aperture. This can skew the focus when using lenses that have any sort of spherical aberration. If you’re experiencing problems with focus shift, you can oftentimes solve your issue by manually focusing the image.