I shoot sports at my university, manual focus is a must especially on my FS7. That being said, the a7iii has amazing AF that I really trust in 99% of situations.
Absolutely! Manual focus is a snap as long as one follows the rules that you prescribed. As a former Army cinematographer, in the pre-zoom lens era, we used a turret with three seperate prime lenses attached--a wide, a medium, and a long. The trick was to know what the hyperfocal distance was for each lens, then set the focus for that mark. With a little practice, one could trust that if one just stayed a certain set distance from the subject, all would be acceptably sharp. Great video Matt!
@@whoismatt I can sure see why, as a wedding photographer, you would want one. When you're in the thick of action, nothing beats the ease of just rotating a different lens into place in front of the film gate, oops, I mean the sensor! As I recall, because all the lenses were prime, even the long lens had a minimum aperature of f/4.5 and the wide angle was f/1.8.
I have been working as a dop for almost twenty years. Mostly with commercials and tv dramas and music videos. 98% I use cameras such as Arri Alexa and always with a designated focus puller. But now I have bought a black magic camera and started shooting documentaries and different kind of films for my new found spiritual community. And then I don´t have a crew that i usually rely on. I have wondered how the hell I am suppose to pull focus on a gimbal without a crew. And your video Matt is the most inspiring and creative video I have seen in years. Just don´t change the distance to the subject and stop down the bloody lens. Genius. To use your "disadvantages" to create something this creative and beatiful is truly inspiring! Well done sir!
"I still just don't trust autofocus." PREACH I've been screwed on AF many times, and those lenses are way more expensive. I'm not hardcore about it, but generally my favorite lenses after 10 years of shooting are still me manual focus lenses. Great video, thanks for the tips.
Kevin Kino one day I think, autofocus will be able to replace a trained focus puller. We’re already seeing that with Canon Dual pixel AF for video, currently the best is in the C series but I’m confident that In 5-6 years autofocus will have a place on professional film sets.
I've been an auto-focus person since I started a few years ago, but don't want to be limited. Manual focus has a whole world of opportunities that come along with it, and have been exploring the world of anamorphic and manual focus is obligatory. To that end, here's to starting down the manual focus road and appreciate the tips!
Great Video Matt. I shot several videos on manual lenses and gimbal, but now using native lenses on my sony a6500 a let me tell you, autofocus rules. Don´t use Face autofocus. I just use a fixed focus point, and select it on the touch screen where I want my camera to focus. It´s been working wonders on my weddings and Ican´t really remember a single situation where it failed, unless I made a mistake. Trust me. Just try it and you´ll see. I still use manual focus though but only for specific purposes. Cheers
Another option for gymbals like the crane 2 is to buy the follow focus unit and control focus with the wheel on the handle. It takes some getting used to and adds weight/bulk to the setup but works well enough for adjusting focus mid shot.
Matt is absolutely right. I had a 16mm f1.4 Fuji lens and shot at f8 and focus was at infinity. Best decision ever because the project was with a luxury hotel. It was a very tough and fast paced day. I didn’t have time to re-shoot if the autofocus was inaccurate, this really ensures that you nail the shots, just practice around the house to get comfortable with keeping the distance
I finally decided to stick with what I really like. I just a bought a gimbal for my Manual DSLR which doesn’t have any folow focus lens and motor, was thinking about getting one and so undecided, but I keep on staying what i love doimg using manual focusing even if I just bought my new gimbal it just save me $150+ and end up sticking to Manual instead nothing beats manual. We can really control the outcome. Your video help me open up my eyes and my mind. thank you sooo much! 😊👌
Thank you alot! I almost never leave comments in youtube but you blew my mind! I am a full time pro photographer for almost 4 years and now i try to learn to make video with my cameras and lenses without video AF. Many expensive video making cources online did not give me this info. Now i will practice movements and live view manual focusing techniques that you revealed and i am shure it is a better start in video then buying top sony cameras and lenses with vide AF. Sorry for my bad English, i am from another country. Thanks for this video, you are cool!!! I was looking for a way to film video with zhiyun gimbal, my dslr and my park of lenses dedicated to photo with manual focus for a long long time!!!
I'm always so torn on this. I went from Manual only to AF like 2 years ago. I feel like AF has opened the door to some more unique shots but I have also definitely been burned by it and lost some killer shots that I thought worked at the time of shooting :/
I hear you. I feel like we are more forgiving of our own mistakes than technology. I guarantee I’ve nailed more focus by letting the camera do it than I would have going manual. Neither is perfect but I’m rarely burned by the camera with single point.
@@FirstLast-il6ok True. Its hard to nail AF on a video if you pan from wide to tight. The AF is not that reliable. If the face of the subject is always moving.
Canon m50 with a 12mm Samyang/Rokinon f2 manual lens was my entry to content creation and my it’s been such a useful tool! In my journey I use it on a weebil S with a focus motor... haven’t need much else for a long time still going strong in 2021
I record playthrough videos of myself playing guitar. I use a manual lens and I love the background blur, hence I record at around f/2 a lot of the time. Often when I'm shooting the fretboard at a 45 degree angle (the most common angle you see on RUclips), I will start off by having the lower frets in focus, but if I need to shift to the higher frets which are blurry, I'll manually rotate, gently shift, so that those frets come into the plane of focus of the lens. Great video!
Thanks Matt. That was useful. I would add that if you are a devotee of adapted vintage lenses, then these techniques will also apply. Especially on a multi-cam shoot where you want a similar character on every lens.
on my old canon 60d i use to use MF always! that wasnt a problem for me. and i even dont trust in autofocus. but now i swap to sony and is incredible how acurrate the A7iii can be. still....i think the best and the most secure is using the manual focus and taking care all the time in backup monitor, thanks for the video mate!
I'm getting my first motorized gimbal tomorrow and I'm very excited. I'm planning to use mostly manual focus with that, but I've had enough good experiences with autofocus that I'm not opposed to using it in the right situation where the circumstances and my choices can set it up to succeed. When shooting handheld I use both manual and autofocus, switching back and forth with the AF/MF button on my camera. Holding that button down whenever I want to engage autofocus and releasing for manual focus has been very intuitive and effective for me. Not being able to use that with my new gimbal is probably going to be one of the (hopefully few) downsides of my new setup.
I totally agree with you. I also use lenses with adapter on my GH5 and af is so weak that it's normal to me to preserve this three rules. And you're not crazy 😂
Hey bro love your videos, like this one already., Don't know If you know this, but especially since you just got the new sony a7s III, you can actually register faces on it, relatively quickly, and then use those registered faces as focus priority. So you would take photo of somebody's face in the register face setting, takes less than 8 sec, if you put a shortcut to register a new face, and your AF will always keep that face in priority mode if it detects it on the screen. If the bride changes her makeup, or puts on a new veil, you can take the 8 sec to register her "new" face again, and it will still keep focus. It works ridiculously well. I have all of my friends registered on my A7III since I take a bunch of photos of them all the time. Hope this helps.
You are right.I use autofocus on gimbal only for next day wedding where I have the time and the oportunity to make again a shot,and for the real time of the event i use only manual focus.Nice video Matt
What you described is spot-on to the techniques I use; really nice to have this sort of affirmation my techniques and thinking make sense to others shooting with manual focus on a gimbal. I shoot with GH5 on Ronin-S, and the vast majority of the day on an Olympus 12-40mm lens.
Thanks for sharing your apertures for gimbal shooting. I just can't trust my eyes enough to run n gun and focus manually. I've even had issues where focus peaking wasn't as true as I'd hoped.
Hey Matt, I Now shoot manual focus. I had a couple times face Detection failed during the wedding ceremony. I shoot with a Sony NX5R. I love this camera because I can use the zoom function and then keep it wide when I need too. Although the fstop is pretty slow like f 4.5. This sucks when your filming the reception or 1st dance. Thanks for all your tips on making and shooting better videos!
Auto focus for 4 years now .. started with a6000, now with a a6500 and a6400 combo, no critical issues so far. Though I will make manual focus racking on the ronin SC+Follow focus rig, but all the weddings have been postponed (due to covid), so my 1st real use of this setup on a wedding is still on hold.
Great video thanks. I’ve just bought my first gimbal and I am new to film and photography really so this was very helpful. I’ve bought a second hand a7 2 and I love it. I also bought a 50mm lens. On auto it’s constantly hunting for focus like you said so can’t be trusted. I love the wide angle lens tip and upping the f stop thanks again.👍
What you said in this video makes a ton of sense, especially when you mentioned where the lens might suddenly get bored of the chosen subject and say to the camera, "hey, there 's a totally more interesting face, let's focus on that!" and then you end up in a pot of hot water with the bride waving a soup ladle over your head.
Man, you answered some of the questions I had that I didn't even know how to formulate. Thank you so much! Loved the fact that you were playing devil's advocate, I was litterally thinking exactly what you were saying! I just got the Ronin RS3 and struggle/am confused whether to trust autofocus, or do everything manual. Too many things to focus on (pun unintended) while filming already like exposure, aperture, composition, SS... AND now keeping everything in focus! I was using auto-focus but you are so right, always this voice in my head "I hope it is REALLY in focus and keep it. I will try your techniques (higher F and keeping same distance). Great video, liked and sub👌
I will toggle between the many different focus modes on my a6600. In weddings I normally use wide, zone and manual depending on the situation and at this point it's kind of second nature to know which to use where. I only use manual focus to film the dancing at night to make 100% the camera does not focus hunt, or for an artistic shot.
I’m about to do a shoot this weekend for the BBC here in England of a one time event. I am going to practise with my manual 24mm lens in my GH5 and gimbal for this shoot. I don’t want any hunting from the af happening. Thinking f5.6-f8 should do it.
Great tips. Most times at weddings, I use manual focus, but I'm not going to lie, with the a6400 I have filmed the procession with AF tracking and it worked like a charm. Had it failed, I would've quickly switched to manual. I understand people 's reluctance though
Excelente vídeo saludos desde México , entonces Matt significa que usando el manual focus no se pueden hacer acercamientos ni alejamientos de una persona ? Gracias
Totally agree Matt, I shoot with Canon 5D2 & 5D3 and use manual Nikkor AI lenses, easy to focus and a lot lighter than the L series glass I use for stills.
Hi Matt, I'm an old school wedding photographer and have decided to go dark and learn video. Quick beginner question, in the clips of weddings you showed here, you shot at 60 fps. Why ? By the way, I began shooting weddings thirty years ago on a totally manual Mamiya C330 and a Sekonic handheld meter, so I totally agree with the level of control manual gives. Unfortunately, we now need batteries ! Well done, Jim.
Hey Jim! Welcome to the world of video haha! Check out this video I made about how and why I shoot specific frame rates: ruclips.net/video/gf1od2xCaFY/видео.html
Great video! I usually use a follow focus with my Ronin and love the control, but hate the weight and how unbalanced it makes my setup. I’m leaning towards a more practical setup like you’ve mentioned.
Matt, I videoed my niece’s sweet 16 birthday party with my a7iv and 50mm f1.2 GM. The combo often focused on someone other than where I meant the pair to focus! Lots of wasted footage because the lens would pulse and hunt! I am switching to manual focus. I just bought a Sirui 35mm Saturn, which is partially lightweight carbon fiber. It is also anamorphic. Have you filmed with an anamorphic lens?
Hey man! Until now I used to manual focus (not weddings, I usually make concerts) but because I use a Nikon D7100 and the autofocus is horrible. I am now waiting for the new Sony announcements so that I can compare some cameras and buy a new one with good autofocus. I'll have to try both ways in my next shooting, I'll tell you if I'll keep shooting manual or I'll go for autofocus. You make great videos by the way, keep like that man!
Autofocus with touch focus is the perfect solution. On the off chance that something else is in focus, I lightly tap the screen on what it needs to focus on. Manual focus sounds like so much work :P
I never ever use face detect or tracking during a wedding. For just the reasons you’ve expressed. However, I do use single point auto focus and I never have a problem.
When I start I wanted so much use AF,IBIS, and other improvement... Now I use full Manual, record compressed raw, and and no IBIS or IS special to have 100% image what i want. If I want have smooth image from my Ursa I use Gimbal or rent steadycam guy(no one is perfect in everything) If I want handheld image from set I just take, Easyrig and move handhalded or even special without Easyrig to have more control(not recommend for long day health is more important that this). For some hardcore people as me who also want try your own skill with equipment good option is have wireless follow focus controlled with handle(I use Tilta nucleus M-not too expensive and work nice) because its heavy you strong handle and clearly show your lvl of filmmaking, when I try tilta mini folow focus it was hard to have pure steady image. First day with no IS, heavy set was so terrible but after a few weeks I feel that I improve in my skills. This type of experience I can easily go ahead and propose everyone who want try lvl up. Especially If you similar to me work a few years on devices with IBIS
After doing my first wedding I found my GH5 AF isn't as reliable as I thought. My solution at the moment is to set it on manual focus but use the AE/AF button to set focus so it stays where it is when I let the button go.
Have you used a Helios, Fujinon or 7artisans? Do you think it is a bad idea to mix them for an Indy feature film? low budget of course. When to use one or the other please, thanks for your video, super useful ... greetings from Mexico
Hey Matt thanks for the very thoughtful and pragmatic set of tips. You got very close to it, but you didn’t actually talk about hyperfocal distance! It’s the oldest trick in the photographers handbook for getting unbelievable depth of field. And once it’s set of course, you don’t have to think about focus.
AF is still helpful if you know when to switch to MF, e.g. use AF to switch focus from background to subject and then use MF for the rest of the shot. But you need to program a button on gimbal to avoid camera shake.
Thanks for the tips, Matt. 😊🙌 I personally use my AF on the Nikon Z6 with the native 24-70 2.8 and a Ronin S and i LOVE LOVE LOVE the "orbit shots" at around 50mm or 70mm with AF turned on. 😍
Another great video! I wish I would have seen this before my last wedding on Friday. The AF worked great for the most part, but, focused out on the groom on me for about 10 secs. And when I was filming the first dance, luckily, my other shooter had me covered, but, had I just had it on manual, this would not have happened! Anyway, thanks for the great tips! Question: do you still use the 24mm for those close up shots if the couple dancing? Thanks
Speaking to trusting the auto focus to keep on the bride and groom... the A7iii can be programed to recognize specific faces and keep them as a priority. However, I know you said you're working on the A7ii.
Loving your videos and tutorials Matt. I have for years always stuck to manual everything and surprised at those who choose to use auto anything, as I felt the film maker should make the choices on setting to suit each moment, rather than trusting a camera. This weekend I borrowed a friends Sony A7Riii to do 3 days shooting at a 5 star hotel and on his advice, went for autofocus. On one of the days, but not all, the the focus was constantly in and out, regardless of my movement, and although I have managed to create a good enough edit with the useable footage (because I always massively overshoot), there is so much wasted and now unusable footage... Your tips and tricks help for sure, thank you. Just out of interest, would you normally set your focus to continuous focus? I was shooting one a 24mm too. Thanks Matt, learning a lot from you.
nice advice! :) ... i use a followfocus motor that is also pretty nice. There are also 3d printed focus gears for lenses out there ... thsi is a perfect combo for me
Why don't you get the pull focus for the crane? Any opinions to that? I tend to only shoot manual and use the remote pull focus to adjust if necessary.
I want more bokeh than my kit lens currently gives me. It would be for a podcast with two people in the frame. Since nobody will really be manning the camera, do you recommend using autofocus?
Funny part is most filmmakers saying they don't trust auto-focus haven't tried it since 1998 (clearly an exaggeration in case you didn't notice) and just don't know how good it got. Something called Focus area and Face registration nowadays. I mean, not because I use it, I want to force you to use it; by any means, do whatever you feel more comfortable with but all I am trying to say is that people that know how to use autofocus don't have these issues you are saying.
jpemile yeah, and you can actually select the area for the camera to search for faces so as long as you manage to keep your subjects there while moving, you’ll be good to go. I believe that is less work than trying to keep mf on point. But I see Matt’s reason as well... he just got good results with his way of doing things so he doesn’t want to switch. Understandable. Yet, I still believe he can get even better results if he gets to learn how to control af. I am still a backbutton focusing guy for example... I assigned a custom button for mf/af toggle and just let the camera focus with a button then release and fine tune it manually if needed later on.
Are you focusing with your fingers or with the wheel? I shot 2 weddings with autofocus and now I set up my ronin s to be compatible with the camera and lens so I can use the wheel. I need to practice, I never used manual focus. Are you using a monitor for focus peaking?
I'm new at this and have a question about manual focus with a gimbal. I'm using a 50mm f1.8 Sony lens on an A7III and when I focus, the barrel moves in and out. So technically this throws the balance off. Will the motors of my AK4500 gimbal be able to compensate for this? Thanks. Really like your vids.
Yes Matt, you're crazy. We already knew that, haha! But I still shoot primarily manual focus because I use vintage glass with no autofocus. I'm guessing you keep your focus-peaking on at all times? What do you use to help your eye see focus? What are your settings?
There like 50 dollar focus rigs these days that you can slap on which weights less than 200g. And are extremely easy to focus while holding the gimbal, or buy an used gimbal that comes with a focus rig setup that can be controlled from the knob on the gimbal itself, worlds your oyster but there no such thing as "cheap" video making, 500 to 1000 dollars is the range and if you go below that you just gonna be using a camera and a lens, nothing else.
ya, saya kadang pakai manual focus. apalagi sekarang lensaku Tamron 17-50mm yang sangat berisik, jika aku ingin merekam suara juga maka aku benar2 menggunakan maual focus supaya tifka berisik.
Hey buddy! I’m planning to buy one but I’m a bit confused with the sc and the sc pro which comes with the focus motor. I own a canon 250D and i just want to know that, will the focus motor setup would be compatible with my camera? It would be great if you guide me with this so that i can save the extra money which I’ll spend!
Today's Camera's has brilliant Auto Focus and does not just switch to another person, first off if you have lets say the bride and groom together and there is 2 other people in the scene but if the camera picks them up the groom and bride are out of focus, that's simple i have my camera face detect set to only detect at a specific distance from the camera once i have that set which is a 1 button press then the camera will not try to go else where other then where i'm locked on at the time until i press the button again and it releases that. Also with 1 button pre-set i can tell the distance that i want the face detect to look for so it won't grab some one closer or further away, with them 2 settings there is no way my focus will fall off what i want, and with my camera the auto focus system is 100000000 times more accurate or faster then what any one can do manually hands down.. I use both the Canon C70 and also the Fuji X-T4 those 2 camera's will blow away any other camera system in auto focus and does it 100% of the time i never have had an issue where my autofocus went off and did something i didn't want it to, it's like anything else if you want to use high tech systems you have to know how to use it to get exactly what you want out of it. Now with my camera taking care of focus for me that frees me up to do other creative things so all my concentration is not all tied up with a stupid detail like focus, screw that, now i can focus more on composition, exposure changes, white balance changes panning and other stuff.... Manual Focus is a thing of the past in my opinion, it's because well we didn't have super smart camera's to take care of all that now we do, And there is no need to do manual focus. Just like currency, writing checks to pay your bills is a thing of the past you don't need checks everything is done online with a debit or credit card no need for stupid checks , checks was a system designed for the older days where 90% of every business didn't take debit or credit cards and there was no internet, now we have all that you don't need checks.. same with Manual Focus, camera's can do the job better faster and more accurately and free your self up for other things... for years the Movie industry has relied on cinamatic camera's with manual focus, like the RED, or ARRI ALEXA 65, or the Panavision Millennium DXL2 , all them camera's used manual focus, how ever with todays technology all them camera's are starting to implement autofocus systems, like the new RED that is coming out is going to have a smart autofocus system and the Alexa is going to as well, it will still be able to do manual yes but their new system is going to be so good that it would be stupid to not use it, in fact the New system in the new RED camera's is going to be even better then what canon's new systems has today, it will have smart face or smart object you can tell it to lock on a specific object and no matter what comes by or blocks it it i will maintain that object or subject it will be so smart it will have face recognition to only stay focused on one specific person. of course this comes at a price but hey when your hollywood you got billions to spend on a budget film lol so yes manual focus is going to be a thing of the past just like 9mm film vs digital.. Times and technology changes and so does the way we do things with it.. Look, i do weddings as well and i can use my glide cam and run around and even run towards my subjects and not 1 frame will be out of focus it's that fast, and it's smart too i doesn't run off start to focus on other stuff like it has a mind of it's own, that is the old autofocus systems , first off NIKON is the worst camera for auto focus, they suck this is one of the reasons why Nikon is doing poorly and not selling camera's like they use to Canon blew them out of the water when they came out with their Canon R5 8K video with smart autofocus, you can not beat that camera at all with any other system, their focus system is fool proof and works well.. Nikon has the Z6 and Z7 yes but it's autofocus and face or eye detection sucks balls, this is one of the reasons Nikon will no longer be around it the next few years..
Did you ever have focus issues with the a7siii when you’re in a big crowd at a wedding? Losing focus on the bride and groom to someone in the crowd would be no bueno lol. Im assuming autofocus on the a7siii is just much better. Wondering what you think.
Where my manual focus shooters at?! 😜
Dude great video! where have you been? I've missed you man. Hope that you are well...GO BOYS
I use manual focus 90% of the time because my t6 isnt exactly advanced in the af department
Hey dude! Been hiding out in my house waiting on weddings to start back up haha! Thanks man!
always manual
I shoot sports at my university, manual focus is a must especially on my FS7. That being said, the a7iii has amazing AF that I really trust in 99% of situations.
Absolutely! Manual focus is a snap as long as one follows the rules that you prescribed. As a former Army cinematographer, in the pre-zoom lens era, we used a turret with three seperate prime lenses attached--a wide, a medium, and a long. The trick was to know what the hyperfocal distance was for each lens, then set the focus for that mark. With a little practice, one could trust that if one just stayed a certain set distance from the subject, all would be acceptably sharp. Great video Matt!
Oh man I want a lens turret! I saw a guy had created a prototype at one for NAB last year
@@whoismatt I can sure see why, as a wedding photographer, you would want one. When you're in the thick of action, nothing beats the ease of just rotating a different lens into place in front of the film gate, oops, I mean the sensor! As I recall, because all the lenses were prime, even the long lens had a minimum aperature of f/4.5 and the wide angle was f/1.8.
I have been working as a dop for almost twenty years. Mostly with commercials and tv dramas and music videos. 98% I use cameras such as Arri Alexa and always with a designated focus puller. But now I have bought a black magic camera and started shooting documentaries and different kind of films for my new found spiritual community. And then I don´t have a crew that i usually rely on. I have wondered how the hell I am suppose to pull focus on a gimbal without a crew. And your video Matt is the most inspiring and creative video I have seen in years. Just don´t change the distance to the subject and stop down the bloody lens. Genius. To use your "disadvantages" to create something this creative and beatiful is truly inspiring! Well done sir!
Your no nonsense approach is 100% what i needed.
"I still just don't trust autofocus."
PREACH
I've been screwed on AF many times, and those lenses are way more expensive. I'm not hardcore about it, but generally my favorite lenses after 10 years of shooting are still me manual focus lenses. Great video, thanks for the tips.
Kevin Kino one day I think, autofocus will be able to replace a trained focus puller. We’re already seeing that with Canon Dual pixel AF for video, currently the best is in the C series but I’m confident that In 5-6 years autofocus will have a place on professional film sets.
You've been screwed while in AF? What do you shoot? Sex tapes?
I've been an auto-focus person since I started a few years ago, but don't want to be limited. Manual focus has a whole world of opportunities that come along with it, and have been exploring the world of anamorphic and manual focus is obligatory. To that end, here's to starting down the manual focus road and appreciate the tips!
This was an amazing video! Manual Focus Gang for Life 😂.
You are lucky that you have good vision. If I use manual focus without my spectacles, you won't be able to see anything! 😂
+1 of the gang
Great Video Matt. I shot several videos on manual lenses and gimbal, but now using native lenses on my sony a6500 a let me tell you, autofocus rules. Don´t use Face autofocus. I just use a fixed focus point, and select it on the touch screen where I want my camera to focus. It´s been working wonders on my weddings and Ican´t really remember a single situation where it failed, unless I made a mistake. Trust me. Just try it and you´ll see.
I still use manual focus though but only for specific purposes. Cheers
Another option for gymbals like the crane 2 is to buy the follow focus unit and control focus with the wheel on the handle. It takes some getting used to and adds weight/bulk to the setup but works well enough for adjusting focus mid shot.
Matt is absolutely right. I had a 16mm f1.4 Fuji lens and shot at f8 and focus was at infinity. Best decision ever because the project was with a luxury hotel. It was a very tough and fast paced day. I didn’t have time to re-shoot if the autofocus was inaccurate, this really ensures that you nail the shots, just practice around the house to get comfortable with keeping the distance
I finally decided to stick with what I really like. I just a bought a gimbal for my Manual DSLR which doesn’t have any folow focus lens and motor, was thinking about getting one and so undecided, but I keep on staying what i love doimg using manual focusing even if I just bought my new gimbal it just save me $150+ and end up sticking to Manual instead nothing beats manual. We can really control the outcome. Your video help me open up my eyes and my mind. thank you sooo much! 😊👌
Thank you alot! I almost never leave comments in youtube but you blew my mind! I am a full time pro photographer for almost 4 years and now i try to learn to make video with my cameras and lenses without video AF. Many expensive video making cources online did not give me this info. Now i will practice movements and live view manual focusing techniques that you revealed and i am shure it is a better start in video then buying top sony cameras and lenses with vide AF. Sorry for my bad English, i am from another country. Thanks for this video, you are cool!!! I was looking for a way to film video with zhiyun gimbal, my dslr and my park of lenses dedicated to photo with manual focus for a long long time!!!
I saw the beard and i knew I was about to learn something today
Now I understand why you manual focus. A72 AF is not great. I shoot A73 and A6600, 95% is in focus. Thanks for the video Matt!
Would you consider using a wireless follow focus? I’ve seen ones that mount very handily on the gimbal handle
I'm always so torn on this. I went from Manual only to AF like 2 years ago. I feel like AF has opened the door to some more unique shots but I have also definitely been burned by it and lost some killer shots that I thought worked at the time of shooting :/
I hear you. I feel like we are more forgiving of our own mistakes than technology. I guarantee I’ve nailed more focus by letting the camera do it than I would have going manual. Neither is perfect but I’m rarely burned by the camera with single point.
@@FirstLast-il6ok True. Its hard to nail AF on a video if you pan from wide to tight. The AF is not that reliable. If the face of the subject is always moving.
Canon m50 with a 12mm Samyang/Rokinon f2 manual lens was my entry to content creation and my it’s been such a useful tool! In my journey I use it on a weebil S with a focus motor... haven’t need much else for a long time still going strong in 2021
I record playthrough videos of myself playing guitar. I use a manual lens and I love the background blur, hence I record at around f/2 a lot of the time. Often when I'm shooting the fretboard at a 45 degree angle (the most common angle you see on RUclips), I will start off by having the lower frets in focus, but if I need to shift to the higher frets which are blurry, I'll manually rotate, gently shift, so that those frets come into the plane of focus of the lens. Great video!
Thanks Matt. That was useful. I would add that if you are a devotee of adapted vintage lenses, then these techniques will also apply. Especially on a multi-cam shoot where you want a similar character on every lens.
Manual focus all the time! Great video Matt!
on my old canon 60d i use to use MF always! that wasnt a problem for me. and i even dont trust in autofocus.
but now i swap to sony and is incredible how acurrate the A7iii can be.
still....i think the best and the most secure is using the manual focus and taking care all the time in backup monitor,
thanks for the video mate!
I'm getting my first motorized gimbal tomorrow and I'm very excited. I'm planning to use mostly manual focus with that, but I've had enough good experiences with autofocus that I'm not opposed to using it in the right situation where the circumstances and my choices can set it up to succeed.
When shooting handheld I use both manual and autofocus, switching back and forth with the AF/MF button on my camera. Holding that button down whenever I want to engage autofocus and releasing for manual focus has been very intuitive and effective for me. Not being able to use that with my new gimbal is probably going to be one of the (hopefully few) downsides of my new setup.
You're gonna love it!
I totally agree with you. I also use lenses with adapter on my GH5 and af is so weak that it's normal to me to preserve this three rules. And you're not crazy 😂
My wife says I'm a little crazy
Hey bro love your videos, like this one already., Don't know If you know this, but especially since you just got the new sony a7s III, you can actually register faces on it, relatively quickly, and then use those registered faces as focus priority. So you would take photo of somebody's face in the register face setting, takes less than 8 sec, if you put a shortcut to register a new face, and your AF will always keep that face in priority mode if it detects it on the screen. If the bride changes her makeup, or puts on a new veil, you can take the 8 sec to register her "new" face again, and it will still keep focus. It works ridiculously well. I have all of my friends registered on my A7III since I take a bunch of photos of them all the time. Hope this helps.
You are right.I use autofocus on gimbal only for next day wedding where I have the time and the oportunity to make again a shot,and for the real time of the event i use only manual focus.Nice video Matt
never had an issue fully relying on auto focus, but still great tips! Can also consider getting follow focus for even better control
Matt, thanks for share your experience with us, ur the most Influential Wedding Videographers!!
Thanks Fausto!
What you described is spot-on to the techniques I use; really nice to have this sort of affirmation my techniques and thinking make sense to others shooting with manual focus on a gimbal. I shoot with GH5 on Ronin-S, and the vast majority of the day on an Olympus 12-40mm lens.
Thanks for sharing your apertures for gimbal shooting. I just can't trust my eyes enough to run n gun and focus manually. I've even had issues where focus peaking wasn't as true as I'd hoped.
Glad to help Sharpe!
Hey Matt,
I Now shoot manual focus. I had a couple times face Detection failed during the wedding ceremony. I shoot with a Sony NX5R. I love this camera because I can use the zoom function and then keep it wide when I need too. Although the fstop is pretty slow like f 4.5. This sucks when your filming the reception or 1st dance. Thanks for all your tips on making and shooting better videos!
Auto focus for 4 years now .. started with a6000, now with a a6500 and a6400 combo, no critical issues so far. Though I will make manual focus racking on the ronin SC+Follow focus rig, but all the weddings have been postponed (due to covid), so my 1st real use of this setup on a wedding is still on hold.
Hope the wedding goes well! :)
Great video thanks. I’ve just bought my first gimbal and I am new to film and photography really so this was very helpful. I’ve bought a second hand a7 2 and I love it. I also bought a 50mm lens. On auto it’s constantly hunting for focus like you said so can’t be trusted. I love the wide angle lens tip and upping the f stop thanks again.👍
What you said in this video makes a ton of sense, especially when you mentioned where the lens might suddenly get bored of the chosen subject and say to the camera, "hey, there 's a totally more interesting face, let's focus on that!" and then you end up in a pot of hot water with the bride waving a soup ladle over your head.
This video was very enlightening for me. Thank you so much.
Man, you answered some of the questions I had that I didn't even know how to formulate. Thank you so much! Loved the fact that you were playing devil's advocate, I was litterally thinking exactly what you were saying!
I just got the Ronin RS3 and struggle/am confused whether to trust autofocus, or do everything manual. Too many things to focus on (pun unintended) while filming already like exposure, aperture, composition, SS... AND now keeping everything in focus! I was using auto-focus but you are so right, always this voice in my head "I hope it is REALLY in focus and keep it. I will try your techniques (higher F and keeping same distance).
Great video, liked and sub👌
Nice topic Matt 😍👍🏻 You helped me so much in filmmaking 😊
Glad to help!
I will toggle between the many different focus modes on my a6600. In weddings I normally use wide, zone and manual depending on the situation and at this point it's kind of second nature to know which to use where. I only use manual focus to film the dancing at night to make 100% the camera does not focus hunt, or for an artistic shot.
I’m about to do a shoot this weekend for the BBC here in England of a one time event. I am going to practise with my manual 24mm lens in my GH5 and gimbal for this shoot. I don’t want any hunting from the af happening. Thinking f5.6-f8 should do it.
Great tips. Most times at weddings, I use manual focus, but I'm not going to lie, with the a6400 I have filmed the procession with AF tracking and it worked like a charm. Had it failed, I would've quickly switched to manual. I understand people 's reluctance though
You aren't crazy! This info just solidified my decision on using my manual lenses with my new gimbal. Thank you!!
Replying to my own comment, what of it? Had to say something about the 17 that disliked the video....I just want to know why?!
Just got a crane plus gimbal for my canon this was so helpful I’m going to try it 🙌🏻
Dude this is eye opening! Just realized my favorite canon lens on my a6300 will be just fine! No AF needed. I just subbed you, many thanks!
Great video! To the point and filled with useful information! Thanks!
Excelente vídeo saludos desde México , entonces Matt significa que usando el manual focus no se pueden hacer acercamientos ni alejamientos de una persona ? Gracias
Amazing tips as always! Thanks for this Matt
Manual focus all day. Just like you have you camera in manual to have full control, I do the same with my lenses. Great advice.
Amazing video! So many times I thought that I need a better camera with autofocus for gimbal. You helped me 😃
Totally agree Matt, I shoot with Canon 5D2 & 5D3 and use manual Nikkor AI lenses, easy to focus and a lot lighter than the L series glass I use for stills.
Nice! :D
Manual focus 100% of the time! I shoot on my GH5 so I don’t really have a choice 😅 But it nails the shots I get and that’s why I got it
Great tip. Am expecting my first electronic gimble to use with a camera with bad auto focus so am holding on to this tip hook line and sinker. Thanks.
Hi Matt,
I'm an old school wedding photographer and have decided to go dark and learn video. Quick beginner question, in the clips of weddings you showed here, you shot at 60 fps. Why ? By the way, I began shooting weddings thirty years ago on a totally manual Mamiya C330 and a Sekonic handheld meter, so I totally agree with the level of control manual gives. Unfortunately, we now need batteries ! Well done, Jim.
Hey Jim! Welcome to the world of video haha! Check out this video I made about how and why I shoot specific frame rates: ruclips.net/video/gf1od2xCaFY/видео.html
Great video! I usually use a follow focus with my Ronin and love the control, but hate the weight and how unbalanced it makes my setup. I’m leaning towards a more practical setup like you’ve mentioned.
Manual focusing here as well! For both photo and video. Like you said Matt: I know what kind of shots I want - the camera don’t! 💪🏼
Thx for the tip, I would think registered face detection would help with autofocus from jumping out of focus, have you tried registering couples?
I haven't but it's a good idea
Matt, I videoed my niece’s sweet 16 birthday party with my a7iv and 50mm f1.2 GM. The combo often focused on someone other than where I meant the pair to focus! Lots of wasted footage because the lens would pulse and hunt! I am switching to manual focus. I just bought a Sirui 35mm Saturn, which is partially lightweight carbon fiber. It is also anamorphic. Have you filmed with an anamorphic lens?
Hey man! Until now I used to manual focus (not weddings, I usually make concerts) but because I use a Nikon D7100 and the autofocus is horrible. I am now waiting for the new Sony announcements so that I can compare some cameras and buy a new one with good autofocus. I'll have to try both ways in my next shooting, I'll tell you if I'll keep shooting manual or I'll go for autofocus. You make great videos by the way, keep like that man!
Autofocus with touch focus is the perfect solution. On the off chance that something else is in focus, I lightly tap the screen on what it needs to focus on. Manual focus sounds like so much work :P
Very good, Matt. Thank you for this video! What do you think about Focus puller?
I never ever use face detect or tracking during a wedding. For just the reasons you’ve expressed. However, I do use single point auto focus and I never have a problem.
Good technique!
When I start I wanted so much use AF,IBIS, and other improvement...
Now I use full Manual, record compressed raw, and and no IBIS or IS special to have 100% image what i want.
If I want have smooth image from my Ursa I use Gimbal or rent steadycam guy(no one is perfect in everything) If I want handheld image from set I just take, Easyrig and move handhalded or even special without Easyrig to have more control(not recommend for long day health is more important that this).
For some hardcore people as me who also want try your own skill with equipment good option is have wireless follow focus controlled with handle(I use Tilta nucleus M-not too expensive and work nice) because its heavy you strong handle and clearly show your lvl of filmmaking, when I try tilta mini folow focus it was hard to have pure steady image.
First day with no IS, heavy set was so terrible but after a few weeks I feel that I improve in my skills. This type of experience I can easily go ahead and propose everyone who want try lvl up.
Especially If you similar to me work a few years on devices with IBIS
After doing my first wedding I found my GH5 AF isn't as reliable as I thought. My solution at the moment is to set it on manual focus but use the AE/AF button to set focus so it stays where it is when I let the button go.
Have you used a Helios, Fujinon or 7artisans? Do you think it is a bad idea to mix them for an Indy feature film? low budget of course. When to use one or the other please, thanks for your video, super useful ... greetings from Mexico
Hey Matt thanks for the very thoughtful and pragmatic set of tips. You got very close to it, but you didn’t actually talk about hyperfocal distance! It’s the oldest trick in the photographers handbook for getting unbelievable depth of field. And once it’s set of course, you don’t have to think about focus.
Strictly manual, now searching for the right gimbal, - thanks for your insights!
AF is still helpful if you know when to switch to MF, e.g. use AF to switch focus from background to subject and then use MF for the rest of the shot. But you need to program a button on gimbal to avoid camera shake.
Thanks for the tips, Matt. 😊🙌 I personally use my AF on the Nikon Z6 with the native 24-70 2.8 and a Ronin S and i LOVE LOVE LOVE the "orbit shots" at around 50mm or 70mm with AF turned on. 😍
I see you are using a steady cam instead of a gimble? What brand do you recommend for that?
Wow, fantastic video!
Another great video! I wish I would have seen this before my last wedding on Friday. The AF worked great for the most part, but, focused out on the groom on me for about 10 secs. And when I was filming the first dance, luckily, my other shooter had me covered, but, had I just had it on manual, this would not have happened! Anyway, thanks for the great tips! Question: do you still use the 24mm for those close up shots if the couple dancing? Thanks
absolutely Manuel focus is always perfect for wedding videographer
Speaking to trusting the auto focus to keep on the bride and groom... the A7iii can be programed to recognize specific faces and keep them as a priority. However, I know you said you're working on the A7ii.
The a7sii can do that as well, but I definitely don't trust the contrast based AF haha
Lovely video very helpful please make more videos on manual focus
This seriously has helped so much! Thank you!!
Loving your videos and tutorials Matt. I have for years always stuck to manual everything and surprised at those who choose to use auto anything, as I felt the film maker should make the choices on setting to suit each moment, rather than trusting a camera. This weekend I borrowed a friends Sony A7Riii to do 3 days shooting at a 5 star hotel and on his advice, went for autofocus. On one of the days, but not all, the the focus was constantly in and out, regardless of my movement, and although I have managed to create a good enough edit with the useable footage (because I always massively overshoot), there is so much wasted and now unusable footage... Your tips and tricks help for sure, thank you. Just out of interest, would you normally set your focus to continuous focus? I was shooting one a 24mm too. Thanks Matt, learning a lot from you.
yes! fellow Manual Focus hooomans 👍love this
nice advice! :) ... i use a followfocus motor that is also pretty nice. There are also 3d printed focus gears for lenses out there ... thsi is a perfect combo for me
I’m a big fan of using the Zhiyun Crane follow focus system. It gives me the ability to shoot on tighter lenses like a 35mm or 50mm.
Nice!!
Could you use follow focus build in the zhiyun crane 2 while using adapted lenses? Could you make a test for it? Thankyouu
Crazy like a fox! Great video and advice. Thanks Matt!
Kind of relieves me, as I love MF lenses for video and photo and I am not alone
Why don't you get the pull focus for the crane? Any opinions to that? I tend to only shoot manual and use the remote pull focus to adjust if necessary.
I want more bokeh than my kit lens currently gives me. It would be for a podcast with two people in the frame. Since nobody will really be manning the camera, do you recommend using autofocus?
Funny part is most filmmakers saying they don't trust auto-focus haven't tried it since 1998 (clearly an exaggeration in case you didn't notice) and just don't know how good it got. Something called Focus area and Face registration nowadays. I mean, not because I use it, I want to force you to use it; by any means, do whatever you feel more comfortable with but all I am trying to say is that people that know how to use autofocus don't have these issues you are saying.
jpemile yeah, and you can actually select the area for the camera to search for faces so as long as you manage to keep your subjects there while moving, you’ll be good to go. I believe that is less work than trying to keep mf on point. But I see Matt’s reason as well... he just got good results with his way of doing things so he doesn’t want to switch. Understandable. Yet, I still believe he can get even better results if he gets to learn how to control af. I am still a backbutton focusing guy for example... I assigned a custom button for mf/af toggle and just let the camera focus with a button then release and fine tune it manually if needed later on.
Are you focusing with your fingers or with the wheel? I shot 2 weddings with autofocus and now I set up my ronin s to be compatible with the camera and lens so I can use the wheel. I need to practice, I never used manual focus. Are you using a monitor for focus peaking?
I'm new at this and have a question about manual focus with a gimbal. I'm using a 50mm f1.8 Sony lens on an A7III and when I focus, the barrel moves in and out. So technically this throws the balance off. Will the motors of my AK4500 gimbal be able to compensate for this? Thanks. Really like your vids.
Excellent. Thanks a bunch!
Nice 😊 you are the best guide for new filmmaker’s thank you for your tips love you Bro 🤝😊
Thank you!
Yes Matt, you're crazy. We already knew that, haha! But I still shoot primarily manual focus because I use vintage glass with no autofocus. I'm guessing you keep your focus-peaking on at all times? What do you use to help your eye see focus? What are your settings?
Hey Matt, great videos! I was wondering: ive never seen you using any shoulder rig for your cams on your (wedding)films, is that right?
There like 50 dollar focus rigs these days that you can slap on which weights less than 200g.
And are extremely easy to focus while holding the gimbal, or buy an used gimbal that comes with a focus rig setup that can be controlled from the knob on the gimbal itself, worlds your oyster but there no such thing as "cheap" video making, 500 to 1000 dollars is the range and if you go below that you just gonna be using a camera and a lens, nothing else.
I bought a gh5 and that's y I'm watching u to learn the manual focus
ya, saya kadang pakai manual focus. apalagi sekarang lensaku Tamron 17-50mm yang sangat berisik, jika aku ingin merekam suara juga maka aku benar2 menggunakan maual focus supaya tifka berisik.
Hey buddy! I’m planning to buy one but I’m a bit confused with the sc and the sc pro which comes with the focus motor. I own a canon 250D and i just want to know that, will the focus motor setup would be compatible with my camera? It would be great if you guide me with this so that i can save the extra money which I’ll spend!
Awesome tips! Would you recommend you keep a wide angle lens on a gimbal at all times?
The wider the lens, the less a gimbal is needed. Still depends on you.
Im also going to do same exactly how you do. coz i have already spent too much with my stuff. also im into real estes, so i do mostly f8 and high ISO
Today's Camera's has brilliant Auto Focus and does not just switch to another person, first off if you have lets say the bride and groom together and there is 2 other people in the scene but if the camera picks them up the groom and bride are out of focus, that's simple i have my camera face detect set to only detect at a specific distance from the camera once i have that set which is a 1 button press then the camera will not try to go else where other then where i'm locked on at the time until i press the button again and it releases that.
Also with 1 button pre-set i can tell the distance that i want the face detect to look for so it won't grab some one closer or further away, with them 2 settings there is no way my focus will fall off what i want, and with my camera the auto focus system is 100000000 times more accurate or faster then what any one can do manually hands down..
I use both the Canon C70 and also the Fuji X-T4 those 2 camera's will blow away any other camera system in auto focus and does it 100% of the time i never have had an issue where my autofocus went off and did something i didn't want it to, it's like anything else if you want to use high tech systems you have to know how to use it to get exactly what you want out of it.
Now with my camera taking care of focus for me that frees me up to do other creative things so all my concentration is not all tied up with a stupid detail like focus, screw that, now i can focus more on composition, exposure changes, white balance changes panning and other stuff....
Manual Focus is a thing of the past in my opinion, it's because well we didn't have super smart camera's to take care of all that now we do, And there is no need to do manual focus.
Just like currency, writing checks to pay your bills is a thing of the past you don't need checks everything is done online with a debit or credit card no need for stupid checks , checks was a system designed for the older days where 90% of every business didn't take debit or credit cards and there was no internet, now we have all that you don't need checks..
same with Manual Focus, camera's can do the job better faster and more accurately and free your self up for other things...
for years the Movie industry has relied on cinamatic camera's with manual focus, like the RED, or ARRI ALEXA 65, or the Panavision Millennium DXL2
, all them camera's used manual focus, how ever with todays technology all them camera's are starting to implement autofocus systems, like the new RED that is coming out is going to have a smart autofocus system and the Alexa is going to as well, it will still be able to do manual yes but their new system is going to be so good that it would be stupid to not use it, in fact the New system in the new RED camera's is going to be even better then what canon's new systems has today, it will have smart face or smart object you can tell it to lock on a specific object and no matter what comes by or blocks it it i will maintain that object or subject it will be so smart it will have face recognition to only stay focused on one specific person. of course this comes at a price but hey when your hollywood you got billions to spend on a budget film lol so yes manual focus is going to be a thing of the past just like 9mm film vs digital..
Times and technology changes and so does the way we do things with it..
Look, i do weddings as well and i can use my glide cam and run around and even run towards my subjects and not 1 frame will be out of focus it's that fast, and it's smart too i doesn't run off start to focus on other stuff like it has a mind of it's own, that is the old autofocus systems , first off NIKON is the worst camera for auto focus, they suck this is one of the reasons why Nikon is doing poorly and not selling camera's like they use to Canon blew them out of the water when they came out with their Canon R5 8K video with smart autofocus, you can not beat that camera at all with any other system, their focus system is fool proof and works well..
Nikon has the Z6 and Z7 yes but it's autofocus and face or eye detection sucks balls, this is one of the reasons Nikon will no longer be around it the next few years..
Did you ever have focus issues with the a7siii when you’re in a big crowd at a wedding? Losing focus on the bride and groom to someone in the crowd would be no bueno lol. Im assuming autofocus on the a7siii is just much better. Wondering what you think.
You can still lose focus on a crowd, gotta be really careful with autofocus :)
spot on mate !
Superb video and explanation. Also, great beard.
Make handheld and manual focus great again! Lumix shooter since GH3, now on S1. I am know what i am talking about 🤞🏼