Photography Shooting Technique #1: Manual Focus Using Live View

Photography Shooting Technique #1: Manual Focus Using Live View
Requirement: Live view function capable DSLR camera
Shooting style: Hand held or tripod (highly recommended)
Flash / Lighting: Built-in / Speedlite / Studio or Strobe / Continuous / Ambient
Best Used: On low light conditions; When AF function does not work properly; When AF function experiences difficulty in focusing

Most DSLR lenses nowadays, regardless of brand, are equipped with AF (Autofocus) function. This allows the photographer to focus on the subject faster rather than doing it manually (Manual focus or MF). As a photographer, I, as well, find using AF the most convenient way in taking pictures, especially when the subject is moving or a sudden moment worth shooting arises which requires an almost instant focusing speed. Different lens brands have put special consideration on the AF function, developing new technology to improve focusing speed such as the Ultrasonic Motor (USM) by Canon, Silent Wave Motor (SWM) by Nikon, Hyper-Sonic Motor (HSM) by Sigma, and Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) by Tamron to name a few. Despite all the benefits and efforts put on the AF function, the MF function is still able to find its place in the photography scene, where the AF function meets its limitations.

Autofocus function may have been developed using the latest technologies and materials but it also has its own limitations, and like any other devices, camera lenses may also render inoperable due to mishandling or by “natural causes”. The following shooting conditions may render the AF not to function properly:
1. Shooting in low light or poor lighting condition;
2. Focusing on a plain white / bright or plain black subject without color contrast;
3. Shooting through a glass or water;
4. When a focused subject is seen through a hole or when a foreground “framing” is too small for a focusing point (e.g. shooting the shore behind the leaves, animal inside a cage);
5. When a focused subject is beyond any of the focus points’ reach;
6. When a focus point focuses on a subject with a high contrast of color from dark to bright which causes a fringing effect;
7. When the focusing mechanism of the lens is damaged, faulty, or not working properly

These are just some but the most common situations when Manual focus is the best option to use. A reminder though, shooting in MF mode may oftentimes result in out-of-focus shots. This concern mainly falls into human error, in this  case, the photographer since the photographer is in total control of the focusing of the lens. Since the viewfinder compresses the whole composition (for full frame cameras) into a few millimeters of viewing window, the details of the composition appear to be almost tact sharp, but the miniscule details are actually blurry or out of focus. Another concern that needs to be addressed is the fringing effect, an effect that results to a bluish lining between a dark and bright area in the picture. This effect is not recognized by the AF function and is therefore disregarded and not corrected but in MF mode, the fringing effect can be minimized.

Correcting such imperfections can be done manually, setting the lens focusing mechanism into Manual mode and using the Live view function to view the details in a larger perspective. This is a simple yet effective technique which is best used for shooting still objects, portraits, and sometimes, for shooting landscapes.

Indicated below is a step-by-step instruction on how to use the Manual Focus (MF) mode effectively using the camera’s Live view function:
1. Look at the viewfinder and compose the image to capture;
2. Enable the Live view function;
3. Press the magnify button (with magnifying glass icon) to enlarge or zoom in to the center WITHOUT changing the focal length – use the maximum zoom;
4. Set the lens to Manual focus (MF);
5. Rotate the focusing ring of the lens to achieve the desired focus;
6. Press the magnify button again to view the whole composition, recompose if necessary (If the focal length or distance of the camera from the subject has changed, go back to Step #2);
7. Take the shot (holding the camera as you would using a Point & Shoot camera will result to greater amount of camera shake) or alternatively, disable the Live view function, look at the viewfinder, then take the shot to minimize camera shake. Using a tripod is best for Live view shooting.

The images below were shot using AF and MF respectively and place next to each other for comparison:

Refer to the image above. Both shots were taken using exactly the same Shutter speed – 2 seconds, Aperture value – f/1.8, ISO speed – 100. The picture on the left was taken using the AF mode while the picture on the right was taken using the MF mode. Taking the sharpness into consideration, both pictures are virtually the same. Magnifying the images would tell a different story.

Refer to the image above. Both shots are cropped at 100%. Taking the sharpness into consideration, the picture on the right (taken using MF mode) is considerably sharper, even the texture of the box is more prominent than the picture on the left which was taken using AF mode.

Refer to the image above. Both shots are cropped at 100%. Taking fringing effect into consideration, the picture on the right (taken using MF mode) has a significantly reduced fringing effect compared to the picture on the left which was taken using AF mode.

I find this shooting technique to be effective when the subject is not in motion and when there is enough time available to allow the adjustments and corrections to be made during the shoot.

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