Looking for manual focus tips

[NateNLogansDad]

Got back from the trial run.....I mean our recent, spur of the moment Disney trip....and I have much more respect for everybody on here who has captured the dark rides with their camera.

This year the amount of camera flash was really starting to annoy me (even though I used to be one of "them") but something else I didn't realize was my itty bitty focus light looks like a 500,000 candle power spotlight in the dark.

I took a lot of pictures in manual focus after that which seemed OK in the viewfinder but were out of focus on my PC. Is there anything you recommend to help see the image better in the viewfinder? The LCD really isn't an option in my opinion, that's just going to bother the people sitting near you.

P.S. I don't think it's an issue with motion blur, just out of focus.

 

[annnewjerz]

First, just a heads up that you can turn your AF assist light off and still use the AF. I've never had to manual focus on the dark rides with my D90 and although I could have tried during really dim parts of HM, it hasn't been necessary yet.

Next, for making sure something is in focus better when you are shooting---don't you have a little in focus light that you can see in your viewfinder? With my D60 and D90, there is a little green light in the bottom left part of the screen that will blink quickly, slowly or become solid. When you get a solid light (or close to solid)---that means you are in focus and okay to take the photo. I used to have to manual focus my 50mm lens with my D60 and the little in-focus light worked like a charm.

If your camera doesn't have that, is there a reason you think your LCD isn't an option? You don't have to hold the camera up where it's in everyone's view---but you could easily hold it on your lap and quickly review your shots. I do this a lot on rides like Pirates and on rides like Haunted Mansion, I don't even bother to hold it down because we're in our own little sheltered doom buggy.

Good luck next time and even if you don't think it's motion blur, you should probably post an example for everyone to look at. Even if you think the shutter speed was fast enough, the dark ride "experts" could probably tell you if it seems like it might be too slow for a clear image.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Time to whip out the old novel they call a manual and start hunting! Does the green light work if you have your lens set to M and you are choosing the focus point? I'm hoping to get a chance to play around outside tonight.

 

[annnewjerz]

Time to whip out the old novel they call a manual and start hunting! Does the green light work if you have your lens set to M and you are choosing the focus point? I'm hoping to get a chance to play around outside tonight.

Yes, the light works when you lens is on Manual and also when it's a fully manual lens (like my Lensbaby). It's VERY helpful and if your camera has one, a great tool to get to know.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

If I ever hit the lottery I want to invite a bunch of you guys on here for a trip to the World for a week or two so I can learn to use this thing the right way

 

[Icemann]

The knowledge and helpfulness on this board is amazing.I just found the little green light on my D40 & D3000. Thank You Ann.That gives me an idea now

 

[annnewjerz]

When you look into your viewfinder, you should see a meter along with your settings and other relevant information. It should look like this:

Number 6 (all the way on the left) is your in-focus indicator. That will flash and once you are fully in focus, it will remain solid.

Here is the site I pulled the diagram from and if you want more information, I think it's a nice place to get it without necessarily having to read through your whole manual again.

 

[Icemann]

If I ever hit the lottery I want to invite a bunch of you guys on here for a trip to the World for a week or two so I can learn to use this thing the right way

If I also win I'll pay half

 

[NateNLogansDad]

The knowledge and helpfulness on this board is amazing.I just found the little green light on my D40 & D3000. Thank You Ann.That gives me an idea now

Tell me about it! At least once a week I read something on here that makes me go and you can almost see the little light bulb above my head flicker on.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

If I also win I'll pay half

Maybe we should keep it to be just the Nikon guys and gals though......don't want and crappy photos

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Ann you are awesome! I'm going for the camera now!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! Why didn't I post his while I was down there!!!!! Tina is sitting on the couch next to me and saw me giggling. She's asking if I just learned something new AGAIN! Yep!

 

[ukcatfan]

It may be only a Pentax option, but on them you can leave AF on in the camera but turn it off on the lens (or MF lens) and the camera will not take the shot until the focus sensor reads that it is in focus. So, you can just hold in the shutter, adjust the focus, and it will only take the shot when it senses the focus is good. Not all auto focus lenses have the option of turning it off on the lens though.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

It may be only a Pentax option, but on them you can leave AF on in the camera but turn it off on the lens (or MF lens) and the camera will not take the shot until the focus sensor reads that it is in focus. So, you can just hold in the shutter, adjust the focus, and it will only take the shot when it senses the focus is good. Not all auto focus lenses have the option of turning it off on the lens though.

Would that require having a focus motor built into the camera?

 

[boBQuincy]

Maybe we should keep it to be just the Nikon guys and gals though......don't want and crappy photos

Watch it, some of us Canon people know where Delaware County is!

Afaik the little green focus light is driven by the auto focus system. If it can detect proper focus manually it should also be capable of focusing automatically under the same conditions.

I have rarely had problems with getting auto focus to lock on to a subject by looking for a defining edge, something with sharp contrast. I usually leave my camera set to only the center focus point. There is always the possibility of getting blur due to "focus shift" with this technique, where the point we focus on is not the same distance as the real subject, but with care it is not often a problem.

Maybe this even will work for Nikons!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

You know I'm kidding! Wouldn't it be fun to have a bunch of us all together for a weekend trip? Imagine 20 people together hauling around tons of equipment going on Peter Pan In our spare time we can follow a guest around like paparazzi and make other people think they are a celebrity

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Just figured out how to turn off the illumination light for auto focus! Come on November!

 

[ukcatfan]

Would that require having a focus motor built into the camera?

I would not think that it would since it is the AF sensor, not the motor.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

I would not think that it would since it is the AF sensor, not the motor.

There's that little light bulb again

 

[Marlton Mom]

Hi all,

On my December trip I was on manual focus and I was using the rangefinder feature on my Nikon D60 when using the Tokina 11 to 16 F 2.8.

I'm sorry to say that this focus assist system when using a manual lens was not able to meet my expectations.

I was constantly having trouble getting sharp focus but I have to mention a couple of things in possible explanation that might affect the clarity of these shots.
A.) most of them were at night when any kind of focusing suffers in low light conditions.
B.) my f stop was wide open so that is definitely going to effect clarity.
C.) my ISO was on auto so that is another factor (I feel) in affecting image clarity.
D.) I'm 46 years old and I wear freakin bifocals for god's sake!!! My glasses are such that unless I am looking through the proverbial eye of a needle and I am hitting the exact spot of focus on my glasses, things are seen with progressive level of blurriness. Can any one recommend a good seeing eye photography dog?.....one that will perhaps lug equipment and focus a lens from time to time??

I have been working like a busy bee buffing up my pictures so I can have them ready for a trip report but..... things are busier than I expected.... so slow it goes.

One of the things I would do over again is shoot more shots in aperture mode at a higher (smaller) F stop with my ISO at the lowest setting possible. That would mean REALLY L O N G exposures but what the hay, all those people in the way would ghost out right?

I remember someone advising that you have to find the right f stop to maximize the focus ability of a given lens. Is that accurate? Discuss, discuss!

Basically I had to keep on keepin on in the parks because I wasn't totally free of the family and I was trying to do 2 things at once, take pictures and keep DH & DS on track for our objectives for this trip. This also meant that I was out the door early in the morning and not back to the hotel til Late at night, from all the picture taking.

This meant that I was dog tired and that led to some mistakes, like deciding to try the mono-pod instead of the tripod for an evening of after hours park photography towards the end of the trip. (Not good, NOT good!)

So, from my experience I think many factors affected my ability to get the focus that I wanted. Also keep in mind NateNLogansDad that we are relatively new to certain equipment that we are just now using so the key is to be patient and keep trying. I'm sure you got some great shots so consider that a great start. With more experience we will be whizzes just like the rest of that gang on this board

Smoochies,
(A STILL tired )
Marlton Mom