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Photography

Questions tagged [manual-focus]

Manual focus is the direct control of a camera/lens's focus by the photographer. This is generally accomplished by turning a focus ring which is mechanically coupled to the lens's focus, but some cameras without focus rings allow manual control over the autofocus motor.

209 questions
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Nikon 3200 focus hunting when in manual mode

I'm using a Nikon D3200 for a short stop motion video. The scene 2-d, some colored elements on a plain white background. The AF finds it hard to focus so I've switched the lens to manual focus, but ...
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95 views

Sony A7iii how to permanently display focus distance in MF mode

I'm doing mostly landscape photography and the manual focus is a thing for me. Since the native Sony lenses all have focus by wire, the MF experience is poor. I never know if my focus is still at ...
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1answer
64 views

Will a split prism indicator still work if installed well off center?

There are known hacks about retrofitting trimmed-to-size surplus full-frame split prism screens to modern DSLRs. However, problems with spot metering are also commonly reported with such setups. The ...
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2answers
2k views

What makes the difference on partially and fully visible moon?

While I'm satisfied (despite the fringe) with shoots from a partially visible moon with a cheap 500 mm lens: 1/100 ISO 100 f/? I cannot understand why the image quality is extremely diminished when ...
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2answers
162 views

Focused properly and microadjusted lens give blurry image on Canon 80D and quite fine detail on 350D

I'm an unhappy owner of brand new Canon 80D. I still have 350D which served me for nearly a decade. I use the same 24-105 1:4 L IS lens with both of them. It turned out that lens is blurry. I've ...
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24 views

How does the focusing mechanism on a rangefinder camera work? [duplicate]

How does the focusing mechanism on a rangefinder camera work, optically and mechanically? How is the double image optically produced? How are they opto-mechanically aligned when the lens is focused?
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1answer
247 views

Manual focus does not work with Nikon D7200 and AF-S 300mm f/4 ED

I have finally gotten myself a D7200 (2.017 & 1.04 firmware) and a 300mm f4/D AF-S (non VR version). My lens's serial number is 33xxxx. AF works, but manual focus does not work. I have tried ...
5
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1answer
114 views

How to prevent autofocus but retain tethered focus control?

I'm using Darktable (on Linux) with Canon 1100D in tethered shooting mode. I found out that from live view section I can control focus in big or small steps. This all works nicely, and I can see the ...
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3answers
82 views

Why doesn't the focus stay intact after I change the lens setting to manual on my Canon 77D?

My Canon 77D exhibits a strange behaviour with any lens: I half press the shutter button to trigger auto-focus I then change the lens switch from Auto to Manual, while holding the trigger button ...
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2answers
139 views

Manual focus in A mode can harm my lens? [duplicate]

I use 18-140 Nikkor . This lens have two A & M focus mode and this lens is AF-S that mean when auto focus is enable the focus ring dose't move. If i do manual focus when the lens is at A mode , ...
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1answer
195 views

Manual focus lens on fixed focus camera?

Hello i have bought this camera: It is a lens type camera, but it has a FIXED focus. I read on the internet that if I buy and put a manual focus lens it will work? Is that true ? If it is true ...
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3answers
659 views

How can I effectively manually focus a Nikon D3300 using the viewfinder? [duplicate]

I'been having a bad time trying to shoot photos with manual focus. When I'm trying to shoot a picture, using the viewfinder it's really hard to see how sharp is the picture you see through the ...
2
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2answers
287 views

What settings should I use for a Tamron manual focus lens on a Nikon DSLR?

I have a Nikon D5100 (which has no AF motor in the body) and a Tamron 90mm SP macro lens. The lens has no AF focus motor either (or at least it doesn't seem to be compatible with the body), and has an ...
0
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1answer
60 views

How to turn on manual focus for Sony α7R II?

There is an AF/MF | AEL switch on my Sony α7R II. If I switch this to AF/MF, and then press the button inside the switch, nothing happens on the viewfinder screen or back panel screen. How do I turn ...
4
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3answers
153 views

Does an offset split-focus screen exist?

I shoot a Nikon F3 SLR with a split-focus screen, and I do a lot of portraits with very shallow depth of fields (e.g. 50mm f2.8 at 0.5m). When I shoot a portrait I focus on the eye first, then ...
2
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2answers
457 views

Canon EF 24-105 IS L manual focusing - is it a problem?

I never really used manual focusing before, so I only noticed it now: when I switch to MF and slowly turn the focusing ring, nothing happens at all. The ring turns and turns but nothing else happens. ...
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2answers
1k views

Tamron lens focusing problems?

I own a Tamron 18-270mm F/3,5-6,3 Di II VC PZD lens - a fabulous lens, but since I got it (around Christmas time), the autofocus has been playing up; see below image. EXIF is as follows: 270mm, ...
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2answers
182 views

Is there an adapter to allow a camera to control focus or aperture of a manual focus & aperture lens?

I recently bought the Sony Alpha a7. In a bid to get an affordable portrait lens, I rushed to get the Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 only to realize that there is no communication between the camera and lens. Now ...
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1answer
346 views

Focus distance and infinity

When I play with M12 lenses (board lenses. Fixed fl. Aperture) , I can focus them to a distance and they have a certain depth of field. Objects within the Delta of field looks sharp. Can these lenses ...
3
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1answer
359 views

Is there any Fuji X to Nikon F adapter that works with AI-s lenses and doesn't require stop-down metering?

I am interested in an adapter that would allow me to use my Nikkor AI-s lenses on my Fuji X-series cameras. There are many such adapters, but they all seem to require stop down metering. I don't want ...
4
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1answer
238 views

Adjust manual focus for sharper images with Sony RX0,for aerial photography

I am taking photos around 80m altitudes (with Sony RX0) with a moving drone,Shutter Speed is set to 1/1000 to prevent blurs,I want to take sharp images with manual focus,how should I adjust settings ?
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2answers
1k views

Why won't my Nikon D5500 autofocus?

Total newbie here! I have a Nikon D5500 - when I bought the camera I had no clue there was a difference between auto focus and manual focus so I have ALWAYS manually focused the camera. I want to ...
7
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1answer
163 views

Is the 20mm f/3.5 AI-s NIKKOR focus well damped?

I have a 20mm f/4 AI-s. Personally I do not like the feel of the focus ring. It is not well damped and not silky smooth like my other AI-s lenses. It feels like my older non-AI lenses. I have no idea ...
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3answers
983 views

Understanding focus distance of Nikon f/1.8D lens with D5600 Camera

I took some sample photos using my Nikon D5600 camera with Nikon f/1.8D lens. I had to set the focus manually since this lens doesn't provide AF with my camera. My Question: The album of my sample ...
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0answers
82 views

What are the upper and lower limits of torque to safely operate a geared cinema lens?

I'm prototyping a stepper motor drive for cinema lenses. The idea is to mount a 32 pitch spur gear on a stepper motor shaft with an encoder. That assembly will turn the focus, iris, or zoom ring gears ...
3
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5answers
325 views

Can viewfinder type make an appreciable difference in manual focus?

I have a few old vintage lenses that I love to shoot with on my Canon T3. The obvious disadvantage is the challenge of getting sharply focuses images while focusing manually. I have great vision, but ...
3
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1answer
108 views

Determine the optimal dioptric correction

I just got a DSLR (a Nikon D610). On it, a dioptric correction is available, apparently ranging from -3 to +1 (cf. page 297 in the D610 manual). I'm wearing glasses, so I'm thinking: "Yay, I'll be ...
5
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1answer
816 views

Can I use focus point on manual mode?

I just got my first DSLR Canon 6d and Canon 50mm f1.8 lens . Because im begginer on photography i dont know anything but im tring to learn by watching youtube, but there are some questions i have, i ...
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3answers
626 views

My Nikon D50 refuses to take pictures after I disabled auto focus

I just got a second hand Nikon D50. This is first reflex camera I ever had. I am trying to take macro of an electrical component in relatively dark room. These are the settings on my top display: I ...
0
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1answer
73 views

Correct use of magnification for focus assist

I have a Fujifilm x-e1 mirrorless digital camera that has a magnification feature designed to assist with manual focusing. The documentation tells me the following: Manual Focusing Methods In ...
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3answers
202 views

Are there any DSLRs that are only manual mode?

I am just wondering if there are any DSLR camera models that are implemented with hyper simplicity, where you are given only full manual control, and dials for those parameters only? I think this ...
3
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1answer
304 views

Would the Nikon Dandelion Chip give AF Confirmation on bodies without AF Motor?

Few days ago, I found an old Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6 AF lens and when I paired it with my D5200, the body knew that the lens required an internal/in-built AF motor like the high-end bodies have, so it ...
2
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0answers
97 views

Focusing issue with Pentacon6/Biometar80

I recently bought a 'new', old Biometar 80 lens for my Pentacon 6 camera and did some preliminary tests with an adapter on my Nikon DSLR. Everything looked great, so I went on holiday with the new ...
0
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3answers
472 views

Why doesn't the focal length in EXIF change when I manually focus my DSLR?

I tried to take several pictures with a DSLR ( Nikon D3200 - 18 to 55mm zoom lens) with manual focus mode. I changed the manual focus randomly and clicked several pictures one after another. I was ...
2
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0answers
82 views

How to filter photos in Lightroom 6 by EffectiveMaxAperture EXIF tag?

I shoot with different non-CPU manual focus lenses and use LensTagger (Lightroom plugin) to write full lens name into EXIF. I also set up different MF lens "profiles" (called "non-CPU lens data" by ...
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0answers
173 views

infinity is not in focus? Nikkor AI-s 85mm F/2 [duplicate]

I received some used AI-s Nikkor lenses and one of them is the 85mm F/2. When I adjust the manual focus ring to infinity, nothing is in focus. It's just out of focus. I have to turn it just a hair ...
7
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3answers
2k views

I keep getting out of focus shots on manual focus - Why?

First off, I'm deliberately referencing this question and have read both the original question and every answer, and I just wanna make sure to note that I know how to focus manually and am in fact ...
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4answers
3k views

Focus to infinity with 10-18mm canon lens

I am using a canon 10-18mm wide angle lens on a Canon t3 camera. I want to try shooting some stars at night. So I want to focus the lens to infinity. But the lens has no hard stop to it, or any sort ...
3
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2answers
444 views

How do I get sharp focus of insects and animals with a camera that doesn't have manual focus control?

I have a Canon Powershot SX410 IS. I like this camera, but sometimes it doesn't focus on the object that I want to shoot. This situation occurs when a small object (such as an insect) is close to the ...
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1answer
73 views

Area focusing using manual focus

how to achieve area focus using manual focus mode. I tried using the infinity, but that did not turn out to be correct for me. I use a Nikon D3200. When I need all the subjects in focus, I put the ...
4
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1answer
264 views

Is there any rhyme or reason to the order of zoom and focus rings on lenses?

I have 3 zoom lenses, 2 Nikkors & a Tamron. AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR [the kit lens] Tamron AF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD MACRO 1:2 All except the 24-...
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1answer
549 views

Using a manual lens on D5100

I am an amateur photographer and I am currently using a Nikon D5100 with the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G lens. I have been thinking of getting an old manual focus lens like a 50mm or an 85mm, because they ...
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2answers
2k views

How can I see the exposure meter on my Nikon D3200 when shooting in manual-focus mode?

I have a Nikon D3200. I am experimenting with manual focusing on my kit lens. One thing I noticed was that when I am in manual focusing mode I don't see the exposure meter in the viewfinder. This ...
0
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1answer
420 views

Does a Ring-Ultrasonic EF-S lens require power to manually focus? (using with adapter)

Would the manual-focus-ring of a ring-ultrasonic EF-S lens (in particular the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens) focus even when the electronics are not working? Or would it require power to allow manual ...
6
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1answer
401 views

Manual focus not consistent with Sony A7ii + Sony 55mm 1.8. Hidden setting?

I noticed that when I quickly turned my focus ring, the focus jump in focus was rather big: with a slight quick turn, I can almost jump between near focus and infinity. If I slowly turn the focus ...
2
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3answers
2k views

Can I fine tune the manual focus confirmation on my Nikon?

I haven't seen this answered anywhere, but does something or some software exist to fine tune manual (!!) focus confirmation (the dot at the bottom left) to more accurately represent focus? If I have ...
0
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1answer
913 views

Focus ring not working in D3300 with factory supplied 18 - 55 mm lens

I have this D3300 that was working completely fine. Someone was playing with the settings and I realized that I cannot focus on objects anymore. I don't think that there is something physically ...
2
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1answer
724 views

Supermoon: In focus and Out of focus

In focus moon Tonight I took several pictures of the Super Moon, I am a novice practicing in manual mode. Can someone explain why these photos are drastically different. The out of focus was shot ...
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2answers
215 views

What is the point of Auto Focus? [closed]

Although I started in the 90’s with the EOS system, I never used the AF inherent in EF lenses. As an amateur, I could take the time to take the best picture I could. I feel that I can get a better ...
47
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7answers
8k views

How did photography work before auto-focus was invented?

Having just spent some time reading questions about auto-focus, I came up with a question of my own: How did cameras even work before auto-focus technology was invented? Presumably everybody used ...

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