Photography Tips For Beginners - [Manual Focus]

[@ForsgardPeter]

How To Get Sharp Focus In Photography - [5 Tips about Focusing]: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6Wkmml3hap1m7s

[@lizardltd]

Thanks a lot! I recently discovered a film camera my mom and aunt used to shoot in a while back, so I'm trying to adapt its lens to my mirrorless camera :) It's a vintage Pentax lens, about 40yo!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Nice!

[@richardpriestley477]

Peter - thank you for another very practical series of tips for a more refined approach. Most helpful and clear to follow !!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you. Glad it was helpful!

[@xms111]

Thanks Peter for the refresher class. As a seasoned beginner, over the last year I have used vintage lenses for about 10% of my images and overall used manual focus for about 15%. It’s fun using the vintage lenses with the wider aperture.

[@sweyne6710]

Will give your tips a try. Thank you

[@ben.prescott]

Another tip, good for modern lenses without a MF clutch: I have buttons programmed to select MF and to enable magnify. Saves messing with super menu while looking through the viewfinder. I will dig into the settings and check out if my Olympus body supports peaking colour. Good tip. 👌

[@frankpedersen2470]

I do the same with pro lenses; quick change over to MF with clutch and then press selected button (iso) to magnify. Then select a specific small area to be in focus.

[@rockitdude]

I would love to see a deep dive into OM-1 focus settings. In particular, the difference ways of switching between auto and manual focus using the focus ring (not focus clutch), the AF button, and the half-way point of the shutter button. And the difference between switching when in MF vs AF+MF. Thanks for all your great videos, Peter!

[@4GregF]

I use my E-M5 MKII with the 25mm 1.2 lens for a webcam for Zoom at work. I have to manually focus it all the time. AF only works when I press the shutter button halfway, but to reach it, I'm moving closer to the camera from where I normally sit. If I sit back, it's out of focus. Manual focus solves the problem for me. I get a lot of complements for my video. It is definitely HD compared to the fuzzy videos coming out of the laptop camera. My company also disabled the fake background in Zoom. The Pro lens I use lets me blur the background as well.

[@hurleygreen927]

Many thanks for this video! I recently got a used Manual 55mm Macro lens for my Nikon D750 and was having some focusing issues: Your video is right on time! Thanks again...🙂

[@ForsgardPeter]

Glad it helped!

[@sstansm7f]

Thanks Peter! Today I had to use manual focusing with PRO lens because of snowflakes fallen from the branches of the trees impeded to focus on what I wanted.

[@aaronperkinson8314]

I recently purchased a Rokinon 55mm f1.2, mostly for its low light capabilities and its creamy bokeh. I am enjoying using it and practicing manual focus. The results aren't always good but, little by little, the outcome is improving. For portraits, its a bit easier to use. And, like you said, you have to take your time with it. The lens is well made and I really like it.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Great to hear!

[@sav2236]

Hi Peter, thank you for another interesting vid. I've got EM 5 MkII and thanks low budget can only use Helios 2 44 58 mm f2.0 lens from my Zenith B camera (waiting for an adapter) and 25 mm f1.8 7Artisans manual lens, which I just have. I've been using my Zenit since early seventies, making b/w negatives, coloured negatives and diapositives. Now I'm trying to learn OMD EM5 Mk2. Making all manual operations with the camera doesn't disturb me at all. I wonder how my Olympus will operate with mantioned leses? Greetings from Poland.

[@jcduval83]

No problem. I use everyday my helios 44m & my 7artisans 60mm lenses with my Olympus em5II without any issues. Activate the focus peaking to help you & you are good to go. You can also set the focal length manually in the camera to get a perfect 5 axys stabilisation related to your lens. Read the documentation & have fun

[@sav2236]

@@jcduval83 thanks a lot, I'll try.

[@ForsgardPeter]

I have a Helios 44mm f2.0 lens and use it for video sometimes. You can assign a button for peaking.

[@sav2236]

@@ForsgardPeter thank you Peter.

[@claudius8002]

Hyperfocal distance works if your lens is properly calibrated. I can't rely on that in my Laowa 7.5mm f2, that's why I use focus peaking. I know it's an ultra wide angle lens, I thought I wouldn't need to, but minor focusing adjustments make a difference

[@Rafaga777]

Again and interesting video and useful tips. Much appreciated. Most of the time I use AF. Occasionally I use MF: when it's too dark or when I shoot macro photos with too little contrast.

[@jeffdrew625]

Leica/Voigtlander M-mount lenses work great with adapters! Low-light, I use manual focus frequently with multiple systems. I grew up using hyper-focal, zone focusing shooting sports and wildlife with all manual systems. Good clip!

[@jasonspitzer1503]

Earlier today I picked up some nice used "vintage" lenses, and am looking forward to trying some of these techniques out. Thanks Peter for another great tutorial!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Great to hera! What lenses did you get?

[@rickbear7249]

You're right, Peter, the AF +MF setting is the most powerful and the most frustrating setting in OM Digital photography. I must look into the possibility of using one the programmable buttons to toggle this powerful feature on/off. Rick

[@ramon-photo-austria4838]

Thanks Peter, great video for me for Macro and many ideas. Question, all you have told, is possible to apply to the EM 5 MK 1 , ? Thanks in advance.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Yes you can!

[@ramon-photo-austria4838]

@@ForsgardPeter You are more than great I will pay attention once more to help me improve my Fotos. All the best for you and stay safe.

[@ammadoux]

i use MF always in bird photography. as i like to shot small birds like warblers which are very fast and always moving so with the focus peaking i make sure the focus don't leave the eye or head.

[@extremelydave]

A great video Peter! Lots of good. useful information. I use manual focus probably 50% of the time as I primarily do landscape photography. Along with manual focus, 10x magnification gets me right where I want the exact focal point to be if I have the time.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks.

[@eldorado5650]

Great video! I use manual focus (MF) on my Panasonic 25mm F/1.7 on my GM5 when doing landscape and video. I am not a fan of the focus-by-wire technology for MF but I have already adapted to it. I tried zone focusing on it and, while it works, the focus resets to the border to infinity once the camera is restarted. I may have to get a 17mm F/1.8 Olympus for that but 25mm is my go-to focal length. I use 3 adapted lenses (Pentaflex 50mm F/1.8, Sigma 28-80mm for Canon EF and Tamron 35mm F/1.8) and I usually enjoy the manual focus experience with those. I would really appreciate it if I can get a native manual 25mm lens so I can use it for hardcore street photography. I know some available and cheap manual lenses for our system but I do not appreciate the build, especially due to the fact that many of those lenses have very unreliable focus distance scales. Cheers.

[@gardamis]

I use my clutch a decent amount on my 12-40mm pro, and my newest lens is a vintage Helios 44-2. I've mostly used it to take portraits of a friend as practice, and am definitely losing some shots because they're slightly out of focus. But it's getting better all the time.

[@rickbear7249]

Peter, good choice of subject. But, as the options for Manual Focus are relatively complex in the OM Digital world, it'd be good if you made a video that demonstrates how to use them. For example, fine-tuning the autofocus with zooming and coloured edges is much easier to understand in a demonstration video than in words (especially as you have an international audience). "A picture is worth a thousand words." Rick

[@frederickbelin]

I use manual focus or a combination auto/manual when my subject is behind something else. Like branches or a more dominant subject. The camera tends to autofocus on what’s closer and not necessarily on what I want in that case. I’ll also switch to manual for macro shots when I can take my time. Focus peeking is always on for me in manual.

[@joeytide3298]

What I see in the evf lags behind reality. Any tips?

[@ForsgardPeter]

How much there is lag. I have never had that problem.

[@joerghummerjohann4854]

Hi Peter! Thanks for the great summary. I'm using MF in Darkness, combined with focus peaking with red dots. Do you know, if focus peaking works with MF lenses, e.g. the legendary Voiglaender lenses as 45mm/0.95 , which might be a dream to be used in portrait shoots

[@christopherlloyd8117]

Certainly works with my old Zuiko lenses from my OM series cameras on EM1 Mk 1 and 2. It's been a game changer - beforehand the lenses were just gathering dust - focussing manually on my old E1 and E3 was just too difficult.

[@ben.prescott]

Focus peaking is good in bright light. I got some great macro photos of a dragonfly with the Oly. 12-45 F4. Had to ‘zoom with the camera.’ Arms outstretched, I used the display to compose and focus, and all I could see was white dots forming the shape of a dragonfly. High speed sequential shots was also my friend: did not matter if there was a bit of ‘focus breathing’ 😉 or wobble, I just binned the shots that weren't any good.

[@dropsosense1506]

If you have IBIS turned on while using vintage manual lenses there is a menu setting to set the focal length of the lens because otherwise there is no way for the camera to know the focal length and that information is necessary for IBIS to work well. If that setting is not set when using IBIS the pictures can look shakey. It follows that having IBIS turned on while using vintage zoom lenses it does not work well unless using either the maximum or minimum focal length and the camera set accordingly. I am amazed at how well vintage fixed manual lenses work with even my OM D EM 10 Mark III with both focus peaking and IBIS. Of course the vintage lenses need an adapter appropriate to the brand of vintage lens so that the lens is the proper distance from the focal plane in the camera.

[@TCizauskas]

As per usual, this is an excellent synopsis of the topic, Peter. For me, when photographing stationary objects, I apply auto-focus, then magnify with peaking, if necessary, to fine-tune with manual focusing. This especially helps in a chaotic or close-up situation, when the camera may focus on the wrong thing. Also: an English note. Sometimes, the phrase, "it will slow you down," can be perceived as pejorative, implying a bad thing. Try, instead: "It will help/cause/force you to take your time." (Of course, since my Finnish fluency is zero, remarking on your otherwise excellent English seems wrong!)

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank for the clarification about the phrase "it will slow you down". I understand what you mean.

[@Lordvader330]

@robinwong needs to watch this video. Manual focus and fast vintage lens are fantastic for low light.

[@ForsgardPeter]

I know Robin does not like manual focus that much.

[@valdiskrebs566]

Use S-AF + MF all of the time, with peaking ... best of both worlds ... especially for close-up shots. Love MF clutch on 17mm f1.8 ... set to f4 to f8 depending on light/subject(s) and 3+ meters and just point and shoot ... street and events.

[@catrionathomson8981]

An unclaimed for bonus is being able to purchase cheaper modern alternatives to the f1.2 pro lenses. I bought a 7artisans 35mm f1.2 from Amzn Warehouse for £90 and it weighs only 150g. Check the Zuiko pro numbers against these! And I’ve just picked up the 25mm f1.8 at a bargain price. It’s worth noting that in high res. mode f8 is the lowest aperture that can be chosen unless using a manual lens. I already knew that in-camera panorama offers more control when using a mf lens!

[@k6usy]

Use manual focus with my telescope, focus peaking works well on the moon.

[@albertocugat9689]

Subtitles and translation cannot be activated :-( ... Yes now :-)

[@greeredmunson8622]

Olympus S 1 camera using automatic at the moment would like to use manual. Any tips on how to use the right controls to produce misty water scenes, night scenes etc. Great camera but I Don't know how to set camera up for more advanced scenes.