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\t\t\tImage credit Douglas Fry<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n
Practice<\/strong> Set the diopter<\/strong> Look for light<\/strong> Image credit Jeremy Walker<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Use live view mode<\/strong> Magnify<\/strong> Image credit Robert Pugh<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Use focus peaking<\/strong> Focus wide-open<\/strong> Image credit Jeremy Walker<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Use hyperfocal distance focusing<\/strong> Focus and move<\/strong> Pre-focus<\/strong> Image credit Douglas Fry<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Set the optimum settings<\/strong> Then, set a shutter speed that freezes any accidental camera movement but doesn\u2019t require a very high sensitivity (ISO). A shutter speed of 1\/60sec or 1\/125sec is a good choice for handheld street photography. Finally, set the sensitivity to automatic so that you don\u2019t need to worry about having to keep changing the settings \u2013 you can just concentrate on the composition and getting the subject within your focus range. Once you\u2019re comfortable with this set-up, you don\u2019t even need to lift the camera to your eye, you can shoot with the camera at your hip or any other level.<\/p>\n Try something different<\/strong> Picture credit Robert Pugh<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Get technical<\/strong> Switch focusing screen<\/strong> Use a loupe<\/strong> Get an adapter<\/strong> Image credit Jeremy Walker<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Shoot continuously<\/strong> Image credit Robert Pugh<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Embrace the flaws<\/strong> Try a modern manual lens<\/strong>
\nMost of us are used to powering up our camera, composing the shot, then pressing the shutter release to get a sharp image. Manual-focus lenses take a little more effort. Douglas Fry<\/a> has been shooting professionally for over 25 years. In 2000, he switched to using autofocus kit but he was never really happy with it and switched back to manual-focus lenses in 2014. He now uses them exclusively for around 300 commissions every year. His number-one tip is to practise focusing with manual-focus lenses. He says, \u2018Practice is a priority \u2013 you get better and faster at focusing, so eventually you\u2019re able to keep up with a moving subject. It\u2019s just a case of knowing how fast and how far to rotate the focus ring to keep pace with your subject.\u2019<\/p>\n
\nAs you\u2019re using your eyes to assess the focus when using a manual-focus lens, it\u2019s essential that you get the best possible view and that the diopter on your camera\u2019s viewfinder is set correctly. The little adjustment dials are easily knocked out of position on some cameras, so it\u2019s worth checking your camera\u2019s before you start shooting. It\u2019s just a case of rotating the dial one way or the other until the point of focus is at its sharpest. Of course, this relies on the lens being focused, so it might be an idea to pop an autofocus lens on your camera just to check you\u2019re happy.<\/p>\n
\nJust like an autofocus system, our eyes need to be able to see some detail or contrast to be able to focus. That means there needs to be some light and the point of focus probably shouldn\u2019t be a featureless monotone panel. If the subject you are interested in lacks contrast or is in a dark area, consider moving it into some light or directing a light source towards it. Alternatively, focus on something in the light and with detail that is about the same distance away from the camera.<\/p>\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/140314_0018-600x400.jpg\")
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\nIf you use a mirrorless camera, you shoot in live view mode permanently, which has some advantages for manual focusing (more on this later). If you\u2019re using a DSLR, it\u2019s worth considering activating the live view and composing the image on the screen on the back of your camera \u2013 you can\u2019t use live view with a DSLR\u2019s viewfinder. It\u2019s not ideal to use the screen in all shooting situations, but it\u2019s great for still life, landscape and macro photography \u2013 anything when the camera and subject are still.<\/p>\n
\nOne big advantage of a live view feed is that you can zoom into the preview image to enlarge the most important part of the scene. This is a huge bonus when you\u2019re focusing manually \u2013 provided that neither you nor your subject is moving. With some camera and lens combinations, the live view image automatically enlarges where the active AF point is (even though the camera\/lens is set to manual focus) as soon as the focus is turned. That doesn\u2019t happen with lenses that don\u2019t have electrical contacts, but it\u2019s often possible to customise a button to activate the magnification\/zoom with a press.<\/p>\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Beth-Guy-Engagement-Studland-beach-23-03-19-80-P-601x400.jpg\")
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\nFocus peaking is another useful feature of mirrorless cameras and some DSLRs in live view mode. When this is activated, the camera highlights the points of highest contrast on the screen (or in the viewfinder with a mirrorless camera). The highest contrast areas are usually the points of sharpest focus, so you can use peaking to guide your focusing. It\u2019s usually possible to set the focus peaking indicator to one of a small selection of colours \u2013 white, red and yellow are common. Ideally, select a colour that contrasts well with the scene you\u2019re photographing.<\/p>\n
\nSome manual-focus lenses close down to the shooting aperture at the point of capture, but not all do. If you have to manually close the aperture on a lens, close it after you\u2019ve focused. As well as giving you the brightest possible view while you focus, the depth of field is at its most limited, which means that you see the strongest difference between what\u2019s in and out of focus.<\/p>\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/JW770-630x241.jpg\")
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\nThe hyperfocal distance is that magical focus distance at which the lens produces the maximum possible depth of field at any given aperture. You can use this technique with any lens, but the focusing scale on most manual-focus lenses makes it easy. All you need to do is decide the aperture you want to use, then on the focus scale, line up one of the two markers for that aperture with the infinity symbol. The other marker for the aperture indicates the closest point of focusing. Landscape photographer Jeremy Walker says, \u2018I routinely use hyperfocal distance focusing to get
\nthe best from my Zeiss Milvus and Leica lenses. Some photographers prefer to focus on a specific subject in the scene, but I like to think in terms of depth of field.\u2019<\/p>\n
\nThe focus-and-move technique is especially useful with macro lenses, particularly when you want to get the greatest magnification possible. Simply set the lens to its closest focusing point and move the camera forwards (or backwards) until the point that you want to be in focus is perfectly sharp. You only need to make very small movements to have a dramatic effect with a macro lens, so it can help to have the camera mounted on a micro positioning plate on a tripod. This enables you to move the camera very gradually by turning a screw thread.<\/p>\n
\nManual-focusing masters such as Douglas Fry have no trouble focusing on fast-moving subjects, but even he recommends pre-focusing when you know where your subject is going to appear. With the focusing done, you can check the exposure and concentrate on getting the composition just right when the subject arrives.<\/p>\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/21mm-Street-Portraits-600x400.jpg\")
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\nManual-focus lenses are great for street photography because, with a little preparation, you can shoot instinctively. The first step is to decide what aperture you want to use; f\/8 makes a good starting point because it produces reasonable depth of field. Then, either set the focus scale to focus on a point you find works well for your subject and lens \u2013 for example, 2m \u2013 or set the lens to the hyperfocal distance (see tip number 8).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/11-Try-something-different-_-Lensbaby-Twist-60-400x400.jpg\")
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\nAll Lensbaby lenses are manual focus, and while they can produce \u2018straight\u2019 images, their magic is in the creative effects they can create. Wedding and portrait photographer Robert Pugh<\/a> regularly uses a Lensbaby Twist 60 on his Sony full-frame cameras for engagement, wedding and portrait shoots, because he loves the swirl effect it creates towards the edges of the image. He explains, \u2018I like to shoot something a bit different and to do the work in-camera. It saves me time editing my images and when I show my client a shot or two on the back of my camera during the shoot, it helps them loosen up and enjoy themselves, so we get even better images.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Beth-Guy-Engagement-Studland-beach-23-03-19-62-P-601x400.jpg\")
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\nManual-focus lenses offer a couple of technical advantages over autofocus lenses that tend to get overlooked. For instance, if you\u2019re shooting a series of images to stitch together to make a panorama, you can\u2019t forget to turn off the AF and the focus won\u2019t shift halfway through the sequence. So next time you plan to create such an image, maybe reach for a manual-focus lens. Also, unlike autofocus lenses, some manual-focus lenses have markings to indicate how the focus needs to be adjusted for infrared photography \u2013 that\u2019s handy if you have an IR adapted camera.<\/p>\n
\nBack in the days of film, we used to swap focusing screens like camera straps. We bought one that we liked and suited our purposes. A split image focusing screen, for example, makes it easier to see when you\u2019ve nailed the focus manually. If you\u2019re shooting with a film camera, it\u2019s definitely worth investigating whether it can accept a different screen and seeing what options are available. It\u2019s far less common to change the focusing screen in a digital camera, but if you hunt around on the internet, they can be found for some models.<\/p>\n
\nMany people find it easier to concentrate on the composition of their images when surrounding distractions are excluded from the view \u2013 in other words, when they use the viewfinder rather than the screen. However, if you want to use live view on a DSLR, you have to use the screen. A screen loupe basically turns the screen on the back of camera into a large viewfinder, cutting out any distractions and, most importantly, cutting out reflections so it\u2019s easier to see details and focus manually. Alternatively, look for a viewfinder magnifier that will slip on
\nto your camera\u2019s viewfinder instead of the eyecup to give you a clearer view of the scene when you focus.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/16_Get_An_Adapter_m42-lens-to-sony-nex-e-mount-adaptor-m42-lens-to-sony-nex-e-mount-camera-adaptor-10794-p-398x400.jpg\")
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\nThere are literally thousands of second-hand manual-focus lenses available to buy, with many costing less than \u00a350. If you hunt around charity shops, you may be lucky and find some treasure for even less. Then all you need to use them on your modern camera is an adapter. SRB Photographic<\/a> is a great port of call for these: they sell a huge range, with prices starting at around \u00a316. And once you have an adapter, you\u2019ll have a new hobby \u2013 looking for additional lenses to mount on it.<\/p>\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/110820_0049a-630x354.jpg\")
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\nI\u2019m not a fan of the phrase \u2018spray and pray\u2019, but it can be helpful to set your camera to continuous-shooting mode in some situations. When you\u2019ve prefocused, for example, if your subject is moving very quickly, you might not be able to time your shot as perfectly as you\u2019d like, so shooting at a few frames per second can really help. However, part of the beauty of using a manual-focus lens is that it helps you engage with your subject and photography, so don\u2019t shoot in continuous-drive mode at the expense of developing that connection.<\/p>\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/SA706070-600x400.jpg\")
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\nIf you spend a fiver on an old lens and it turns out to have the best optical quality you\u2019ve ever seen, fantastic! Thank your lucky stars. But the chances are, it\u2019s been around a while and is a little battered. And, of course, it may never have been that good in the first place. Modern production methods and advanced coatings mean that we are really spoiled by the lenses of today. Older lenses may be rather soft and suffer from heavy vignetting, chromatic aberration and flare. But rather than fight it, enjoy these aspects of your lens. Turn it towards the sun so that the light bounces around inside, use the vignetting to frame your subject and learn to love the fringing. You\u2019re shooting with the real deal, not adding effects on the computer after the event.<\/p>\n
\nWhile there are lots of great second-hand and vintage manual-focus lenses, there are quite a few in current production, too. Zeiss, for example, makes some fabulous manual-focus lenses for modern cameras, Leica\u2019s M-range is entirely manual focus and Voigtl\u00e4nder has some gems. One of the benefits of opting for a modern manual-focus lens is that the manufacturer has ploughed all their knowhow into the optics to create the best image quality they can for the money.<\/p>\n\t\t
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