A Digital Camera With Manual Focus.

If so, you are not alone.

Determining the focus options which in this case are AF.S, AF.C and MF.

Better yet, if you really want to get the most from this camera feature you'll find all kinds of great information and practice exercises in the 10 Quick and Easy Tips E-Book.

Simply click on the book cover, right, for more information.

How do you know if you have a digital camera with manual focus?

What if you have focusing options on the lens as well as a focus mode switch on the camera body?

If you're not sure of your focusing options you may need to check your manual.

Once you have determined your options, whether in camera or lens, the next step is to know how to switch back and forth.

It is a good idea to check your camera manual and, if applicable, the information accompanying your lens when purchased.

In the case of a digital camera with manual focus you may have a lens or two with no additional lens focusing options.

In this situation all of your focusing will be handled from the camera body.

The above image illustrates the focusing features indicating this particular point.

Possible focusing options.

AF.S. Single Focus Mode. This mode allows for the shutter release button to be pressed halfway down to bring the subject in to focus. While in this position the focus is locked. If you were to maintain contact with the shutter release button, focus and recompose, the original focus will not change.

What does recompose mean? Let's pretend you're taking a photo and you want to place your subject according to composition and the rule of thirds. In a nutshell, you focus on the subject and then reposition the camera to place the subject where you want it. For example, instead of having a bird smack in the middle of the picture you reposition so it's off to one side.

A scene does not have to be recomposed for this mode to work. If your subject appears in the viewfinder exactly as you want you can still use the focus lock feature of the single focus mode.

Basically, wherever you aim your camera and press the shutter release half way is your focusing position.

AF.C. Continuous Focus Mode. This mode allows you to track a moving subject and still maintain proper focus, which is sometimes easier said than done! However, this is the feature of this mode. Focus is not locked.

Once again, the shutter release button is pressed halfway as you track, or follow, your subject and it will remain in focus.

This is useful for action such as people running, sports events, horse racing, birds in flight and wherever you might find it applicable.

This mode may be confusing if you forget to switch back to single focus.

Why?

If you're attempting to focus and then recompose, as you recompose focusing will re-adjust because it is not locked. Therefore, you've now "lost" your initial focus.

MF. Manual Focus. In this mode focusing does not occur automatically and so you will need to manually adjust for it. Obviously you need a digital camera with manual focus to perform this function.

As you can see in the above illustration the "MF" indicates a digital camera with manual focus ability.

You may find it helpful to take the time and experiment with the focusing features of your camera.

Experimenting with the focus features.

If you haven't done this before find the feature which allows you to change the focus settings on the camera body.

If your lens also offers focusing features check your manual or lens information page for incorporating with the camera body.

For example, I have a lens with focusing options even though I have a digital camera with manual focus features. The manual suggests the following: for auto focus have the camera and the lens in AF mode. If I wish to use manual the lens is set to M and depending on the camera body the camera may also need to be set to M.

Experimenting is really quite simple and you'll need your camera turned on the and the lens cap removed.

Let's say you begin with the AF.S, automatic focus single mode setting, if you have this feature. First, make sure your camera is set to the mode for this function. Choose your subject and press the shutter release button down halfway.

The expected reaction is for the camera to automatically focus and you may very likely hear the sound of this happening. Once things quieten down and the focus is set simply take the picture.

Switch to AF.C, automatic focus continuous mode. In this mode you could experiment with a couple of different exercises. First, choose your subject, press the shutter release halfway and allow the camera to focus. THEN, pretend you want a different composition and recompose.

Did you notice that as soon as you moved the camera wanted to focus for the changed positioning?

Each time you move the camera you can expect it to refocus. This is why this mode can be confusing if you forget to switch back to single focus mode when that's what you want.

Now, find a moving subject. It could be someone walking or running, a moving vehicle or something to give you a trackable subject. This may take a bit of getting used to and that's perfectly fine.

Focus on the subject and literally track, or follow, it. As you press the shutter release button halfway the camera will continue to adjust the focus as you move it. This allows for a number of shots which, with all going well, will be in focus.

Using the MF, manual focus mode. Obviously you need to have a digital camera with manual focus.

In manual mode choose your subject, press the shutter release button halfway down and notice what happens.

Anything?

No sound of focusing, right? You may see a small red light blinking as you look through the viewfinder but no focusing is taking place like it did with the automatic settings.

Now what?

This is where you get to manually focus by adjusting the focus ring on your lens. Go ahead and turn the lens focus ring and see what happens.

Did you notice how the scene moves in and out of focus depending on how you adjust the focus ring? Good.

Auto focus and tips for the digital camera with manual focus.

Do you find you sometimes have pictures which appear blurry and you don't know why? It could be camera shake.

What if it isn't? It could very well be a focusing problem.

Do you experience the frustration of thinking you have the scene in focus only to discover it isn't? If so, you are not alone.

Amazing how once the image is enlarged it doesn't look so focused after all and may actually be quite blurry.

What is going wrong - or right?

A question to ask yourself is, "do I settle for good enough focusing?" Not only that but what about your objective?

By objective, do you want it to look great when enlarged? Absolutely.

The experience, therefore, is practicing and perfecting focus using a film camera or a digital camera with manual focus as well as automatic.

Do you see how this photo has lost some of its sharpness in the enlargement?

When first looking at these pictures as 4x6 and even on the computer screen both appeared to be fine for focus. As you can see looks can be deceiving.

Not only is focus important but taking the time to focus is, too. This means using a tripod as often as possible and yes, I know it might seem silly and even unneccessary but the rewards are certainly worth it.

Know your camera's focusing system.

If you want to produce photo's you're really proud of "good enough" focusing will not do the job for you.

Methods of focusing.

Did you know that different cameras use use different focusing devices? In addition, many cameras also offer several choices inlcuding the top image of the Pentax K 20D; a digital camera with manual focus and automatic.

Fixed focus.

Fixed focus simply means you are unable to change the focus. Obviously, in this situation you do not have a digital camera with manual focus.

Fixed focus works in such a way that generally subjects which are close to the camera are out of focus but those farther than a few feet will be okay.

This has its limitations if you want to choose where the focus point is; such as close subjects, those off in the distance or somewhere in between.

If you want to focus a lens, which is necessary for choosing the focus point, the lens needs to be able to move and focus. Fixed-focus lenses are not able to move like a digital camera with manual focus and with other types of automatic focus features.

How do you know if your lens can move?

You will have the ability to move it manually by turning the lens barrel or focusing ring. A typical SLR will have this capability and in automatic plus manual focus, if you have a digital camera with manual focus.

Tips for focusing.

Groundglass focusing.

If you have a SLR camera when you look through the viewfinder you are actually seeing your subject projected on to groundglass. As previously mentioned, if you have a digital camera with manual focus one method of focusing is to turn the barrel of the lens until your subject appears sharp and in focus. It will appear this way as you look through the viewfinder.

How do you know when you've accomplished optimum focus?

First you need to decide on what it is you want to focus on.

For example, if your scene involves a squirrel, trees mid center and houses in the background where do you focus? This is dependent on the theme or essence you wish to capture and in asking yourself what is the subject?

Your decision on where to focus will be affected once you decide what's the main essence of your scene and what you want in focus.

What if you're not sure where to focus?

In a close-up do your best to make sure the eyes are always in focus.

Once you have decided where you want your main focus point you can "zero in." In other words, using your digital camera with manual focus you move the focusing ring, or barrel, to obtain optimum focus. As you carefully watch the the image, through your viewfinder, become sharper there will be a point of optimum sharpness. Anything past this and the image will begin to blur again.

You may need to continue making minor adjustments back and forth until you have it just right, which is not the same as "good enough."

This can take some practice and a helpful tip is to make sure you can see a good sharp view when looking through the viewfinder, before focusing. If you are not familiar with the term and have not adjusted your camera there is help on the page about adjusting the viewfinder diopter.

In a nutshell, having a digital camera with a manual focus feature gives you the option for "hands on" focusing.

Also, in certain situations your shutter release button may not actually "work."

If this has happened to you, and you have a digital camera with manual focus, change from the automatic focus to manual and attempt the shot again.

About the automatic focusing feature.

If you have a digital camera with manual focus why use the automatic focus or vice versa?

As mentioned, in manual you get to finely tune the focus to your specifications.

The majority of photographers are likely to use automatic focus most of the time, even with a digital camera with manual focus.

In general, auto focus is very accurate and very fast, especially in situations where keeping up with the subject and manually focusing is too challenging.

What's happening in auto focus mode?

Simply put, when you point your camera at the subject the focusing system measures the distance, adjusts the lens for you and presto the scene is automatically in focus.

Amazing when you think about it and it's like having your own radar system.

A number of automatic focus systems emit an inaudible sound or infrared beam which heads for your subject. This beam bounces off your subject and gets reflected back to a computer chip sensor in the camera. This chip is then able to calculate the distance to your subject based on how long it took for the beam to make the round trip, from camera, to subject and back again. Not only does all of this happen but then tiny servo motors are alerted to move the lens and bring your subject in to focus for you.

As wonderful as autofocus is you've likely discovered it does have some advantages and disadvantages.

Sometimes the autofocus has trouble in certain lighting situations. Also, depending on the distance you are from your subject this may cause a challenge. Therefore, a digital camera with manual focus can certainly offer additional benefits.

Auto focus systems differ between manufacturers so you may find it helpful to check your manual for tips, information and about limitations.

With a SLR autofocus camera you get to see the image in the same sense as your camera. Because of this you can look through the viewfinder, making sure your focusing mark is where you want it to be, and press the shutter release button down halfway. At this point the subject will come in to focus and if this is the scene you want just continue taking the picture.

A brief look at automatic focusing options.

Focus Lock.

What is focus lock?

Focus lock is a feature allowing you to focus on your subject and recompose the scene while maintaining the focus on the original subject.

Let's pretend your subject is a bird and you want it to appear off to one side in the frame of your picture. How do you maintain the focus on the bird?

First, center your subject using the focus reference point (it may be a red blinking light) and press the shutter release halfway down. The will literally lock the focus on your subject and keep it locked.

Still holding the shutter release button halfway move your camera to recompose the scene and place the bird where you want it to be in the frame. When you are happy with the composition press the shutter the remaining distance and take the photo.

Focus lock tip. If you find the focus changes even with the shutter release button halfway pressed check your focus setting.

If you recall, the image at the top of the page shows three focus settings. AF.S is for auto single focus, AF.C is for continual. If the focus does not lock you may have the setting on AF.C, in which case it's job is to adjust the focus as you move the camera. When using a digital camera with manual focus this detail can be easy to overlook.

You may also notice your camera may be locking the exposure and focus.

Depending on your camera you may be able to lock the focus and exposure independently. If this is a problem you could choose to shoot using manual exposure.

Focus lock tip.

Some SLR models give you the choice of where to place the focusing mark. This means you can have the focus mark somewhere out of the center thus avoiding the need to recompose.

This is a very helpful feature when you're using a tripod because you don't need to recompose the subject.

How does it work?

For example, if you have your camera on a tripod and the scene is composed how you want it. Imagine your main subject at the three o'clock position and this is where you want the focus to be sharp and clear but you don't want to use the focus lock and recompose.

Change the focus point in your camera settings so it lights up at the three o'clock position. You may need to check your manual regarding this feature, if you have it and how to change the point.

Just remember to change it back if you're used to shooting with it as a center reference point.

Another camera feature is wide-area focusing or multi-point autofocus which allows for a wider than usual focusing area.

What is predictive autofocus?

If you have this feature it can be helpful if you have a subject whcih is moving either away from you or towards you. The subject does, however, need to be moving at a fixed rate because the camera is working to predict where the subject will be when you press the shutter.

What's the benefit?

It helps keep a fast moving subject in focus.

It does require you to keep the subject in the center of the viewfinder.

Manual focus tips.

If you have a digital camera with manual focus when and why would you want to use it?

Have you been in a situation where you wanted to focus on a subject which is in the background but it doesn't work very well?

What's happening?

The left photo would show the front vegetation in focus and the duckling would be a little "fuzz ball" out of focus.

Instead, the front foliage is in soft focus.

You might have a little more luck with the right scene but it's still more affective to manually focus in this situation.

This can also happen in a crowd situation such as a sports event. For example, you may be attempting to focus on the players but the camera is focusing on the people in your way and who are between you and the intended subject.

In certain situations the auto focus gets confused, at least according to what you want the subject focus point to be.

Once again, with a digital camera with manual focus, switch to manual and choose your subject focus point.

Have you ever attempted to take a photo through a chain link fence or bars, such as at the zoo?

The same idea will work for this, too. Manual focus through the fence to the subject and although it may not be a hundred percent clear it will be much more affective than being on auto focus.

When using a digital camera with manual focus the focus does not lock the same way as in auto focus.

This is because you have, in effect, locked the focus by choosing the manual mode so pressing the shutter release halfway won't make any difference.

Focusing tips with auto focus or digital camera with manual focus.

Do you find it challenging focusing on close subjects?

First, look through your viewfinder and pay attention to what you see. Is the picture clear or fuzzy?

If it's clear, as in sharp focus, you can be even closer to your subject if this is what you want.

How close?

Until the subject begins to move out of focus. From this exercise you can determine the distance to subject which your camera can affectively focus.

What if the subject appears blurry?

You are likely too close for the camera to properly focus and so back up a step or two and see what happens.

The focus will likely correct to proper sharpness.

From this point you can experiment by moving a little closer and determine if your camera can handle a midway point. Even moving your body while keeping your feet stationary can help pin point the exact point of distance to focus capability.

Additional focusing tips.

Distance to your subject. A soft, or slightly off, focus will be more evident if you're closer to your subject rather than twenty or thirty feet away. At a greater distance the focus may still be a little off but you can get away with a satisfactory picture.

In contrast, if you're only a few feet away the end result of soft focus will be more eveident to the point the photo is not "a keeper."

A subject moving toward you or away from you. This is when you can focus at the point where you want to take the picture and pre-focus.

Then, keeping the subject in the viewfinder wait until it reaches that point. At that point is when you would take the picture. You can do this with a digital camera with manual focus or using the auto focus and focus lock feature.

If you're having a challenge with moving subjects they will appear to move more slowly coming or going from a straight on angle. Moving across your field of view, from left to right for example, the subjects will appear to move faster.

You can also experiment by focusing on a point and waiting for the subject to reach that point.

Distant subjects. You can use either the auto or manual focus in a digital camera with manual focus. Using the SLR viewfinder as reference or experiment with the following tip.

Set your distance scale to infinity. If necessary refer to your manual or lens information material. The infinity symbol looks like the figure eight on its side and, if present, will be found on your lens.

What if some of your pictures are still out of focus?

It could be the all too common challenge of camera shake, being in a hurry, not choosing the focus point with deliberation or simply needing a little more practice. Also, there may be simply be a "spot" where you find your lens performs the best.

How would you know this?

It will take some experimenting.

You can go through this exercise both with automatic and a digital camera with manual focus, if you wish. It's not necessarily difficult and although a bit time consuming think of the benefits of making the discovery!

Choose a subject which will remain stationary throughout the experiment so that any varaibles do not become a factor.

You will be changing your aperture setting throughout this exercise. If you're not familiar with this you may want to check out the page relating to lens speed. Midway down the page you will find information and a helpful aperture diagram.

It will be helpful to have your camera on a tripod to keep the camera steady during the exercise.

The idea is to go through a range of focal lengths, in other words zoom ranges, and aperture settings.

This may take some time but if you're having a challenge with soft focus results it could prove beneficial.

Let's pretend you have an 18-55mm lens. Begin at 18mm, so no zoom, and your largest aperture, which is the smallest number such as f/3.5.

Choose your subject and using the above suggested starting point take a photo. If you were really intent on the exercise you would do this for each f-stop range on your camera.

For example, at 18mm you may be able to go through a range like this: f/3.5, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16 and f/22.

Then, change your focal length and repeat the procedure. You may want to jump to 50mm, or full zoom, or pick a midway point followed by 50mm.

If you are so inclined you could go through the exercise using both the digital camera with manual focus and the auto focus settings.

Once you have completed the exercise it's time to compare photos and look for any differences in focus sharpness.

You may find a particular focal length in a particular aperture, or f-stop, renders the sharpest focus. If you experimented with both auto and manual focus you may find a difference here, too.

As you practice and become even more familiar with how your camera works you'll begin to figure things out. Things such as the best focusing method which works for you and under which circumstances.

There may be times you prefer to use your digital camera with manual focus and other times the auto focus is perfect for you. Whether you use a digital camera with manual focus or strictly auto taking the time to focus will be well worth it.

As you're taking photos it may be helpful to think about enlargement possibilities for each and every shot. This will help you develop good habits and great photos and "good enough" focusing will no longer be good enough.

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