Going into full manual mode is pretty daunting, but it's a really handy skill to have. It gives you complete control of your photo right from the get-go. I'm sure those of you using your camera on auto have had those frustrating moments where the autofocus has spazzed out and you've missed a photo opportunity, or you just haven't quite been able to get the effect you want on a particular shot with the auto settings that you had. But where to start on going manual? Hopefully these tips will be useful in getting you on the way to using your dSLR camera in full manual mode. This is all just based on my own experiences and I'm not a pro photographer in the slightest, so there may be other methods that work too.
Let's start off with manual focusing, because that's a skill that can apply to manual or automatic exposure shooting. Keep your camera's exposure settings in automatic mode while you're doing this - we'll worry about manual exposure later!
1) Activate manual focusing on your camera. There's usually an actual physical switch somewhere on your camera. On my Pentax it's on the actual camera body, but on Canon and Nikon cameras this may be elsewhere - consult your manual, or poke around your camera to find it.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MOVE THE FOCUSING RING ON YOUR LENS UNTIL YOU'VE ACTIVATED MANUAL FOCUS! This is because there'll be a wee ratchet-type thing that's engaged which'll make it hard for you to rotate the ring, and you may damage the ratchet by trying to force it. That little ratchet thing needs to be disengaged before you can manual focus, and that's what the switch is for.
2) Set a whole bunch of objects on a table at different distances. Alternatively go outside and find a landscape with some good dividing landmarks between background and foreground e.g. buildings etc (but be prepared for a long sit/stand!) If you're at the table, siit a reasonable distance from it, maybe a metre or so.
3) Pick the object that's closest to you, and sight it in your camera lens. You might not be able to see a thing initially because it's out of focus. Rotate the focusing ring - clockwise to focus in, anticlockwise to focus out. You should be doing it clockwise as your object's close. The object should start to sharpen up.
4) Now this is the bit that's hard, and takes lots of practice. You want your object of regard to be in sharp focus - really sharp, razor sharp. Any defining lines on your object need to be nice and crisp. If you're landscaping, whatever flower or weed you're focusing on wants to have defined stems and crisp colour. Here's some tips to help:
a) Use a detailed target. Print is so good for this - good contrast and really easy to tell when the lines are sharp. Print some things out on little cards and fold them so they stand up. Flowers and other pretty delicate things are good as well. Lace doilies and the like.
b) Make sure your lighting's decent. Hard to tell if something's in focus if you can't see it very well. Worry about those in-low-light shots later once you've gotten the knack of it.
c) Zoom. If you've got a zoom ring on your camera (ie you're not using a prime lens), zoom right in on your object and that'll help you see everything better, and you can check your focus and finetune. Once you're happy, zoom back out again. Zooming and focus are separate from each other, so zooming back out doesn't defocus your object (well, it doesn't for me, anyway).
d) Calibrate the dioptre correction on your viewfinder. That's the little slider at the top. To do this stick your camera on autofocus, focus the object and then move the slider to the left and right to make the image in the viewfinder the sharpest it can be. Even those of us without glasses can have latent refractive error, and the slider helps you get the best focus on your viewfinder image. You can't get your object in proper focus if you can't focus on it properly yourself! I'm short-sighted, and I have mine ramped right up to the right on the max myopic correction.
e) Rock. Think you've got your focus? Go a little more. You'll know you've got it if the image then starts to defocus slightly, which means your lens' focal point is now in front of the object instead of on it. In which case go back! Think you've got your focus? Go back a little more... get the idea? Rocking between the just-too-far and just-too-near focal points will help you find that sweet spot, where it's sharp, a lot more easily. Don't be afraid to speed it up a little as well. The eye is much better at telling things are in focus for a brief period - if you spend ages adjusting infinitesimally your eyes do become a bit accustomed to the slight blur/defocus and it seems normal. A sharp change is much easier to tell, and it'll help you get faster at finding that sweet spot in general.
5) Think you've got it? Take your shot then.
NB If you can't get one of the near objects in focus even at max focus-in, try the one behind it - chances are it's just that little bit too close for the focal range of your lens!
6) Now this is the final and really important bit. This bit stops you from going "Oh bummmm" when you get the pics off the memory card and find that they've all gone to phooey and are blurred and horrible. Get your piccy up on your LCD screen, and zooooooooom! Seriously, things look so lovely and sharp on your back screen (unless they're really really badly focused), until you zoom in. Zooming will get you to the actual size your piccy would be on the computer screen, and will reveal any subtle defocus.
7) My picture's blurred, oh noes!
What to do:
Make sure you're not on long exposure or anything like that. It could be camera shake rather than actual blur. If not on long exposure, go back and try again - it does take practice!!
My picture's awesome, hurrah!
What to do:
Now go back to your little line of objects, and pick the next one back to focus on. Wash, rinse, repeat, until you're right at the back at the last object.
8) Managed that and got some good shots? Now practice doing a full through focus, starting at the back most one, take a picture, focus through to the next nearest, take a picture, all in one go, right up to the front-most object.
9) Got that? Thoroughly fed up with this whole thing by now? Well, guess you can take your camera out (still on manual mode) and practice some more. You'll be taking lots of blurry pictures initially and you'll be really slow at finding your focal point, so don't be afraid to switch back to AF for that all important 365 piccy for the day, but once you've learnt the sweet spot that you're looking for, where everything's sharp and crisp, it is just a case of taking loads of pics till you've gotten the hang of it!
Hope that's handy! Next instalment: Manual exposure...
Oh thank you! I've been using the manual setting for awhile but not manual focus until very recently. I'm just now starting to play around with manual focus, so this post came at exactly the perfect time for me. Thank so much for sharing these tips!
I had never heard of calibrating dioptre correction on the viewfinder, so thanks for that tip also! I'll have to see if I can do that on my camera. Hopefully it's a standard thing on dSLRs. I have a Canon.
I have just gone to manual...and wow!!!!! Why did I stay on auto???? I joined clickin' moms and the tutorials and support is great. Yes, you pay for it...but then you don't feel like a pest asking for advice. If you are serious about photography...join today. (no I am not getting commission...rats!!!)
i will definitely follow your advice. can't wait for the next installment...i'm an amateur, but i am finally getting off my butt and learning about my camera, so thank you!
I've been enjoying manual focus for almost 2 years now, and although I never read a tutorial I basically followed your write up as well. I found the 'rocking' quickly works best in combination with the zoom in. Great write up for those thinking about going manual though, kudos!
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but seriously, it is the only way i will take a "macro" shot. i like to feel in control and auto just won't do it for me.
thanks for the tutorial, i hope this helps others! :o)
haha and Michele Blue - "manual virginity" :)