What is the best way to manually focus?

Hi,
I have a few questions concerning manual focusing:-

What is the best (correct) way to manually focus?

Do you set the lens to manual, then hold don the shutter until the focus dot appears in the view finder?
If this is the correct way, then isn't this as good as auto focus?
When should you use maula focus instead of manual focus?

Kind regards,
Mil.

I've been wondering myself since mirrors don't have a split image circle anymore, and the XT/XTi have horrible view finders compare to film SLR, I'm findign it very difficult to visually focus without the camera red dot feedback.

Maybe it just takes practice... (and good contrast/light).

milbogo said:

Hi,
I have a few questions concerning manual focusing:-

What is the best (correct) way to manually focus?
Do you set the lens to manual, then hold don the shutter until the
focus dot appears in the view finder?
If this is the correct way, then isn't this as good as auto focus?
When should you use maula focus instead of manual focus?

Kind regards,
Mil.

Click to expand...

--
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Alain D

Rebel X T / 3 5 0 D
sigma 1 7 - 7 0 mm f2.8/4.5
sigma 1 8 - 2 0 0 mm f3.5/6.3
tokina 8 0 - 4 0 0 mm ATX-D f 4.5/5.6
canon 5 0 mm f 1.8
flash 4 2 0 E X

-- for sale/not used
canon 7 5 - 3 0 0mm f 4-5.6 III
canon 1 8 - 5 5 mm kit

milbogo said:

What is the best (correct) way to manually focus?

Click to expand...

There's no correct way, and the best way depends on whatever works for you.

What I did was to buy a focus screen with manual focusing aids (split image, etc.).

milbogo said:

Do you set the lens to manual

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My lens has Full-Time Manual focusing. I set Custom Function 4 to 3 so that the camera doesn't AF unless I press the * button, and I just focus manually. If I want AF, I just press .

milbogo said:

hold don the shutter until the focus dot appears in the view finder?
If this is the correct way, then isn't this as good as auto focus?

Click to expand...

This technique is useful for macro shooting, where you focus by changing the distance between camera and subject rather than by turning the focus ring. Autofocus can't do that.

Also, there are times when you might want to "preset" the focus and just leave it alone. There are a number of ways to do that, but one way is to use manual focusing and adjust the focus until the AF indicators light up.

milbogo said:

When should you use maula focus instead of manual focus?

Click to expand...

Use whatever focusing technique works for you.

Since the viewfinder isn't even really sharpm thanks to a half-baked diopter and a small view. I have tried to get that ultra crisp focus I was able to get with my AE1 and split image. Is it that expensive to implement (or difficult)?

Doug - where did you get and how much was a new focusing screen?

I ask because I always get pretty random results with AF (sometimes front/back focus depending on the lens), and I trust my eye more than the 400D AF - my results using MF on a model's eyelashes, for example, are always perfectly sharp, whereas with AF it's often the tip of the nose or hair that's really sharp.

Unfortunately, I only see that AF has let me down when I view the results on my monitor. For spontaneous shots, it's hit or miss in my experience.

In the beginning I'd use the split image circle on my film SLR, but towards the end I stopped using it. Why? I found (in good light) that it was much easier to judge the sharpness on the fresnel lens itself. But with the 400D it's somewhat less easy - smaller viewfinder. Still, it can be done, as long as the light is good and you've got a good lens. It's a lot easier with a telephoto lens than with a wide angle, though.

Some people on here recommended an ocular loupe that fits on the camera and magnifies the viewfinder slightly.

I could not focus manually with my DRebel if my life depended on it. I tried the Canon magnifier S and with that maybe if my life depended on it I could get a half-focused image. Didn't really work for me. The one thing that does work is replacing the focusing screen by one with a split prism. I actually made my own by scavenging the screen from my old Olympus OM-G film body and filing it down to the right size and thickness. Now I can focus manually except at the really wide angle where AF still amazes me.

formerpro said:

In the beginning I'd use the split image circle on my film SLR, but
towards the end I stopped using it. Why? I found (in good light)
that it was much easier to judge the sharpness on the fresnel lens
itself. But with the 400D it's somewhat less easy - smaller
viewfinder. Still, it can be done, as long as the light is good and
you've got a good lens. It's a lot easier with a telephoto lens
than with a wide angle, though.

Some people on here recommended an ocular loupe that fits on the
camera and magnifies the viewfinder slightly.

Click to expand...

--

Slowly learning to use the DRebel (only around 28.000 shots) and now also the Fuji F11.
Public pictures at http://debra.zenfolio.com/ .

For me a blank focusing screen would definitly work the best. Granted, with wide angle I'd be lost - autofocus is definitely the way to go there.

But it took me years before I got to that point. With the 50 mm on my old film camera, I'd struggle with the focusing aids, especially in low light. I almost never used anything but the 90 mm towards the end, so I don't know how I'd do with the 50 mm.

zukey said:

Doug - where did you get and how much was a new focusing screen?

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The two main suppliers of aftermarket split-image focusing screens are Haoda and Katz Eye. Haoda mainly sells the standard type of screen, while Katz Eye screens are enhanced for use with smaller apertures and have extra-cost options available for additional brightness and/or grid/crop lines.

Both vendors have outstanding reputations and you can confidently order from either one. There are also some smaller vendors on eBay and such, but I don't much about any of them.

Haoda: http://haodascreen.com/CanonDSLR.aspx
Katz Eye: http://www.keoptics.com/cat--Canon-DSLRs--cat_canon.html

Thanks very much! I'll be looking into that...

Well, having a fast lens and no filters help, but actually you need a trained eye. There is no need to watch the green dot come up, its the same as AF. If you have choosen MF, you must be thought AF is not good enough or acting wrong, so why watch the dot? I thought its really no way to focus manually with a 300D and a kit lens, but my colleauge, who was a focus puller (yes, its a job description, pulling focus on movie cameras! And they have NO screen!!!) told me its easy. So you need to develop an eye for it. Takes years.

Balazs

Doug Pardee said:

milbogo said:

What is the best (correct) way to manually focus?

Click to expand...

There's no correct way, and the best way depends on whatever works
for you.

What I did was to buy a focus screen with manual focusing aids
(split image, etc.).

Click to expand...

What's your experience with it? Is it much better than standard AF? or is it mostly the same, and only used in specific situations?

It is far from impossible. It will help if your subject fills most of the viewfinder and of course have good light on your subject. And no you cannot focus with the shutter button held down half with until the focus confirmation light appears. You may need to get a diotripic adjustment lens is you have bad eyes.

Anthony de Vries said:

What's your experience with it?

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My Haoda screen is very accurate, at least for the split-image. I don't get quite as good results using the microprisms and the laser matte area, but I think that's just poor technique on my part—I don't use them enough to be good at it.

Installation was relatively easy, except that on the first attempt I didn't get the retaining clip fully latched and the whole screen assembly fell out when I took my first test shot, and on the second attempt I didn't get the screen properly positioned under all 4 "legs" of the retaining clip, so it wasn't held straight. The third time was the charm, and the entire process took me maybe 15 minutes. Having done it once, I could do it again in a minute or two.

The loss of the AF point indicators—both the markers and the red LEDs—wasn't a problem for me because I mainly shoot manual focus, and when I shoot AF it's with AI Servo so no LEDs anyway. The only AF point that I care about is the center, so the loss of the markers isn't important to me either.

I ran some tests and found no effect on metering on my XT.

The only negative—to me—of the Haoda screen is the partial blackout (split-image and microlens) at the f/5.6 end of my lens. I have to take a moment to get my eye positioned correctly at the viewfinder to prevent the partial blackout (not a problem at the f/4 end of the lens). This is the big selling point of the Katz Eye screens.

Anthony de Vries said:

Is it much better than standard AF? or is it mostly the same,
and only used in specific situations?

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I don't generally have AF troubles. My 17-85 isn't fast enough or long enough to produce razor-thin DoF, and its Ring USM seems to be quite accurate anyway.

I use manual focusing because I enjoy it. The same reason that I use manual exposure mode. I like the control, I like the results that I get, and I like the reduced shutter lag. It gives me the "manual film SLR" feel that I'm used to.

There's not much technical advantage for most people. Split-image focus screens for DSLRs remain a cottage industry—essentially two individuals are producing almost all of the screens currently being sold—even though the market consists of tens of millions of DSLRs.

Doug Pardee said:

I like the reduced shutter lag.

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It occurs to me that I should note that prefocusing can be done using AF by setting Custom Function 4 to 1 or 3. Prefocusing is not exclusive to manual focus. I just happen to like manual focus (but I do use AF on occasion).