Master focusing manually

There are times to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in to manual focus

Athough you’re able to set one of three different autofocus modes on a Canon DSLR – One-shot, AI Servo or AI Focus – you won’t find a Manual Focus option. Instead, you have to use the AF/MF slider on the lens: set it to MF (Manual Focus) and you’ll see MF appear on the Quick Control screen. If your camera has a top-plate LCD, you’ll see ‘M Focus’ in the readout.

Despite the advances in EOS autofocus systems, there are plenty of reasons why you’d choose to go manual. For instance, there are some situations in which an autofocus lens will continuously ‘hunt’ backwards and forwards for the subject without ever detecting it. This typically happens when there’s not enough light available or when there’s not enough of a contrast between the subject and the rest of the scene.

Shooting through obstacles, such as long grass or branches, can also prove frustrating with autofocus as the camera will tend to latch onto the object closest to it; when you photograph at the zoo you may find that it’s the wire of a cage or your reflection on a glass tank that pops into focus, rather than the critter beyond.

Speed is another challenge. Maybe the subject arrives too quickly or is moving too fast for the autofocus system to pick it up. In this case, pre-focusing the lens on the spot where you anticipate the action happening – such as the racing line on a Formula 1 racetrack – and switching to manual focus leaves you to concentrate on composition.

focus first For the largest magnification, manually focus at the closest distance, then move the position of the camera to change the point of focus. Move the camera The closer you focus, the narrower the depth of field becomes. To make more of a...