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: ruclips.net/video/rnkib7FZ8S8/видео.html 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: ruclips.net/video/r1adyTSCLEs/видео.html
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.
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 :)
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...
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!
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
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)
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!! 🙏
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!
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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!
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!
@@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.
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
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!
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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!!
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🙏🏾💪🏾
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.
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).
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!
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.
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!
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... :/
Nagyon szívesen! Hát igen, ezzel a módszerrel mozgó dolgokat fotózni kínszenvedés... De ha olyan géped van, ami tud focus peakinget, akkor már sokkal könnyebb!
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??
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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
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: ruclips.net/video/rnkib7FZ8S8/видео.html
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: ruclips.net/video/r1adyTSCLEs/видео.html
This really helped. I was confused for awhile. Thanks for the help you are really great!!
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.
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 :)
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...
Wow, I would have never thought of zooming in and then manually focusing on the subject before. Mind blown. thanks for the video
You're very welcome Sam - use this trick often :)
You opened my mind .. seriously .. thanks
Right, this was sooo helpful...
Omg, I've been manual focusing by looking through the viewfinder the entire time 😅 no winder so many images came out blurry 🙃 thank you!!
Stephanie, these are the comments I love making videos - glad I could help you sort that out! 😃
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!
Thank you for that awesome feedback - I'm very happy if I can give value through my videos!
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
You're welcome :)
I just got a 50mm 1.8d not knowing it didn't have auto focus and im terrified!
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)
Lucky Luke it’s my favorite lens ever. It works perfectly and I love it
Same here
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. 🎉
Thank you! They say it's a formula that works, and the view count got me convinced :)
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.
You are really welcome Michaela :)
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!! 🙏
Thanks, your feedback made my day! :)
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!
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
YOU ARE THE BEST!!!! Been struggling with a shot now, got on RUclips and i saw this video, it has helped me a lot. Thanks man.
Thanks man, I'm happy to hear that! 😎
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.
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.
Great to hear that! :) Product photography is definitely an area where it's easiest to use manual focus!
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
Thanks, I'm happy it helped! :)
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
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.
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!
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!
@@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.
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.
Thanks :)
Very good manual focus guide for beginners. I would definitely manual focus through optical viewfinder my self :)
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
I have been doing this all wrong forever!! Thank you so much for posting this video!!!
I'm happy to help! :) Which part did you get wrong?
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!
The tip on not manual focusing through viewfinder is gold.
🏆You're very welcome 😉
This has been the most helpful video I've come across about MF. Thank you so much! I totally get it now.
I'm happy to hear this Ana :)
I was always thinking why the pictures I take on AF mode is a bit blurry... You have cleared my problem
Thank you for the feedback Shravan, I'm happy to hear I could help :)
This was a great guide to manual focussing. You're the boss!
Glad you enjoyed it! 🤗
This video is a freaking gem.
I have seen so many videos but not seen this on focussing. I always get blurry pictures. This helped a lot...
Thanks for the feedback, I'm happy to hear this!
Oh thank you for this - I've been having trouble as my eyes aren't great so the magnifying hack is a real gamechanger. :)
You're welcome :)
Wow...🤩 excellent way of solving my troubles with manual dslr lenses. Thank you so much🥰
Happy to have helped :)
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
Learned something new today, Thank you 💛
You're welcome :)
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.
Thank you, I'm glad to hear that! Cheers
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!
Luz, you're very welcome, I'm happy to hear my video helped so much 😁
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
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.
thank you so much! I have been struggling with auto focus because it cant find the right focus i wanted to thank you!
You're welcome
thank you for such an informative video on a subject i found frustrating..
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... :)
Very helpful, brought up a few ideas I hadn't thought of. Thank you.
That's music to my ears, John, thanks!
Very helpful for a beginner like me thank you so much !!
Btw Budapest is one of my fav! What a stunning city❤️
My pleasure 😊
Eye-opener! thank you!
I learned something new today. I didn't know you couldn't manual focus using the view finder.
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.
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!!
Very happy to hear this Alberto! :)
The background is from Aldi or Lidl, and indeed, it's the bamboo forest!
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🙏🏾💪🏾
Glad to hear it 😎
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.
I'm happy to help Dwayne!
@@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
@@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 :)
Hi. You video saved me from a lot of hustle. Thank you and keep up the good work.
That's the best feedback I can hear :)
Thanks! Great Video! The viewfinder tip is revolutionary!
Thank you so much!🙏
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.
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).
This video answered all of my questions about manually focusing my dslr. Thanks!
Very welcome!
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.
Thank you!
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!
You're very welcome Simone. Having blurry shots is so frustrating, it happened to me as well too many times, too...
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.
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!
Köszi Miklós, Sokat segítettél.
Szívesen! Itt megtalálod a videót magyar nyelven is: ruclips.net/video/V8gD2wWD1N4/видео.html
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... :/
Nagyon szívesen! Hát igen, ezzel a módszerrel mozgó dolgokat fotózni kínszenvedés... De ha olyan géped van, ami tud focus peakinget, akkor már sokkal könnyebb!
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😊
You're welcome! Well, I try to promote the video to as many people as possible ;)
Nagyon jo a video, koszi a segitseget!
Köszönöm! :)
Thanks for your video, it help me taking manual focus
Glad to hear that! :)
Nice and new for me
Thank you
Welcome 😊
thanks, this is what i wanted to learn and you explained it very well
You're very welcome! :)
what about focusing on a moving subject manually? pls make a video tutorial about it too
Thanks for the video. I learned how to do manual focus that I couldn't learn from tons of videos
Well, I'm very happy to hear that :)
Thank you I try my photo super sharp.
Thank you!
Your video helped me set my manual focus
You're welcome!😁
Wow your video saved me today
Thank you so much
Great ..clear explanation
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!
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
Good Explanation 😄 Thank You 🙂
Short video very well explained..well done ✅
Glad you liked it 😀
Thanks bro..have real educated...with your tutorial
Glad to hear that Nevian :)
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??
Yes, this method always saves the day :) Of course, you can only use it for still subjects
I've been using my Takumar lens on my 6D Mk2 the wrong way for about a year... 🤣
Thank you for the great tips... 👍🏻
You're very welcome :)
Wow this is sharp
This is an absolute game-changer! Thank you so much!!!!
You're very welcome Nicholas :)
You changed my life. Thank You.🧡
Oh, was it that easy? :))) Thank you for this lovely comment, happy to hear this!
Wow… thank you so much!!!!!
Great video, thanks Miklos!
Thank you!
Really helped me, thanks
Very helpful thank you so much. As a visual learner I appreciate this a lot
You're very welcome! :)
Well done ! It was useful for me. Thank you. :)
You're welcome!
Many thanks for the new facts...
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.
Exactly! With mirrorless cameras you also have focus peaking option as well
surprisingly helpful, thank you!
Glad to hear it!
Thank you!
simply briliant information! Thank you so much!! I subscribed !!
Thanks!
thank you so much im a photography student and it really helped
I'm so happy to hear that!
Excellent tips for Manual Focusing...THANKS!k
No worries!
Great info
Best technique I've learned since buying my DSLR- thanks
I'm glad it was helpful, thanks for the feedback! :)
Thanks for the tips.
Happy to help!
@@miklosmayerphoto just got my Canon M50 mii
Many thanks. Very helpful video. ☺
Oh wow!!
Simple and very easy to understand💕thank you so much❣️
You're welcome 😊
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.
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.
Thank youuuuuu! I was finally able to take photos of the stars... :-)
I know that feeling :) You're welcome!
Great video. Thanks
Thank you
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.
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.
Thank you for this! :)
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
That's a good trick and can work - but sometimes even with that it's hard to feel where that "half turn" is.
@@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
Nice bro🤩…Hope you can make a video about manual focus on Nikon coolpix p530
Thanks! I don't think I will, that's not a camera I'm interested in at all...
Great explanation and examples! Koszonom szepen!
Glad to hear that Juan! Üdv Magyarországról! :)
This is very useful. I could have concentrated better without the jangling music though!
Valuable lesson for a beginner like me. Great 👍 Thank you 🙏
Glad to hear that!
LOVE IT! Thanks so much !
You're welcome :)
Superb
Thank you very much sir
You're very welcome :)