Photzy

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS

Quick Guide
Written by Aaron Seefeld

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 1

 Technology has always been at the forefront
of photography. Camera manufacturers always
seem to be boasting about a new feature or
improvement to existing ones. One technological
advancement that has heavily influenced
photography over the last 40 years is auto focus.
The process may have been clunky and unreliable
in its infancy, but today’s cameras are so good at
acquiring focus that many photographers don’t
learn to focus manually.

Despite the near-perfect performance of today’s

auto focus systems, there are reasons why you’d
want to know how to manually focus a lens:

·· You’ll encounter scenes where auto focus

won’t get the job done.

·· Maybe it’s a requirement for a challenge or

assignment.

Photograph by Aaron Seefeld ·· Many excellent lenses don’t have an auto

focus drive mechanism.

·· Some people prefer to do the job themselves.

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 2

 With auto focus’ popularity and success,
manufacturers have optimized their digital cameras
for auto focus and removed some of the analog
tools that aided manual focusing. This results in it
being a little more difficult to be sure your subject
is in focus by simply looking through the viewfinder.
Fortunately, they have given us some digital tools to
aid us, and there are a few other things that can help
make sure we get the focus set where we want it!

In this guide, we’ll discuss:

·· why it’s important to be familiar with your gear,

·· how to set yourself up for success by using
your diopter,
·· how your camera lets you know when your
subject is in focus,
·· what zone focusing is and how you can use it
to your advantage, and
·· some basic tips for getting started out in the
Photograph by Aaron Seefeld
field.

Recommended Resource: Want to expand

your shooting skills in a matter of days? Drop
those lengthy photography manuals and grab a
set of 65 printable project sheets that will help
you master photography, fast: Action Cards.

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 3

 KNOW YOUR GEAR AND YOURSELF

This might seem like an odd It’s also important to know if

statement, but it’s important you have any quirks with your
to know how your camera vision and to adapt accordingly.
body and lenses work to avoid I’m nearsighted and have
damaging them. Make sure astigmatism in both eyes. If I’m
you’re comfortable with switching wearing my glasses, I don’t have
between manual and auto focus too much trouble seeing clearly.
modes on your camera body and When I wear my contacts, I can’t
all of your lenses. Some lenses focus on anything closer than two
require both the camera and lens feet away because of limitations
to be in manual. Some lenses in how they correct for the
only need one or the other to astigmatism. That makes focusing
be in manual. Some lenses don’t through the viewfinder and using
have a switch and rely on the live view extremely difficult. Since
camera’s setting. Others allow I know that’s a problem, I wear
you to manually focus at any time my glasses as much as possible
whether the auto focus system is when shooting. If I’m wearing
engaged or not. It’s imperative my contacts, I hope that auto
to be familiar with these focus will work! If it doesn’t, I
requirements so you don’t break rely on the camera to tell me if
the focus mechanism by cranking the subject is in focus. We’ll talk
on the focus ring with auto focus about how to do that later.
engaged (unless it’s designed to
work that way)!

Photograph by Aaron Seefeld

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 4

 SET YOUR DIOPTER

The diopter is a device that adjusts the clarity of

your viewfinder. It is an important tool for manual
focusing because it’s impossible to get proper focus
when you have to guess at how far out of focus the
viewfinder image needs to be for the actual image
to be sharp.

To set your diopter, put the camera on a tripod

or other stable surface, auto focus on something,
and take a picture. If the focus is spot on, look
through the viewfinder and adjust the diopter until
the image is as clear and sharp as you can get it.
The numbers and symbols at the bottom of the
viewfinder should also be sharp when the diopter is
set properly.

Check your diopter settings periodically. In theory,

it shouldn’t need to be changed unless your
Photograph by Aaron Seefeld
eyesight changes. In reality, the adjustment knob
could get bumped if your camera gets jostled
around in your bag. If someone else gets their
hands on your camera, who knows what they’ll
change.

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 5

 USE FOCUS CONFIRMATION

Most camera systems have some sort of focus

confirmation indicator. We’ll talk about Nikon’s
focus confirmation system since that’s what I’m
most familiar with. You should be able to adapt the
process for your own camera. Check your manuals
to learn how.

Nikon’s newer DSLRs use two opposing arrows

pointing toward a dot in the middle of them. Their
older cameras just have the dot. This feature is
tucked in the bottom-left corner of the viewfinder,
like what’s shown in the image on the left. When
only the dot is showing, it means your subject is
in focus. If one of the arrows is showing, it means
you need to turn the focus ring in that direction
(pointing to the right means turn the ring clockwise
and left means counterclockwise). Both arrows
showing without the dot means that the camera
cannot find the appropriate focus. A blinking dot
means the subject is moving in and out of focus.
Photograph by Aaron Seefeld
If your camera doesn’t have the arrows, the dot
means your subject is in focus; if nothing is visible,
it means you need to keep adjusting the focus ring.

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 6

 How does the camera know what your subject is?
The same way it does if you’re auto focusing! If you
have all your focal points activated, the camera
will tell you when the closest object is in focus. If
you want to focus on a specific part of the scene,
change to a single focal point, place it on your
subject, and adjust the focus ring until you see the
dot. In the image on the left, I outlined the focal
point I chose in red so it’s easier to see.

Typically, there will be a bit of leeway on what

the camera thinks is in focus. For example, if
you envision a clock face on your lens and put
a reference point on the focal ring to use as the
hour hand, the camera might say your subject is in
focus between 10:00 and 11:00. That’s a bit of an
exaggeration on how much leeway there usually
is, but bear with me. Odds are the resulting image
will be sharpest at a specific point within that
Photograph by Aaron Seefeld “hour.” On my camera, it’s around 10:10. Practically
speaking, it’s just after I see the rightward-pointing
arrow change to the dot when I’m turning the ring
clockwise. Your sweet spot may vary, so take time
to learn what works best for you.

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 USE LIVE VIEW

Live view is a more accurate way of obtaining focus and adjust the focus ring until the image you see on
manually than peeping through the viewfinder the screen is sharp. Once you’ve acquired focus, take
because you can magnify the image on your review your shot. Simple, right?
screen to see very fine details. It’s a slower and more
deliberate process than just getting the dot in the It is, but like with using focus confirmation you’ll
viewfinder, and it chews up your battery faster, but have to know your camera to get the best results. I
the end result is worth the time spent. This method currently own three different bodies that have the
works best when using a tripod or other means to live view feature, and they are all a little different
stabilize the camera. from one another in how pixelated the image renders
on the display. Take time to play around with your
As the name implies, what you see is truly a live view camera. Study how it behaves and what kind of
of what your image will look like – exposure, depth of quirks it has. Over time, you’ll learn what a well-
field, and all! The slightest change in focus can make focused image looks like on your screen and become
or break your image, especially with shallower depths more confident in using the technique.
of field. Being able to see the effects of such slight
changes will help you get the best results possible. Recommended Resource: Want to expand
your shooting skills in a matter of days? Drop
Another advantage is the ability to focus anywhere those lengthy photography manuals and grab a
in the scene. The focal points in your viewfinder are set of 65 printable project sheets that will help
going to be bunched up in the center of the frame, you master photography, fast: Action Cards.
making it difficult to focus on elements toward the
edges. When using live view, you can zoom in all
the way to the edges and corners if that’s where you
want your focus to be.

Using live view is fairly straightforward. Activate the

feature, zoom in as far as you can on your subject,

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 8

 Photograph by Aaron Seefeld

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 9

 TRY ZONE FOCUSING

This method is useful when you don’t have

a lot of time to react to a dynamic scene,
and still provides very good results. It
involves calculating the depth of field to
find the distance range where your subject
will be in focus. You pre-focus your lens,
and when your subject is within range, take
the shot!

Huh?

Let’s say I’m on the street with my D700, a

50mm lens set to an aperture of f/8, and I
put my subject distance at 15’. Now, let’s
say I see a person in the distance walking
Photograph by Aaron Seefeld
toward me that I want to photograph. If
I take the picture when that person is 15’
away, they’ll be in perfect focus. Because
of the depth of field I get from that
combination of parameters, I can take
the picture when the person is anywhere
between 11’ and 26’ and they should
be in acceptable focus. If I change my
aperture to f/4, my window for shooting
narrows to 13’ to 19’.

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 10

 How am I supposed to know the range?

The easiest way is to use a depth of field calculator. There

are several available on the internet. Find one and enter the
information it asks for. Usually, that’s going to include your
camera model or sensor size, focal length, aperture, and subject
distance. The calculator will figure everything else out for you.

Some lenses will have it marked out for you on the barrel! The
range is found by setting your subject distance and then reading
the distances that line up with the markings for your selected
aperture. The image on the left illustrates this. It shows my
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D lens, which has depth of field markings
for f/11 and f/22. The yellow numbers on the focus ring are the
distance in feet. The white numbers are the distance in meters.
The subject distance is set to roughly 2.8’ (.85m). If the aperture
were set to f/11, everything 2.5’-3’ (.76m-.91m) away would
be in focus. If the aperture were set to f/22, the range would
increase to 2.3’-3.3’ (.7m-1m).

Having said this, you do have to be careful. Many older lenses

that have these markings were made in the days when 35mm
film was the norm, so they’ll be accurate with 35mm and full
Photograph by Aaron Seefeld frame cameras. If you have a different sensor size, the numbers
will be off a little bit. Also, not all of the apertures and distances
are marked, so you’ll have to do some interpolating.

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 11

 PRACTICE! Self-Check Quiz:

1) Why might you want to manually focus on your

Seriously. It’s just like learning how to ride a bike or hit a subject when auto focus is so good these days?
baseball. The more you practice, the easier it’ll get.
2) Why is it important to be familiar with how your
Like learning any new skill, manually focusing your camera gear operates?
will be a bit awkward at first. If you struggle a bit, don’t get
discouraged. Slow down and take your time. Start with your 3) Why is it important to make sure your diopter is
camera on a tripod and shoot static scenes. That way, you set correctly?
won’t have to worry about losing your composition or your
4) True or false: You can use your camera’s focal
subject moving while you adjust the focus ring. It may help
points when focusing manually just like you
to start with big, jerky turns of the ring back and forth, then
would when focusing automatically.
taper down as you hone the focus. As you get comfortable,
work on hand-holding the camera and/or shooting moving 5) What makes live view such a powerful tool
subjects. Keep challenging yourself as you become more when manually focusing?
proficient. Stick with it and the process will become second
nature to you before you know it. 6) When would using zone focusing be useful?

Recommended Resource: Want to expand your

shooting skills in a matter of days? Drop those lengthy
photography manuals and grab a set of 65 printable
project sheets that will help you master photography,
fast: Action Cards.

SIX TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR MANUALLY FOCUSING A LENS // © PHOTZY.COM 12

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Congratulations! You’ve completed
this Photzy guide!

If you liked this tutorial on focusing, check

out our set of 65 printable project sheets to
help you expand your shooting skills and
master photography, fast: Action Cards

IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTINUE

Aaron is an passionate photographer who loves to shoot LEARNING AND IMPROVING
whenever he can. With young kids and a day job, that usually
means in the middle of the night. You can see his photography
YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY PLEASE
on Flickr or GuruShots. VISIT PHOTZY.COM

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