These days the only time I use autofocus is when I’m shooting sports and action.
When your subject is moving fast it’s really important to use the continuous AF mode. But even in these situations you might want to manually focus to a point where the subject is headed before changing into continuous AF. The autofocus takes a moment to adjust, and even if it’s just a fraction of a second you might miss that perfect shot.
Live View
If you’re shooting with an SLR on a tripod and composing the image on the main screen in Live View mode, it’s often better to focus manually rather than automatically. This is partly because many SLRs employ a slow contrast detection autofocus (AF) system, but also because Live View mode lets you magnify the most important section of the scene.Macro
Even though the mounted optic may offer very close focusing, many cameras struggle to focus a lens if the subject it very near. This can lead to hunting, when the lens shifts the focus point backwards and forwards trying to lock-on, or missed focus when the lens is focused at the wrong point. As a result manual focusing is a good option for macro subjects.Landscape
Although there are cameras with tens of autofocus points there often isn’t one exactly where you need it. Focusing manually slows you down, but more importantly it enables you to place the focus at exactly the right distance to get the depth of field that you want.Low light and contrast
Autofocus systems need some light and contrast to operate, so they can fail in low light and/or low contrast situations. These conditions can also make focusing manually tricky, but if you have a compact system camera or your shooting with an SLR in Live View mode, the screen or electronic viewfinder can often enhance its image enough to allow you to get the subject sharp.Objects between the camera and the subject
If there are objects between the camera and the subject, perhaps you’re shooting through moving foliage, the autofocus system has no way of knowing which is your intended target and it’s likely to focus on the nearer object. The easiest way to get around this problem is to focus manually on your subject.
Read the full article over at Digital Camera World.
Source: Digital Camera World
