I want to discuss Manual Focus. Most photographers, including myself, like to use the various Auto Focus methods available. These work well, when they work. But sometimes they don’t. In normal basic use auto focus tends to find and fix on the closest object to the camera. And that can be problematic. In this case the closest object was the wire fence. And the camera simply would not see beyond it. Focus on the cow was impossible to achieve.
This is a problem many of you will be painfully familiar with. There is much online about fixes and workarounds and best settings for auto focus. Whole Youtube channels are seemingly devoted to it. Achieving the best auto focus is quite a rabbit hole regardless of what camera brand or camera model you use. In this situation I could have switched to my go-to Single Point AF and just focused between the wires, but that would not illustrate my point. So I didn’t. One solution is applicable to all, yet is rarely discussed. Turn off auto focus. Use the forgotten manual focus ring on your lens to dial in the exact focus you want. And it will stay where you put it for as many photos as you want to take, without hunting. No more missed focus shots. Zero.
In most cases achieving this is as simple as switching a button on the actual lens (af/mf). And manual focus comes with two added bonuses: It doesn’t consume battery, and it often gives sharper images.
This fix works for subjects behind tall grass swaying in wind, looking through bushes or leafy trees. A heron at a lake, perhaps among the reeds. Sports scenarios, crowds, traffic crossing your path, things behind waving flags… These can all be situations where tried and tested auto focus workarounds simply won’t work well, if at all. Manual focus is worth trying. It’s quick, simple, and always available in an instant. This simple oftern overlooked solution might get more usable images for you and open some amazing images opportunities. That unused ring on your expensive lens is there for a reason.
Give it a shot.
