kgreen
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2011
I could sure use some advice when it comes to focusing for taking pictures of fireworks. I've always enjoyed taking pictures of fireworks, & have worked hard through the years to learn everything I can about taking good pictures of fireworks. I really felt like I had this down to a science! For the past few years, I've used my d7000 & nikon 18-105mm lens. Focusing hasn't been an issue until this year when I decided to use my new tokina 11-16mm lens. I really seem to be second guessing what has always worked for me in the past.
With my 18-105mm I usually wait for the 1st burst, half click in auto focusing, & then switch over to manual focusing on the lens & camera. The end results are pretty tack sharp. However with the tokina unlike the 18-105mm, it has an infinity marking. I know at least with my tokina right in the middle of the infinity symbol is pretty tack sharp. As I also do a lot of night photography, stars/star trails, so I've played around with manually focusing on stars, & the middle of the infinity symbol seems to be tack sharp on my lens.
This is probably a silly question, but is there really any difference between focusing either way, or is it a matter of preference? Whether I focus manually, & rock the focus ring back & forth to get sharp focus... or simply move the ring to the infinity marking, verses using the auto focus half click & switch to manual when I have sharp focus?
At one of our local displays tonight, I set the focus ring on the infinity symbol, and took pictures this way for about half the show, & then I worried that maybe it wasn't in sharp focus. So I turned on my live view zoomed in & began to rock the focus ring back & forth. I quickly learned that this was not as easy as it is with focusing on the stars in the night sky, where as you have plenty of time to get sharp focus. The fireworks on the other hand are constantly moving, and are bright one second & gone the next. So I quickly switched back to auto, half clicked on a burst & switched back to manual.
I haven't got my pictures onto my computer yet to really look at them. But I know there are many of you who enjoy taking pictures of fireworks as much as I do, so I figured if anyone could help me to better understand, it would be here.
On a side note, I find taking pictures of fireworks at Disney much easier, because I have the castle I can focus on beforehand. But with this specific display it's pretty much complete darkness before the show starts with an occasional car's headlights passing by. So nothing really to focus on before the show starts.
With my 18-105mm I usually wait for the 1st burst, half click in auto focusing, & then switch over to manual focusing on the lens & camera. The end results are pretty tack sharp. However with the tokina unlike the 18-105mm, it has an infinity marking. I know at least with my tokina right in the middle of the infinity symbol is pretty tack sharp. As I also do a lot of night photography, stars/star trails, so I've played around with manually focusing on stars, & the middle of the infinity symbol seems to be tack sharp on my lens.
This is probably a silly question, but is there really any difference between focusing either way, or is it a matter of preference? Whether I focus manually, & rock the focus ring back & forth to get sharp focus... or simply move the ring to the infinity marking, verses using the auto focus half click & switch to manual when I have sharp focus?
At one of our local displays tonight, I set the focus ring on the infinity symbol, and took pictures this way for about half the show, & then I worried that maybe it wasn't in sharp focus. So I turned on my live view zoomed in & began to rock the focus ring back & forth. I quickly learned that this was not as easy as it is with focusing on the stars in the night sky, where as you have plenty of time to get sharp focus. The fireworks on the other hand are constantly moving, and are bright one second & gone the next. So I quickly switched back to auto, half clicked on a burst & switched back to manual.
I haven't got my pictures onto my computer yet to really look at them. But I know there are many of you who enjoy taking pictures of fireworks as much as I do, so I figured if anyone could help me to better understand, it would be here.
On a side note, I find taking pictures of fireworks at Disney much easier, because I have the castle I can focus on beforehand. But with this specific display it's pretty much complete darkness before the show starts with an occasional car's headlights passing by. So nothing really to focus on before the show starts.