BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: New Answers

Manual Focus SLR's vs AE Focus SLR's

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March 06, 2003

The advantage of manual focus:
Focus is set exactly at the distance the user wants.

The disadvantage of manual focus:
Focus must be set exactly at the distance the user wants.

Now for an opinion from a "control freak:"
Manual operation allows the greatest possible control over the latent image (exposure on film). Anything else, auto-focus or auto-exposure, relinquishes at least some, if not all of this control to the camera's electronics. You get what the camera designer(s) decided is "correct" when the camera was designed, which may or may not be what you want.

If you have a vision of exactly what you want in the photograph, use manual control. I can think of a number of practical situations in which manual control is the appropriate method. One in particular is an exacting depth of field. Controlling exact placement of the critical focus distance for exact positioning of the near and far depth of field limits.

If you are willing to accept what the camera designer(s) decided is "correct" relinquish control to the camera. For those that might argue high actions situations demand auto-focus, I would remind them that somehow camera focusing was managed by photographers for decades without auto-focus systems. It's a "convenience" if it provides the desired results but *not* a necessity. Depending on specific camera design, AF systems can have difficulty operating correctly in low light and with slow lenses.

-- John

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March 06, 2003

Is this getting crazy or what ?

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March 11, 2003