I'm not even sure why I own an AF (although it does a nice enough job, Canon 100 2.0) ... I rarely use it, but just in case I've got it. Maybe I'll pick up an AF for some Long Glass, but otherwise MF is the only way I seem to think these days.
I am new to photography (less than a year) and i find myself manual focusing more and more and af less and less.. i think it makes me feel more in control and help me focus on making "the shot" more.
I started off just machine gunning my shots, but got very few keepers.
Now that i slow down and think about pressing that shutter i'm finding i get more keepers.
Manual focus seems to fit in with that ideology well.
Plus there's many situations where AF is almost useless.. landscape, macro, very low light (unless you want to infrared people to death).
I just sold all of my canon stuff for this reason, well and among a couple others. Here I come leica. I hope it was worth it. If not, I can always return to crappy manual focusing rings on the canon lenses.
With that, we are to automated as a soceity aren't we? Automatic transmissions, microwaves, washers, dish washers, AF, auto iso, auto WB, etc.
Hardly any of the above work well.
Ok, I'll admit, I do appreciate the washer a good deal.
It's funny to me how simple humans try to make things and the original thing is usually always better. I love my manual car and when I shoot my camera it is in manual as well. Heck, I didn't even know what any of the other modes in my 5D where. I do know it has "print button" though.
i prefer my MF 50s, manual ISO, manual WB, manual transmission but long for a dish washer. my AF 35/1.4 & AF 85/1.4 have nice thick & direct focusing rings, but are not dampened. AF is pointless at night.
alexandre wrote:
I like both. But there's nothing better than MF when shooting candids without hurry or landscapes.
I like both too. I think my AF/MF switch is almost worn out. I like to use AF first, hit the MF/AF switch with my pinky finger, and then fine tune or focus for DOF in MF.
For moving targets like birds, cars, bikes, houses, dogs, walking/running people, and stuff, I like to use tracking though. Free point tracking ROCKS! Tracking plus continuous mode is nice too but while my camera's tracking is very fast my continuous speed sucks!
Shaun nailed it. Focusing is one of the most fun steps of photography and one of the hardest to master. I am not going to rob myself of the pleasure by letting the camera do it. The car analogy drives it home, I love to drive a car with a manual trans. Maybe this is a sign of someone that likes to be in total control.
