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That was very interesting. When I used to shoot film with a manual camera I was happy enough to just focus through the subject as often as it took to feel confident that I had succeeded but never gave much thought to the question "Is this the best approach?". The method you have described and explained makes perfect sense to me as I was always looking for a sudden increase in sharpness (from either direction... ) and then turning it back very slightly to compensate for my overshoot. Turning fast worked tolerably well on a lens where the total throw was less than 180 deg. - not so well when the throw is well over 270 deg! I'm certainly going to try this. Thanks
I am happy that the video was of value to you. Thanks for sharing your experiences - the impact of focus throw is indeed not to be underestimated! I have not paid enough attention to its impact so far, so I am very thankful for you pointing that out!
Thanks for this! It was refreshing to see a youtube instruction that goes straight to the point, is high quality in both production and content, and isn't made for children (no music, cheesy gesturing, rgb lights etc).
Yeah, I agree with your last statement: manual focus is fun for me because when I get 1 in 100 pictures I take in focus, I'm absolutely overfilled with joy :)
@@ThomasEisl.Photography I may have exaggerated that figure a bit, but you're definitely bit wrong :) I have been shooting with manual focus lenses for over 10 years now, but I haven't heard of that technique you mentioned until I saw your video. I'll definitely give it a try when using my Canon 6d I recently purchased to use with Zuiko lenses. Getting consistently good focus on DSLRs or rough especially when compared to mirrorless and old film SLRs. I really wish my 6d had a microprism focusing screen :(
To be fair, the main reason a fast lens is easier to focus is because it's letting more light in and thereby makes the viewfinder brighter and easier to see the image.
Brilliant analysis and explanation, Thomas. The techniques you have developed are logical, easily applicable, and work so well. You truly live and breath your craft.
I always miss the depth of field scale on newer lenses. That's why I love my manual Nikkor lenses for zone focusing and increasing depth of field as you explained.
Pretty much what we learned in journalist school, this was early days of digital like 2007 for us anyway, our school had just retired the analogue film cameras mere 3 years prior. Anyway, the teachers were old school conflict reporters who were used to operate manual cameras although also did digital remember back in 2000 - 2007, digital cameras had very meh autofocus very bad in low light and okay in good light, lenses were slow, cameras were hunting a lot before they "catched" the focus, so manual was sometimes preferable. The start with infinitive I remember well, then the teacher taught us to rack the focus back quickly and start going back and forth a lot till we get the focus point, this assured speed in situations that needed it, he also stated that having a larger aperture stop was preferable just to avoid the hunting as much as possible, and use wider lenses. But this practise of going infinite focus, then rack back and start hunting back and forth like super quick still holds in my hands even to this day even though I just let the autofocus do most the job, its always fun to shoot a manual lens every now and then and noticed I still do the same tactics I was taught at journalist school.
Thank you so much for sharing that - good technique ages well, it seems. Even today, regardless of camera and AF system used, being able to focus manually can be a "lifesaver" under challenging circumstances!
Thanks for this video! I recently purchased a used manual 55mm Nilon Macro 2.8 lens for my Nikon D750, and was having some focusing issuesL Your video is right on time! Again, THANK YOU! HG Chicago
This video is so helpful. I am an amateur photographer and I love manual lenses for their artistic potential. The near far distribution of acceptable focus is a really eye-opening thing. Pun intended. I'm about to take a couple long train trips with a new manual lens from TT artisan.
I have a manual focussing lens Nikon pancake 50 mm f 1.8. I will start practice the techniqe of focusing and the use of distance from infinity to 0.6 m on my Nikon D800.
Interesting stuff. That Nikon F3 is a very nice looking camera - those older SLRs had so much more pizzazz than modern DSLRs which all look pretty much the same regardless of make/model. Plus they were built like solid bunkers during an era where no-one could have predicted the invention of soul-destroying smartphones which have ruined the camera industry and pushed most enthusiasts aside only to replace them with unskilled communities all patting each others backs on social media yet not even aware that they're missing out on so much more because they are blinded by what modern society and commercial brainwashing considers "creativity". Technology often has this horrible habit of being both productive and counter-productive at the same time. Rant aside, since many viewers here are clearly enthusiasts who appreciate the "golden age" of manual cameras, I'd love to see a video showing your studio someday, assuming you have one, that talks about your general setup, like lighting, backgrounds, routine, favourite camera/lenses, etc. I imagine you having a very well-optimised and established process to achieve your workflow. Would be interesting to see how a professional goes about his trade given how much independent thought and individual character goes into being a photographer, because it's not like being, say, a surgeon and following procedures, it is an art and ambitious form of expression which, I feel, seems more suited to introverted or less socially-active people who choose to explore themselves through the freedom of a lens rather than the limits of their personality. Not applying this to every photographer of course, plenty of big-shot pros out there, no doubt, but I think a modest ego is more practical than a flamboyant one in terms of reaching and appealing to a wider audience with their work.
Thanks for this multilayered comment, Marcus On the one hand, smartphones caused a lot of harm to those camera companies who did not get rid of the compact camera segment fast enough, on the other hand it has brought photography to the masses. Be that as it may, I agree that old cameras had more "esprit" than most of the newer DSLRs. Regarding the studio setup, I am humbled that you are interested in my setup and workflow! I hope the magic will live up to the expectations 😃 I agree that it is better to be humble and let your skills, dedication and actual work speak for you. There are already enough showmen on this planet! Thank you for sticking around on the channel and your truly intriguing comments!
Nice tutorial 👌 I would like to mention that the focus throw of a lens is also an important parameter, whether your subject is still or moving. This is rarely documented. Personally, I prefer quick focus throw in all circumstances. As long as it is of good quality, it’s easy to be precise and you can get much faster when needed. That’s why I prefer Voigtlander SLII over SLIIS series, and Nikkor AI-S ober AI.
You are indeed mentioning a very important point - focus throw is a very important factor that impacts the user experience and the results, for photographers and filmmakers alike! It is very interesting that you prefer a shorter throw, I will observe my preferences for future videos. Thank you very much for the comment!
Super Tip!!! Danke. Ich habe Es bisher immer genau umgekehrt gemacht. Wirklich gut erklärt, habe Es ausprobiert und sofort den Unterschied bemerkt, eine echte Hilfe. Mit freundlichen Grüßen Heiko Hartmann
I recently bought an K&F adapter for using my nikon lenses on a fujifilm camera. I can only focus manually with that adapter and this video is really helpful, thank you. Manual focusing is really fun.
Just got a Voigtlander 58mm 1.4 for my D850. Had to fine tune the focus in-camera ( yes this is possible with manual lenses when there are cpu contacts) and now it is spot on. Great lens by the way.
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Underrated and mostly unknown. Many think finetuning is only possible with AF lenses. Regarding the Voigtlander lens I think I will get the 28 and 40mm also. There is even a 90mm but can not find many reviews about it. Any experience with the 90mm?
One more thing, if you're saying that depth of field is larger towards the back of the plane of critical focus, than why are the depth of field markers on all lenses are symentical?
Because they are only approximations. Don't forget - DoF is relative not absolute. The tolerable CoC size dépens on enlargement, and therefore on surface are of the capture media and the output size.
I find that trying to manually focus an "auto-focus" lens is not a good thing. They do not focus like the actual manual focus lenses. I have not seen a depth of field scale on a new lens for years. I noticed the fact that you used an old Nikon lens when discussing DoF. I just find it a disappointing part of photography today. You did a great job of discussing this subject. Good on you.
Honestly this video blew me away. As an amateur photographer that has just started my journey I find this material really expanding my understanding of technicalities regarding this subject. Very well put video, informative, with thoroughly explained details. Thanks
I watch a lot of youtube and Ive been watching various content for many years now and I know when I am dealig with valuable material. This ladies and gentlemen is gold. 100% pure value to stuff your brains up, without „preview” BS just to make people buy yet abother course etc. Its a thing to enjoy because there is less and less content like this…
I really love your videos. It is very educated and help to bring our photography skill to the higher level. But the best of all, your English is greatest of all parts.
Nice video. However you should imho set your teleprompter to a faster speed. From a viewer's perspective you're talking painfully slow 😴. Now with all the techniques you mention there are unfortunately a few "real world problems": 1) in my experience most analog cameras are older and (with very few exceptions) definitively need focus calibration because the point of focus is usually off by at least a few centimeters if your subject is 1m away. This needs to be fixed first. 2) A lot of lenses suffer from focus shift (for example the otherwise great lens Nikon 58mm f1.4 AF-S G or the old Canon 50mm 1.2 L). You need to focus at the aperture that you plan to shoot at to avoid misfocus. If you focus at f1.4 witch such a lens and shoot at f2 the image may be out of focus again because of focus shift. 3) You need special focus screens to correctly focus manually with very fast lenses. Most focus screens of "modern" cameras have a fresnel lens pattern etched into it. This brightens up the image on the focus screen, but has the huge disadvantage that you see the image as if you were taking it at - say - f2.8 even if you have a f1.2 lens on your camera (press the aperture preview button to check this with a very fast lens and watch the depth of field). This way you've got zero chance to achieve critical sharpness. The only thing that can be done about this is to use a proper focusing screen without an integrated fresnel lens (having the disadvantage that viewfinder gets very dark if you use a slow lens) or to use the electronic focus indicator of the camera - which of course will work correclty only, if the camera is perfectly calibrated (which it usually isn't in my ecperience - see 1).
1) I agree - as I only use professionally serviced and calibrated cameras (what I would recommend for anyone doing serious photography) 2) I agree - and I have experienced that as well. 3) I agree - that is why I came up with this (tried and tested) method of focusing, which significantly helps getting the focus right even with the pre-installed screens. In my F6, I use proper screens for MF lenses. So the techniques themselves don't have real world problems, it is rather the real world that makes these technqiues necessary. And of course, there is no 100% solution if you don't know how your gear behaves. ... and I don't use a teleprompter, just speed me up in playback :-)
Thanks for a very informative and helpful video. I prefer your deliberate delivery. It allows me to reflect on the content that is unfamiliar. In part I judge videos by the quality of the comments. This is clearly a five star presentation.
Excellent discussion. I use manually focussed lenses in the same way and the focussing screens if they are interchangeable they are a great tool. In the past there were different specialist focusing screens for different types of working. The most common type available had a fine ground surface with a micro prism collar around a split field. These gave the ability to either place the split field and micro prism collar on the part of the image that needed to be critically focused and resolve the rangefinder pattern to focus the lens. Once focused you could then reframe for the composition. Or else, the ground glass outfield could be used to select the part of the frame in critical focus without focussing and reframing. I got into gridded plain screens and they tend to be my favoured style of screen because, I am looking for detail that I want to see sharply wherever it falls in the frame.
Thank you very much for your extensive, very relevant comment! Much appreciated. It is a shame that those screens are rarely available for contemorary cameras - set aside special customized screens from third party manufacturers.
Hi Thomas, when shooting with a SLR, how does one manually focus on a subject that is placed off-centre while trying to achieve a shallow depth of field? E.g an upper body portraiture shot of a model that is placed off centre. Thanks.
Unfortunately, there is no magic trick. What I recommend: First, follow the guidance in this video and second, practice a lot! You'll get better at it the more you try. Best, Thomas 📸
@@ThomasEisl.Photography I tried with the focus recompose technique and it threw the focus off as the depth of field is too shallow. Will try your method someday. Thanks!
@retrovox focus recompose is never a good idea, as you'll always miss critical focus even with a lot of dof. Do the sideways recompose shift instead. Best, Thomas 📸
Thank you so much for a very comprehensive explanation on the subject of manual focusing. Since I find that I often back-focus I have developed a method of setting the focus and then back off my whole body (and camera) a very tiny amount for my first shot. Then I move forward ever so slightly (with my whole body without turning the focusing ring) and take a second shot. I repeat this procedure until I deem the object to have been safely nailed. The extra bonus with this method is that I get a series of images that I can use for focus-stacking in my post-process later, if I prefer. Of course, this only applies for static or still objects. With this technique my whole body becomes in fact a focusing rail. The needed amount of movement between shots depends on the distance between the camera and the critical plain of focus. I even use this method while shooting macro! The only difference is that I often sit on the ground with the camera very close to the ground in front of me. I set the plain of critical focus and then I back the camera off a bit and start shooting. For every exposure I move the camera ever so slightly closer to the object. I prefer this method because tripod and focusing rails becomes very inflexible and clumsy out in the field. Especially if I want to be very close to the ground with the camera. All in all, even with auto focus systems we need to learn these techniques of nailing the critical plain of focus manually. As you said, we need to find a method and practice it regularly in order to always be able to compensate for the tricks that real world scenarios play on our optical equipments. Learning how to handle manual focusing is essential even when using auto focus equipment. Especially if we often prefer using our lenses in wide open apertures with a very narrow span of acceptable sharpness. Having learned a method of consistently succeed in getting the focus right manually opens up for the vast array of wonderful vintage lenses that can bring a whole “new” dimension to our photography! Remember, we always have the option to turn off the auto focus system in our equipment and start practicing with the equipment we currently have to our disposal. Manual focus is a skill that needs practice to be useful. When we have the skill we will always be able to nail the shot regardless circumstances without being blindly dependent on the auto settings in our equipment. Also, taking extra interest and care about how focusing works with our equipment we start to appreciate other and more fundamental aspects of photography. Our photography grows and we become more skilful as a consequence. Taking deeper interest in the aspects of focus also opens up the possibility of developing a deeper interests in the relationship between in-focus and out-of-focus areas in a photograph. This is an aspect that is unique to the art of photography and is normally not seen within any other form of visual artistic expressions. Embrace that instead of viewing it as a limitation.
Really helpful video. Bottom line, as with most things, practice, practice, practice! I still shoot lots of film. I must admit that tracking my fast moving granddaughter scares me regarding wasting frames. I think your techniques will get my hit rate moving in the correct direction!
Thank you very much for the comment, I'm glad that this video was helpful and I hope that you will get more great shots of your granddaughter! If you want to save film, you can get a cheap second hand DSLR to practice your technique! Cheers and good light to you!
I shot my kids 15 years ago in a pulled cart (German: Bollerwagen) running beside it with my Nikkormat and 35-105 lens on slide film and hitrate was almost 100%. Then I bought a Sigma SD-10 digital SLR, did the same next year, and hitrate was close to 0%. So I sold it again and did digital on compacts only, untill september 2020 when I bought an old Lumix G2.
Thank You. That's a brilliant Tip: I'd never thought of starting and infinity and coming back through the plane of sharpest focus. I do wish the Nikon confirmation dot could be located at the focus point instead of at the bottom edge of the viewfinder. For portraits, I can focus my 135mm f3.5 Ais & D3X exactly on the iris at closest focus distance - provided I steady the camera on a tripod. Tim (Southampton U.K.)
Thank you, I'm happy that you liked the video! Regarding the focus confirmation, I wholeheartedly agree! I would love if the focus points which have detected focus would just "light up", similar to how they do when using all AF-points in S-AF. Using a tripod is an awesome tip - it is really hard to focus these FF telephoto lenses wide open when shooting portraits. I wil definitly start doing that more often - maybe I give the good ol monopod a shot. Best wishes to you, Tim!
@@ThomasEisl.Photography My brother & I have ball heads (a Gitzo head & a Benro head) which have a large and a smaller tension knob. The larger one does most of the work whilst the smaller one lets you vary the tension and get smoother movement to follow the eye as it moves in the viewfinder.
I will try that by borrowing one, I know a guy who has one! Thanks for the, tip, again! That's awesome, love to learn new best practices from other photographers!
Manual Focusing WITHOUT the split prism is a pain in the ass. Neither zooming in nor using contrast peaking work to precisely determine the critical point of focus. I really wish that Sony, Canon or some other manufacturer will display a "Fake" split prism and microprism collar generated by using the phase detection sensors they already have embedded on the image sensor anyway. Depending on the phase, offset the image within those prisms either one or more pixels to the right or left. Simple enough to do in 2D transnational graphics. -- The only lens I use that is manual these days is the Loxia 2.8/21 and only because I don't really have to focus most of the time taking scenics, and if I do it is more to get objects within rough DOF range rather than precisely focusing (like you might taking a portrait) at a wide aperture.
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Interesting answer. It is true that 'analogue' is acquiring a new novel definition of 'not digital', though from a technical point of view film isn't analogue of course. Apparently, there's a bit of a trend in the cycling world of referring to non-electric bikes as being acoustic bicycles - which is about as accurate, though more amusing.
A very interesting video thank you, am I understanding correctly if you have a camera with the position of the senser or film etched on the camera and attach a 50mm lens the Line of Critical Focus is 50mm from that mark. Old lenses like the Helios 44-2 are good for focusing at maximum appature with having the preset control ring
Thank you very much for your kind words! Depending on where you set the focus, the actual focus distance will be different. I recommend referring to the distance scale printed on the lens! 📸
Superb, I am going to use your techniques with my D500 and D7100 along with a voigtlander 58mm 1.4 which is incredible if you haven’t tried it and works great for certain portraits on my crop sensor as it resolves like a longer lens on a full frame, cheers and subscribing now.
I'm not disputing that the plane of critical focus is flat and parallel to the sensor, but why is it not the surface of a sphere with the sensor at the origin? One of life's many mysteries for me.
Thanks for bringing this up, Bob! Only mathematically, the plane of critical focus is a perfect plane, as you've stated correctly! Depending on optics, it is more or less curved, which can be desirable as it lends a lot of character to the optics.
Very good video. I might be nit-picking, but the plane of focus is parallel to the lens and getting the correct plane needs the film/sensor to be parallel to the lens. If you bang your camera, for example, you can slightly mis-align the sensor and it is then impossible to get the sensor aligned with the plane of critical focus parallel to the lens.
I also recommend getting a split focusing screen installed by a professional camera repair/service company because using a split focusing screen is much easier for people who do not have sharp eyes.
slow to use, all of them. Now if Nikon provided a screen like F1 & F2 use. The magnification option for mirrorless back button focus allows me to nail focus.
@@ThomasEisl.Photography Focus screens do not allow fast and precise manual focus. Not like old cameras such as NIKON AND LEICA R. The electronic aids are not accurate
All right. Ob analog oder digital: Über alle Entwicklungen der Kameratechnik hinweg hatte ich nie das Bedürfnis nach autofocussing. Als Fotografierender mit Sinn dafür und Spaß daran, die Schärfe selber zu setzen (und dafür liebe ich die SLR) und einen Blendenring zur Hand zu haben, mache ich die paar Handgriffe lieber selbst, statt sie dem neverending technique hype zu überlassen. Nach dieser Maxime fotografiere ich auch 2023 mit meinen Analog- und Digitalkameras - und das auschließlich mit MF-Objektiven (in meinem Fall mit Nikkor-Objektiven, die z.T. schon mehr als 50 Jahre alt sind und ohne jegliche Wartung bis heute einwandfrei ihren Dienst tun).
Vielen Dank für diesen Kommentar! Ja, es gibt vieles was für manuelle Objektive spricht - eben auch nicht zuletzt die Haltbarkeit! Wenn man die Technik beherrscht, kann man eigentlich alles fotografieren. Auch wenn natürlich manche AF systeme schon sehr beeindruckendes leisten können. Ob man das wirklich braucht, ist wieder eine andere Sache! Das tolle am MF ist doch auch, wie Sie sagen, dass man nicht irgendwelche AF Punkte herumschiebt oder ähnliches, sondern praktisch das echte Bild im Sucher "einstellt". Vielen Dank für diesen Erfahrungsaustausch, ich weiß das sehr zu schätzen!
In short: yes! Here is the long answer quoting Nikon USA:"AF Nikkor (including AF-S, DX, VR and D-/G-type): All functions possible; D-type Manual-Focus Nikkor: All functions except autofocus and some exposure modes available; AF Nikkor other than D-/G-type: All functions except 3D Color Matrix Metering II and 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash possible; AI-P Nikkor: All functions except 3D Color Matrix Metering II, 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash and AF possible; Non-CPU AI Nikkor: Usable in [A] or [M] mode with Matrix-Metering, Center-Weighted and Spot metering available. Indication of aperture number after user inputs the aperture f/stop and focal length f=mm by multi-selector operation. Electronic Rangefinder usable with maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster."
The techniques described here are designed for split prism and non-split prism finders. Of course, you should make use of any focusing aids your camera offers
Most welcome! To be more precise, the going from far to near back to far is also recommend for the split prism - at least I got better results when doing so. The near far distribution comes into play as well! Have a great day and best wishes!
I have a couple of DSLRs (the Pentax K1 and KP) and also really enjoy using fast manual lenses (my fastest being a Revuenon 55m F1.2) because of the often lovely "not so digital looking" rendering these vintage lenses can produce. For me DSLRs combined with manual lenses are the best of both worlds (my first camera was an SLR back in the 80s). Thank you for your videos!
Thank you very much for the kind comment - I much appreciate your positive feedback! And I totally agree regarding best of both worlds and the special rendering. I am a huge fan of DSLRs and love to work with them. I'm considering getting a Pentax K-1 in 2023, just wanted to add that.
When using live view on a Pentax k-1 I would assume all your shots should theoretically be in focus. This discussion if I understand it correctly is concerned with focusing via the viewfinder? Am I correct? Thinking of getting a dslr however sounds a bit scary especially with having to calibrate your lenses.
@@harryv2297 Yes, there is confirmation of being in focus when using the viewfinder with manual lenses and not all lenses need calibrating. If they do it really isn't a big deal.
