Manual focusing with any camera for tack sharp photos!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you guys for the positive comments and for the 11K+ views! Many people commented on the fact that I advised against manually focusing through the viewfinder of a DSLR. "How did photographers focus back then, when there was no Live View, nor autofocusing lenses?" is the most common question. Let me explain this in more detailed way. The folks back in the day obviously focused through their viewfinders. But... On old DSLRs and rangefinder cameras there was a focusing screen in the viewfinder, very often with a split center part: the photographer would have to align the top-bottom part inside the split part. When it was aligned, it meant that it's in perfect focus. So they were able to judge the focus with great accuracy! However, these split focusing screens had the disadvantage of getting really dark with narrower apertures (they were unusably dark beyond f/5.6). Basically you had to have a fast aperture prime lens to work with (there weren't many zoom lenses back then anyway) So when cheaper DSLRs came out with "kit" lenses that were not fast enough, camera manufacturers had to remove the split focusing screen, otherwise the photographers wouldn't have seen anything. At this time, AF technology also came out, so it made no sense having a split focusing screen viewfinder anyway. And here we are now: today's DSLRs don't have a focusing screen, which means two things: - the viewfinder doesn't turn dark when used with not fast lenses - you are not able to judge the focus in the viewfinder with great accuracy Here's a video what the olda focusing screen viewfinders were like: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJ_OmpVte79riZo Note how the out-of focus areas are rendered in a completely different way inside the circle! With today's cameras you don't have this much accuracy. Only if you use the Live View method described in the video. I'm not the only one who propagates this method, my favorite filmmaker, Daniel Schiffer also uses this method: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGLElayKiKh_e9U

[@AfrimTravels]

This really helped. I was confused for awhile. Thanks for the help you are really great!!

[@TheDavveponken]

You can get manual focusing screens for most professional and semi-professional dslrs (Canon EF-cameras at least). It does get a little darker, but not as dark as a prism-screen. Nailing the focus with an aperture like 1,2 certainly isn't the easiest task, but it's not at all impossible. I do want live view after watching this however.

[@marekward6202]

This is very good help. I have been disappointed with my indoor low light photos on old Canon 5D. My manual focusing was out on so many great pictures. I thought that maybe I need to see optician, lol. Thank you for the history too :)

[@scoobydoobydoo8588]

The Sony a7ii can be focused manually through the viewfinder. The viewfinder zooms in as same as the lcd screen. Just you know, if you catch me focusing through the viewfinder...

[@laoschild86]

Wow, I would have never thought of zooming in and then manually focusing on the subject before. Mind blown. thanks for the video

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're very welcome Sam - use this trick often :)

[@tubeamit]

You opened my mind .. seriously .. thanks

[@1underwoman]

Right, this was sooo helpful...

[@stephaniebrooke5656]

Omg, I've been manual focusing by looking through the viewfinder the entire time 😅 no winder so many images came out blurry 🙃 thank you!!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Stephanie, these are the comments I love making videos - glad I could help you sort that out! 😃

[@xunkownedx]

Until I watched this video, I always manual focused through the viewfinder. I kept wondering why the focus in most of my photos were off, but never realized that was the reason. It's gonna be a hard habit to break, but thanks to your video I now know!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you for that awesome feedback - I'm very happy if I can give value through my videos!

[@conscientesaudavel6770]

I switched to a 50MM 1.8 without AF and I was starting to get frustrated because all the photos were blurred. Your video saved me a lot of headache! Thanks a lot Miklós

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're welcome :)

[@Vanessa-gx6wm]

I just got a 50mm 1.8d not knowing it didn't have auto focus and im terrified!

[@luckyluke1076]

Vanessa don’t worry, u can manually focus perfectly fine. Actually its way better. Just don’t use viewfinder. And zoom in on your screen to the subject (for ppl I zoom in into eyes and then rotate ring for focus)

[@Vanessa-gx6wm]

Lucky Luke it’s my favorite lens ever. It works perfectly and I love it

[@DoroTheExplorer]

Same here

[@racerxlilbro]

This is a revelation. I too have a 6D, and couldn't figure out why all my manual focus shots were at best hit-or-miss. But, then I'd pick up one of my film cameras with a split image focus screen and get tack-sharp images. Now I get it. Thank you!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

I'm happy that I could help you Brad! This trick works with every camera that has a Live View. With film cameras, it's a different story - as you wrote it, they need a split focusing screen. Cheers from Hungary

[@CruisingWithChooChoo]

Wow!!! I’ve watched dozens of videos on manual focusing and yours is the best! You actually show how it is done and then to preview it afterward!! You’re also simply hilarious !! Thank you so much!! 🙏

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thanks, your feedback made my day! :)

[@michaelarobinson7564]

Thankyou!!!! You’ve opened up a locked door for me!! What a break through!! I’ve always struggled so much to get clear star shots.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You are really welcome Michaela :)

[@DoctorZebedee]

Excellent. You’re a good teacher. You told us what you were going to teach us. You taught it. Then you told us what you taught us. 🎉

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you! They say it's a formula that works, and the view count got me convinced :)

[@yoursnsb01]

YOU ARE THE BEST!!!! Been struggling with a shot now, got on KZbin and i saw this video, it has helped me a lot. Thanks man.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thanks man, I'm happy to hear that! 😎

[@champajaipur6874]

I think it's the first time someone has addressed the true problem.. I have been using the DSLR without knowing the fundamentals. Thank you.. I am keeping this video for future reference

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thanks, I'm happy it helped! :)

[@GA-ko4ew]

Thanks! Great Video! The viewfinder tip is revolutionary!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you so much!🙏

[@bhanukaran]

Thank you Miklos, your guide really helped to fix my product photography skills. Finally, was able to fix the issue of manual focus and my product shots are perfect and crisp.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Great to hear that! :) Product photography is definitely an area where it's easiest to use manual focus!

[@Beingskilled]

You are one of the finest. Please make a lot more videos on manual focus and shooting the night sky -- both of the topics have a great potential as no one has managed to explain either of them from the perspective of a beginner. Wishing you all the best!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you so much! :) To be honest, I don't think there's much more about manual focusing - the process is the same with every camera. So I don't really think I will do another video on that... But I agree I should make more videos on photographing the night sky, that's a huge topic with a ton of opportunity!

[@Beingskilled]

​@@miklosmayerphoto About the manual focusing, it is more about perspective -- there are thousands of creators who teaches photography and not every viewer can understand each of those perspective so by giving different perspectives around manual focusing can help your viewers -- for eg: manual focusing while doing a portraits, or sports photography or how to quickly focus on moving subjects while choosing manual focus mode. That's what I do with my channel as well. Also, try exploring DigiKam -- it's one of the best free photos/ videos managers when you have thousands of files to manage.

[@consistentialist]

I learned a valuable lesson from this. Tested it immediately after with a nifty fifty. Now I can take amazingly sharp photos with my Nikon D3100. Thank you so much!

[@teresamarie3718]

Watching in 2022 thinking about swapping a new mirrorless camera with focus peaking and zoom in, to an old dslr for manual lenses 🤔. Thank you for this video, I have old film cameras with the split screen but didn't know this about dslrs! Worth knowing about before taking the plunge.

[@debajyotiroy7732]

Thanks for some great tips Miklos!! Of course I had the pleasure of being taught by you first-hand when I visited Budapest some months ago.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thanks :)

[@lucanianman]

Great video! You've taught me features of my Canon 70D that I hadn't discovered after a year of using it, like Live View and zooming in on a shot. Thank you

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're very welcome! I meet a lot of people on my photo tours, and many people who have a DSLR never even used the Live View before, so they are always very happy when I show them this trick :) If you have Canon 70D, try this: leave the AF ON, use Live View, and magnify into the Live View. And now the camera will focus on that small portion of the frame, and you'll also be able to tell if the camera focused well or not. This way you don't have to manually rotate the ring, and can have faster results.

[@Bombatron]

I have been doing this all wrong forever!! Thank you so much for posting this video!!!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

I'm happy to help! :) Which part did you get wrong?

[@PlanetImo]

Oh thank you for this - I've been having trouble as my eyes aren't great so the magnifying hack is a real gamechanger. :)

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're welcome :)

[@interviewpen]

The tip on not manual focusing through viewfinder is gold.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

🏆You're very welcome 😉

[@anak707]

This has been the most helpful video I've come across about MF. Thank you so much! I totally get it now.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

I'm happy to hear this Ana :)

[@Mardokan]

Very good manual focus guide for beginners. I would definitely manual focus through optical viewfinder my self :)

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you :) Well, that's up to you :) In my experience, if I'm doing macro, and the depth of field is quite evident, focusing through the DSLR's viewfinder is okay. But if I'm taking a portrait at f/2, from about 10 feet, there's no way I can tell if the eyes are really in focus through the viewfinder. Mind you, this is only true for DSLRs, for mirrorless camera, a the viewfinder shows the same image (the Live View), so there you can use the viewfinder :) And these cameras have focus peaking too, which help a lot

[@shravansoul]

I was always thinking why the pictures I take on AF mode is a bit blurry... You have cleared my problem

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you for the feedback Shravan, I'm happy to hear I could help :)

[@0srazak]

Great video. You are the only one that instructed me not to use the viewfinder when manual focusing. It is so much easier and I get the shots I want now. Thanks.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you, I'm glad to hear that! Cheers

[@go64bit]

This was a great guide to manual focussing. You're the boss!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🤗

[@brandonunknown7396]

This video is a freaking gem.

[@JJShots1124]

Wow...🤩 excellent way of solving my troubles with manual dslr lenses. Thank you so much🥰

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Happy to have helped :)

[@dwaynebaggas2233]

Now i know,i will not twist my 50mm lens when im in manual focusing..i love your content😍and i give you 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for this informative video.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

I'm happy to help Dwayne!

[@dwaynebaggas2233]

@@miklosmayerphoto but i see many photographer using view finder while twisting the lense in manual focus..i am confuse cos i did that also until now

[@miklosmayerphoto]

@@dwaynebaggas2233 You can of course do that if your camera has focus confirmation in the viewfinder - I forgot this part when I recorded the video :)

[@Luunnariiss]

Wow, I recently started using a nikon 28mm lens without autofocus, coming from the typical 18-55 kit lens. I'm in love with them and I was considering buying a 50mm. Having to choose between lens with focus motor or without them I was struggling so hard with the focus problem and this was GOLD. Thank you soooo muuuch, omg I can't believe I've never zoomed in the live view before hahaha. Fantastic video!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Luz, you're very welcome, I'm happy to hear my video helped so much 😁

[@ritwikgopi]

I get why we can't use manual focus in view finder. But something interesting I noticed is that if I keep my shutter half pressed as if I was doing autofocus and then doing a manual focus shows me the red dot indication when it focuses on object (that was my interpretation) So I feel like when we turn off auto focus the servo gets off. But the camera might still be tricked into thinking the focusing was happening when I half press shutter and adjust. Anyway it might be beating purpose of manual focus and giving results similar to auto focus. I haven't tried it via live view yet. May be I will try it next time

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Yes, that's called AF confirmation or something similar, and many camera bodies have this function - even in manual focus, the focus point will flash, indicating when it thinks it's in focus.

[@robertocurrlos7470]

I have seen so many videos but not seen this on focussing. I always get blurry pictures. This helped a lot...

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm happy to hear this!

[@Afterimage_Rush]

Hello! Wow! I recently bought a Rokinon 85mm T1.5 DS Cine Lens for Nikon. I was so frustrated and disappointed at trying to manually focus through the viewfinder that I was ready to list it for sell today. Then I saw this video and it was completely mind blowing!!! I will try it as soon as I get home. BTW nice poster on the background. Looks like the bamboo Forrest in Arashiyama, Kyoto. I was there. Beautiful place. Thanks for the video. You now have one more subscriber! Best wishes!!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Very happy to hear this Alberto! :) The background is from Aldi or Lidl, and indeed, it's the bamboo forest!

[@babyjoemedia6278]

Yo man thanks this video definitely helped me figure out why my shots wasnt coming out how i wanted them to im thankful i found your page appreciated you🙏🏾💪🏾

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Glad to hear it 😎

[@joemaina5900]

Hi. You video saved me from a lot of hustle. Thank you and keep up the good work.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

That's the best feedback I can hear :)

[@mikmikmikzzz]

thank you so much! I have been struggling with auto focus because it cant find the right focus i wanted to thank you!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're welcome

[@Bibi_semangat]

Very helpful for a beginner like me thank you so much !! Btw Budapest is one of my fav! What a stunning city❤️

[@miklosmayerphoto]

My pleasure 😊

[@lonnieclemens5131]

I learned something new today. I didn't know you couldn't manual focus using the view finder.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Well, you could focus through the optical viewfinder, but it's very hard to judge there if the shot is in focus or not... See my pinned comment on the top. With a really old DSLR that has a focusing screen, or with a rangefinder camera, you can do that, but with today's camera bodies, not so much. But if you shoot with a mirrorless body, then it's a different thing, because you see the same image in the viewfinder, as on the screen, so you can use the method I describe in the video. Or you can make use of focus peaking, many cameras have that nowadays.

[@battlefox8460]

Thank you for this video, I just bought a Kodak AZ 528 camera and I really want to take some photos of stars and some of the moon too

[@douglasweir1]

This video answered all of my questions about manually focusing my dslr. Thanks!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Very welcome!

[@aramarileena]

I've totally been doing it wrong in the viewfinder! I never get the camera to focus where I want it to. I can't wait to try this!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Well, you can sort of do it in the viewfinder, but it's so much more comfortable and precise through the live view! All the best from Hungary

[@TargaryenRhaenyra]

Thank you for this video! Quite helpful and informative. You must watch this if you are making your first steps in photography. Have a nice day😊

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're welcome! Well, I try to promote the video to as many people as possible ;)

[@raymondcook8364]

Hi from America: No other videos I watched explained I can turn the AF switch OFF on the lens. Thank you so much for simplifying it for me. I want to buy this camera on October 1st and I was worried about the AF. I prefer to use manual focus.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Hi Raymond, On those lenses that have an AF switch, you can turn the AF off and the lens goes into Manual focus. However, on many modern day lenses, there are no switches at all, and you have to select Manual Focus in the Menu, within the camera. The Canon 6D is a pretty good camera, but the AF of the Mark I version is quite crap... That's why I often use the technique described in the video. Cheers from Hungary!

[@johngalea2285]

Very helpful, brought up a few ideas I hadn't thought of. Thank you.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

That's music to my ears, John, thanks!

[@jobysamjacob]

Learned something new today, Thank you 💛

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're welcome :)

[@heavenc-ops6373]

Nagyon jo a video, koszi a segitseget!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Köszönöm! :)

[@simonearora2300]

My current camera doesn't have live view - glad I just got a new one that does! I've had the blurry issue because I've only have the viewfinder for manual focusing!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're very welcome Simone. Having blurry shots is so frustrating, it happened to me as well too many times, too...

[@StrangelyIronic]

It's the other way around, most dslr's will keep the lens wide open until you take the shot. Whenyou take the shot it stops the aperture down to whatever you have it set to either on the lens or in the camera if you have A set. That means that you have a much narrower depth of field normally through the prism viewfinder, meaning if it's in focus at, say, f1.4 with my usual Pentax 50mm, then it's going to be in focus for every smaller aperture after that has a progressively wider depth of field. Pretty much every camera for a decade now has had a preview button either by default (a lot of cameras it's on the power switch as a third press after on) or as an assignable button. Optical preview will stop down the aperture to whatever you have it set for allowing to manually meter and to see the depth of field (which is really what it's for). The tradeoff of course is that with the smaller aperture you'll get less light through the focusing screen/prism leading to a darker viewfinder the smaller the aperture. You can get magnifier eye cups that replace the factory one that can help nail critical focus. Some cameras can take splitfocus/microprism focusing screens as replacements too, but you're going to run into problems with metering correctly if you go this route with a camera that wasn't factory shipped with one or had it as a factory option so the camera body would adjust. Even if you want to adjust, you'll find problems with slower lenses than around f4 where part or both of the split/prism is basically black due to lack of light. My Pentax K10D has a splitfocus/microprism screen that I love, but I also only shoot my f1.4-f2.8 lenses basically wide open the entire time.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Yes, it's true that every DSLR pulls the aperture in at the time of exposure. But still, I had many misfocused shots when shooting with Canon 550D (crop body) and a 50mm f/1.4 lens. It seemed sharp in the viewfinder, but the focus was off, even when using f/4! Especially in lower light conditions, it was impossible to tell if the shot will be in focus or not just by looking into the viewfinder. Sure, in broad daylight, on a full frame DSLR that has a bigger viewfinder, it might be easier. Please see my pinned comment how viewfinders and their screens evolved, the ones used in DSLRs now are much less sensitive for focusing, so that they can be bright enough when used with not fast kit lenses. I know about the preview button, but using the live view for focusing is just so much easier (although it's harder with moving subjects).

[@Dasuud]

Uram, sokat segítettél, köszönöm szépen! :) Sikerült hozzájutnom egy patika állapotú Meyer-Optik Orestor 135mm, f2.8-as kicsikéhez, ami ugyebár vintage obi lévén full manuál és sokat szenvedek a fókuszálással, főleg gyorsan változó alanyok esetében... :/

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Nagyon szívesen! Hát igen, ezzel a módszerrel mozgó dolgokat fotózni kínszenvedés... De ha olyan géped van, ami tud focus peakinget, akkor már sokkal könnyebb!

[@melodychest9020]

You are right about this .. there is no other good way really! Works on my 5D IV well with the zoom. For moving subjects have to use AF lenses.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you!

[@mohanneulkar9832]

Nice and new for me Thank you

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Welcome 😊

[@aimanrazaxxx]

Thanks mate for this lovely and easy method of getting the right focus. Recently i bought a Samyang 85,1.4 umc manual lens for Canon. The lens does not have auto focus confirmation chip and that made the focussing very hard. I miss a lot of shots with the view finder. Now with your technique i am sure that i will get sharper pics. Thanks mate!! Moreover do let me know that is there a adapter with af chip which i can use on canon to get af confirmation??

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Yes, this method always saves the day :) Of course, you can only use it for still subjects

[@nicholasmarkbaker]

This is an absolute game-changer! Thank you so much!!!!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're very welcome Nicholas :)

[@wanderwithvamsi]

Thanks for the video. I learned how to do manual focus that I couldn't learn from tons of videos

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Well, I'm very happy to hear that :)

[@zetacrucis681]

Thanks Miklos. Wish DSLRs had split screens / microprisms the centre of the viewfinder like film SLRs used to have. No wonder mirrorless cameras are taking over. Without the optical focussing aid that just about all film SLRs had, there is a lot less point to having the mirror+prism.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Exactly! Unfortunately the manufacturers had to get rid of those split screens because they became too dark when used with poor aperture kit-lenses. Hence they redesigned them - they are bright now, but are not as sensitive to focusing anymore.

[@paasolocreation2155]

Wow your video saved me today Thank you so much

[@alfred8602]

Eye-opener! thank you!

[@orthroz6498]

thanks, this is what i wanted to learn and you explained it very well

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're very welcome! :)

[@orthroz6498]

what about focusing on a moving subject manually? pls make a video tutorial about it too

[@EssexCountyPhoto]

I've been using my Takumar lens on my 6D Mk2 the wrong way for about a year... 🤣 Thank you for the great tips... 👍🏻

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're very welcome :)

[@mhlelikhanyeza9497]

thank you for such an informative video on a subject i found frustrating..

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You are very welcome! I know how it feels when your photos are not focused where you wanted them too, been there a lot of times... :)

[@aprogress2374]

2:34 Nikon: "hah, take my money. We have Electronic Range Finder here."

[@gabrielaanchidin8898]

Thank you! Your video helped me set my manual focus

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're welcome!😁

[@AlbinTalik]

You changed my life. Thank You.🧡

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Oh, was it that easy? :))) Thank you for this lovely comment, happy to hear this!

[@marycharles719]

Yes but not so easy to see live view on ambient light /sunlight i love to photograph flowers, any suggestions?? thanks for the video!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You can buy shades, or magnifying glasses with shades that you can put over the LCD - similar to the ones that cinematographers use.

[@al6377]

simply briliant information! Thank you so much!! I subscribed !!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thanks!

[@grahamjohansson8399]

Hey Miklos, Great work with the the tutorials. I am also a fan of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. What movie is this from please?

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Hi Graham, glad to hear that :) The original title is "Pari e Dispari" www.imdb.com/title/tt0078058/ I think this, and "Non c'è due senza quattro" (www.imdb.com/title/tt0087481/) are their best movies :) We've literally grown up watching these in the 1990s.

[@hmoobclassicsongs4864]

Thank you I try my photo super sharp.

[@tabban21]

Best technique I've learned since buying my DSLR- thanks

[@miklosmayerphoto]

I'm glad it was helpful, thanks for the feedback! :)

[@JobishJosee]

Short video very well explained..well done ✅

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Glad you liked it 😀

[@goon1730]

Very helpful thank you so much. As a visual learner I appreciate this a lot

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're very welcome! :)

[@paulcoughlan5619]

Should you use manual focus when shooting the stars? Just bought a DSLR yesterday

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Hi Paul, yes! At night you don't really have any other choice than manual focus, because there aren't bright light sources to focus on. Have fun with your new camera ;)

[@incubus_the_man]

A lot of cameras have DoF preview buttons. That will make the aperture stop up or down to your selected aperture. Then you can see the actual DoF through the viewfinder. The image you see through the viewfinder might be darker than normal.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Although there's a DoF button on many cameras, that won't help much in this case. Because the viewfinder design of modern DSLRs doesn't let you actually see the real depth of field, please see my pinned comment under the video for further explanation.

[@astore3757]

In two words... with a DSRL is possible to have a perfect focus only with a tripod. On the old cameras there was the focusing screen with prism. So.. if you like manual focusing it's much better a mirrorless camera.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Exactly! With mirrorless cameras you also have focus peaking option as well

[@menace46]

Great video as usual. Just to say that if you use Nikon lenses you can use the manual focus ring to override the autofocus with no switching involved.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

True! It's also possible on most Canon lenses that have USM or STM

[@lucienr]

Well done ! It was useful for me. Thank you. :)

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're welcome!

[@juans1607]

Great explanation and examples! Koszonom szepen!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Glad to hear that Juan! Üdv Magyarországról! :)

[@adamfarkas6055]

Köszi Miklós, Sokat segítettél.

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Szívesen! Itt megtalálod a videót magyar nyelven is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGnKdWWtjKlkhJY

[@richardvrsnik]

There is one little obscure way how to overcome prism issue. Do composition and then focus, turn a little to blur image front and then turn it to same blur focusing to back. In the middle there is a decent focus. This trick I learned form girl who made pretty good photos and then I have seen her equipment and I was shocked it is canon 20D and Sigma 24-70/2.8 with broken AF motor on the lens

[@miklosmayerphoto]

That's a good trick and can work - but sometimes even with that it's hard to feel where that "half turn" is.

[@richardvrsnik]

@@miklosmayerphoto Agree it is guess work and also need to know how lens behaves. Sometimetimes life view with 10x magnification may help or AF points may beep, however my plastic fantastic canon 50/1.8 has broken micro motor and I am still able to do decent street photography by this broken lens

[@fabiogonzalez3762]

can this be done with moving objects/people as well? great video btw!:)

[@miklosmayerphoto]

With moving objects, not so much... If you have a camera that has focus peaking feature, then that makes focusing easier on moving subjects.

[@naywinmyint8615]

Thanks for your video, it help me taking manual focus

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Glad to hear that! :)

[@kimpexia7336]

I'm confused. So switch the lens to MF, zoom in, adjust the focus, then take the picture? But supposed you are taking a picture of someone when in zoom will it not take just the zoomed part?

[@miklosmayerphoto]

No, not all: you magnify into the Live View by pressing the magnification button on the camera body. So you don't zoom with the lens at all! I hope I could clarify that :)

[@kimpexia7336]

Miklós Mayer - I will be your photo guide Okay I will give it a try with my T 7i and will let you know.

[@KPParajuli]

Good Explanation 😄 Thank You 🙂

[@studio224]

Thank youuuuuu! I was finally able to take photos of the stars... :-)

[@miklosmayerphoto]

I know that feeling :) You're welcome!

[@britishfruits]

thank you so much man :D im a beginner but this is very helpful

[@AlexM-om2yy]

Thanks Miklos! Would you say that the 50mm prime lens can be used for astrophotography?

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Yes, absolutely! I used the 50mm on my Canon 6D many times for astrolandscape shots. You can either take photos of only a smaller section of the Milky Way, or you can take a pano shot as well. Both works really well. I would say for astrolandscape photography 50 and 14 mm (or around that) are the most useful focal lengths - if you're using a full-frame camera. In this article, you'll find an illustration that shows you on the Milky Way the different focal lengths: iwillbeyourphotoguide.com/milky-way-star-photography/

[@AlexM-om2yy]

@@miklosmayerphoto Great- thank you so much, Miklós!

[@fathiamri6173]

Nice bro🤩…Hope you can make a video about manual focus on Nikon coolpix p530

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thanks! I don't think I will, that's not a camera I'm interested in at all...

[@jamesjoot]

Great video, thanks Miklos!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you!

[@o-o02]

thank you so much im a photography student and it really helped

[@miklosmayerphoto]

I'm so happy to hear that!

[@nevianvitalis1141]

Thanks bro..have real educated...with your tutorial

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Glad to hear that Nevian :)

[@michaelappleyard6300]

I am surprised that you say that the depth of field is exaggerated by the camera's optical prism viewfinder. The image you see is projected by the lens onto a ground-glass screen. This screen is in the same focal plane as the sensor, apart from the fact that the image has arrived there via a mirror, which should make no difference. Therefore the optical viewfinder itself should not change the depth of field in my opinion. If you are correct, could the effect which you describe be due to Fresnel rings moulded into the screen which are sometimes employed to brighten the corners of the viewfinder? Otherwise, the OPPOSITE of what you say is the case: that is; unless the picture is being taken at maximum aperture, the final depth of field in the photo should be GREATER than that seen in the viewfinder. Mike

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Michael, yes, common sense would tell you that you see the actual depth-of-field, but unfortunately you don't... It's "compressed" in the viewfinder because of the prism and other glass elements. Back in the film days, that was true, but those viewfinders got unusably dark after f/4... Therefore, after AF technology was introduced and not so wide kit lenses got common, the viewfinders were redesigned to not turn dark. But this came at the cost of not seeing the actual DOF that well... Please read the very first comment (the pinned one I wrote), where I go more in detail in this topic.

[@waitandhope]

I just had this issue, thanks!! On ebay I bought a Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro HSM but it turned out to be manual focus without the HSM or OS. Dirt cheap! Couldn't figure out what some blurry photos were caused by, my method was just turning the focus ring and taking multiple shots as I did. Got hits that way. Still annoying lol

[@miklosmayerphoto]

So it was advertised as an AF lens, then it turned out it was not? You should have sent it back then, no? But anyway, this focusing method works on any camera, that's true :)

[@waitandhope]

@@miklosmayerphoto well I can't really blame them the things had like 3 revisions and unless you knew wtf you were looking for it would be hard to tell, hell I didn't realize it until I saw it lacked the HSM OS branding

[@shravansoul]

Great ..clear explanation

[@Bushcraft242]

Wow this is sharp

[@Sushicake666]

Hi Mikló. Very nice video. Do this work with long exposure portraits too? I want to take a photo off myself with car lights By the way I really like the photo in the background I also been to Arashiyama in Kyoto myself. But I lost my camera along with my SD cart🤕😵

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Thank you! I haven't yet been Kyoto unfortunately, but I bought a wallpaper in the local Aldi shop :) Yes, I always use this manual focus technique anytime I'm photographing at night. But with portraits, it's quite difficult, because the subject may be moving.

[@sonugyawali4659]

Simple and very easy to understand💕thank you so much❣️

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're welcome 😊

[@GixxerZilla]

surprisingly helpful, thank you!

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Glad to hear it!

[@adriel_grt]

Really helped me, thanks

[@mlungisi1702]

You are a life saver. Thanks for this man.👌

[@miklosmayerphoto]

Any time! :)

[@matred3538]

Many thanks. Very helpful video. ☺

[@3488ali]

Excellent explanation 👌 I actually use the same cameras that you are using too. I have the 6d for special occasions and my sony rx100 for travel. Both Excellent cameras. Will experiment with the manual focus now

[@miklosmayerphoto]

You're very welcome! I also have a Sony RX100 :)