manual focus or auto focus?

kieran healey

kieran healey

Messages
125
Name
Kieran
Edit My Images
Yes
hi guys pretty new here but was looking at lenses which should i go for a manual focus or auto focus? now im thinking an auto focus is this correct? i have a nikon d3100.

Thanks alot
 
Definitely manual focus as the build quality is much better, at least with Nikkor AI & AIS.
They will not meter on an entry level body (only on D200 and above) so you will need to take test shots & use the histogram, but there is a certain satisfaction in guessing exposure :cool:
(The "sunny 16" rule is worth learning)
 
Last edited:
Why buy a dog and bark yourself?

You've bought an autofocus camera and in most circumstances, it can focus faster and more accurately than you can. Buy autofocus lenses and let the camera take care of the focussing while you concentrate on the subject and getting the composition, timing and lighting right.
 
mortimerhill said:
Why buy a dog and bark yourself?

You've bought an autofocus camera and in most circumstances, it can focus faster and more accurately than you can. Buy autofocus lenses and let the camera take care of the focussing while you concentrate on the subject and getting the composition, timing and lighting right.
Click to expand...

I would be more than happy with a manual focus DSLR but they are simply not made.

I find it is more fun doing photography and making manual adjustments to the camera than letting the camera do all the donkey work, but this is obviously not for everyone.
 
boliston said:
I would be more than happy with a manual focus DSLR but they are simply not made.

I find it is more fun doing photography and making manual adjustments to the camera than letting the camera do all the donkey work, but this is obviously not for everyone.
Click to expand...

Forgive me if im wrong, if so i sincerely apologise, but didnt i read a while ago ( if it was you ) that shoots in auto mode?
 
Last edited:
boliston said:
I would be more than happy with a manual focus DSLR but they are simply not made.

I find it is more fun doing photography and making manual adjustments to the camera than letting the camera do all the donkey work, but this is obviously not for everyone.
Click to expand...

??? Just switch it to manual (and the lens if it it af) and away you go.

If you have a limited budget for lenses then gems like the Nikkor 105 f/2.5 or 75-150 f/3.5 are fantastic. However the D3100 is missing some useful aids like metering through setting non-CPU lens parameters like the D7000 can making it even more "retro" :)

I would pay decent money for that sigma in mf. Perhaps if you are desperate £20. If you want that focal length you can't go wrong with the very cheap Nikon 55-200 which secondhand you should be able to pick up for about £110. It is afs though.
 
Depends what you are taking a photo of.
I reckon landscape and still moving things, then MF is no probs. For (active) kids, not the case!
I've got a D3000 with a 50mm 1.8D, and while it's a great lens (and v cheap), I get very few keepers of my 3 year old (unless sleeping!), the 3 month old is a bit easier - sometimes :)
That's why I've recently bought a 35mm 1.8 AFS - makes life a lot easier!!
MFing can be hard work for certain things, make no mistake - yes, rewarding when you get it right, but life is short:lol: I can't see any optical differences between them, but I'm not a pro and dont want to be, my aim is just really good photos documenting the kids lifes....

Different things for different uses.....like all photo gear:thumbs:

PS. The change from focal length was for different reasons, and I could have got a 50mm AFS but felt it too long for my needs, so don't read into that so much....
 
boliston said:
I find it is more fun doing photography and making manual adjustments to the camera than letting the camera do all the donkey work, but this is obviously not for everyone.
Click to expand...
See - different things for different people and their subjects, but equally valid:thumbs: You need to decide what works for you, and it can take a while to figure out sometimes....
 
just one thought... if the OP is as shortsighted as me (minus 7) he might not be able to see well enough to manual focus. I know I can't! :(
 
I learned photography with MF and still prefer it, but my ageing eyes struggle with the small/dim viewfinder on a crop body, so it's restricted to my F2 or FM now. AF is fine, if you know how to use it.
 
Hi guys thanks alot for your comments i was more just wanting a bit of range, Its an auto focus lens btw should have said earlier lol.
 
The thing that finally made my mind up for buying a D3100 over a 550D was that the D3100 was cheaper. Now the tradeoff was that the D3100 does not have a focus motor. Which means to get an auto focus lens you need to pay a large sum of money, each time you get a new lens.
What I did was to decide to 'invest' in a Katzeye split screen, and a 1.7x eyepiece.
Then build up my prime lenses. 24mm F2.8, 50mm F1.8, 135mm F2.8.

An AF 28mm 2.8 on average is £150/300
The SLR MF 24mm 2.8 I got off ebay - £35

The good thing about primes is they are good in low light, and they make you think about your framing than a zoom lens IMO

There are times when I wish I'd got a AF camera, but those are the tradeoffs.
 
Certain lens and focal i would prefer to use old MF lens because they are cheap and give me the same result (or better result then modern lens) and those focal length i can afford to shoot in manual. i.e my 28mm f2.8 prime and 135mm f2.8 prime.

Also for me shooting in manual focus on modern lens is plain awful ....... it doesn;t have that retro feel when turning the focus ring ........

I would prefer using old nikon AI lens when shooting in manual focus.
 
badboy1984 said:
Certain lens and focal i would prefer to use old MF lens because they are cheap and give me the same result (or better result then modern lens) and those focal length i can afford to shoot in manual. i.e my 28mm f2.8 prime and 135mm f2.8 prime.

Also for me shooting in manual focus on modern lens is plain awful ....... it doesn;t have that retro feel when turning the focus ring ........

I would prefer using old nikon AI lens when shooting in manual focus.
Click to expand...

I find that the focus ring on an AF lens often does not seem to have the same level of damping as you get on an MF lens.

For example I often select a focus distance of 2.5m and I found that the ring is too easily jogged due to lack of damping so I loose my selected setting.

Also the gearing is often too high so even a slight movement of the ring causes a big change in focus distance.
 
Some AF lens is even worse, the focus ring just keep turning without that infinity stop to prevent you over turn. Plus it feel cheap on focus as well .......

i usually don't bother manual focus on my AF lens, unless i do video stuff on my AF lens.
 
You can certainly get better quality going with MF primes. IF you enjoy photography get at least one fast prime lens. There is something special about the results you get with f1.2 and f1.4 lenses! MF will be at least half the price or even 1/3 of AF.
 
boliston said:
I find that the focus ring on an AF lens often does not seem to have the same level of damping as you get on an MF lens.

For example I often select a focus distance of 2.5m and I found that the ring is too easily jogged due to lack of damping so I loose my selected setting.

Also the gearing is often too high so even a slight movement of the ring causes a big change in focus distance.
Click to expand...

I suspect that MF is a bit of an afterthought on most AF lenses, something the manufacturers don't really expect a lot of people to use, so they don't bother too much about the damping and gearing. My old MF Nikkor lenses are far better for this. I have used them on my 30D with an adapter, and they work very well indeed, but I need good light (older eyes) because the viewfinders on crop bodies are small/dim compared with their SLR predecessors and the focusing screens aren't optimised for MF. They mainly sit on my F2 and FM now.
 
MartynK said:
I suspect that MF is a bit of an afterthought on most AF lenses, something the manufacturers don't really expect a lot of people to use, so they don't bother too much about the damping and gearing. My old MF Nikkor lenses are far better for this. I have used them on my 30D with an adapter, and they work very well indeed, but I need good light (older eyes) because the viewfinders on crop bodies are small/dim compared with their SLR predecessors and the focusing screens aren't optimised for MF. They mainly sit on my F2 and FM now.
Click to expand...

Thats why I invested in a katzeye split screen, and 1.7x magnifying eyepiece. :) Now im trying to see if i can switch out that clunky on/off shutter button with a nice smooth one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top