For those Manual Focus users shooting potraits


nitewalk

Senior Member
May 31, 2010
4,612
35
48
Singapore
Hi, there is a question which bothered me for the longest time, but I've never found an answer to. I've used MF in indoor sports events, which is fine because I don't focus on the eyes of the competitors.

However if you are shooting portraits of people or animals, I believe we are taught in general to focus on the eyes. How do you use manual focus to achieve/ensure that? Hope it is not a dumb question but getting a bit bothered by it.
 

just use your eyes to see.
of course change to the type of focusing screen more suitable for manual focusing will help too.
 

depends on your focal length and aperture too. if you are facing difficulties in getting a sharp image, you can try to stop down to f/2.8 and f/4 too.

when I first tried MF, getting it right at f/1.2 was challenging :bsmilie:
 

For me, its the following :

1. Make sure that my viewfinder is properly adjusted to be representative of the point of focus I am getting on the sensor.
2. Focus on the eyes by looking at the subject's eyes.
3. Once the eyelashes come are sharp, its sharp (assuming #1 was done); Just snap of the photo.
 

Oh thanks for the response. :)
 

Focus peaking helps too..
 

Use focus peaking. ;-)
Or, set the af point on the eyes, then use the focus confirmation indicator + your eyes to confirm af
 

please title your thread properly thank you

MF can mean Manual Focus OR Medium Format
 

I am not a pro but I don't like using EVF, usually I will dial in the distance in the focus window (prefocus) then get into the shooting distance. Works for my cat (he is always very lazy and lying there so quite static).
 

I use 50mm f/1.8D on my D5100 camera. So most of the time I have to MF. Since my camera has built-in electronic rangefinder, I do not have any problem so far. The only challenge i face is your hands really have to be very very steady.
 

When MF, I just train the center focus point to whatever subject I wanted, then turn focus till the beep sounded or the focus indicate that the focus had been achieved, then shoot.
 

Oh. Thank you all. Focus peaking did not turned up in my reading up. Will go read up upon that and try. Thanks again.
 

Oh. Thank you all. Focus peaking did not turned up in my reading up. Will go read up upon that and try. Thanks again.

Set to DMF mode and enable MF Assist with Focus Peaking enables u to zoom in and focus till d focus peaking color lights up to inform u d focus is sharp on those areas. Mind yr DOF as the perimeter on the subject might soften abit..
 

nitewalk said:
Oh. Thank you all. Focus peaking did not turned up in my reading up. Will go read up upon that and try. Thanks again.

Does your camera even have focus peaking?