AF (autofocus) and MF (manual focus) are two methods by which a camera can achieve sharpness on the desired subject. Autofocus uses built-in camera sensors and motors to find the correct focus quickly and with minimal user input. Manual focus, on the other hand, relies entirely on the photographer turning the focus ring on the lens to determine sharpness.
Students often ask whether it is “cheating” to use autofocus. The answer is no—it’s not cheating at all. Autofocus is what most photographers use most of the time. It’s reliable, fast, and incredibly accurate. There was a time when manual focus was the only option, but technology has moved forward and autofocus has become the standard for many types of photography.
Modern autofocus systems are capable of identifying subjects and locking focus on them with stunning precision. If you’re selecting your focus points within the frame, you can feel confident that your subject will be tack-sharp. This eliminates the need to stop and check every photo on your LCD screen after each shot. With a good autofocus system, nailing the focus becomes almost effortless.
However, even though autofocus is powerful, it is not infallible. There are certain shooting situations where autofocus might not be able to perform as expected, and that is where manual focus steps in. Rather than being an outdated technique, manual focus remains a valuable tool for photographers who demand precision in difficult conditions.
When Manual Focus Outperforms Autofocus
Manual focus becomes essential in scenarios where autofocus struggles. These include low-light environments, situations with fine details or busy backgrounds, or creative settings where you want to ensure control over a very specific point of sharpness. Understanding when and why to use manual focus can dramatically improve your photography.
To begin using manual focus, switch your lens from AF to MF. Then, while looking through your viewfinder, locate the focus ring on your lens and turn it slowly until the object you wish to focus on becomes as sharp as possible. Take your shot, then zoom in on your image to confirm that your subject is indeed the sharpest point.
If you’re shooting with a very shallow aperture, it can be difficult to see whether you’ve focused correctly. Don’t worry if it takes a few tries—this is normal. Over time, your skill in manual focusing will improve with practice and familiarity.
Using Manual Focus for Landscapes
Landscapes often benefit from manual focus, especially when you want to ensure maximum sharpness throughout the image, from the foreground to the background. In this case, you can manually set your lens to focus at infinity. This is the point where distant objects appear sharp, and it ensures that your depth of field extends as far as possible.
To do this, switch to MF and rotate the focus ring until the infinity symbol is selected. Then set your aperture to a narrow setting like f16 or f22, depending on your lens. Compose your frame and take the shot.
When your lens is focused at infinity, its hyperfocal distance becomes key. This refers to the nearest point in the scene that will appear acceptably sharp when the lens is focused at infinity. The range of acceptable sharpness depends on multiple factors such as aperture, focal length, and the physical framing of your scene.
This technique ensures maximum clarity from front to back in a landscape. It’s especially helpful when you want the scene to be immersive and richly detailed.
Shooting in Low Light: Sunsets and Sunrises
Sunsets and sunrises offer beautiful lighting conditions but can pose problems for autofocus systems. In low light, the camera may struggle to lock focus, especially when there’s little contrast in the scene.
Manual focus becomes a helpful alternative in these conditions. When you want everything in focus, switch to manual, set the focus to infinity, choose a narrow aperture, and frame your shot.
While autofocus might sometimes work in low light, relying on manual focus ensures that you’re not wasting time with focus hunting or missed opportunities. A beautiful golden-hour shot is all about timing, and using manual focus can make sure you capture the light at its best without technical hiccups.
When to Use Manual Focus Over Autofocus
Autofocus is a powerful ally in most photography situations, but it does have its limits. There are specific conditions in which it simply cannot perform as well as manual focus. Understanding these situations not only helps you get sharper images but also deepens your mastery of your camera and its capabilities. Here are some scenarios where manual focus becomes essential and outperforms autofocus.
Backlit Photography Challenges
Backlighting occurs when the main source of light is coming from behind the subject. This often happens during golden hour or in high-contrast settings where the background is significantly brighter than the subject. While visually stunning, backlighting creates challenges for autofocus systems. The strong light can cause glare or flare, making it hard for the camera to detect edges or areas of contrast.
In such a case, autofocus might constantly hunt for focus or fail to lock on the intended subject. This becomes frustrating and can lead to missed moments, especially if you're trying to capture movement or natural expressions.
Manual focus gives you the control to override your camera’s confusion. By adjusting the focus ring yourself, you can ensure that the subject is sharp, even if the lighting conditions are not ideal. This is especially important in portrait photography, where a slightly off focus can result in eyes or facial details that are not sharp enough.
Another trick photographers sometimes use is to briefly block the direct light entering the lens with their hand or another object, lock focus, and then remove the obstruction to take the shot. However, if the autofocus still fails, it’s best to switch to manual and focus with your eye.
Macro Photography and Precision Focusing
Macro photography is the art of capturing extreme close-up images of small subjects such as insects, flowers, water droplets, or even textures and surfaces. While it can reveal a world of beautiful detail, macro photography is notoriously challenging for autofocus systems.
When shooting close up, the depth of field becomes extremely shallow—sometimes just a few millimeters. This makes the smallest focus shift noticeable and often unacceptable. Autofocus might lock onto the wrong part of the subject, such as the edge of a petal instead of the inner stamen, or the wing of an insect instead of its eye.
Using manual focus allows you to fine-tune and choose exactly where the sharpest point should be. This degree of control is crucial when the difference between an award-winning image and a throwaway lies in microscopic focus differences.
Another advantage of manual focus in macro is the ability to "focus stack" your images. This involves taking several shots at different focus points and blending them in post-processing for greater overall sharpness. This method requires a steady hand and a tripod, but it provides detail that would be impossible with a single autofocus shot.
Fine Detail and Textures
There are moments in photography when your subject is full of delicate patterns, fine lines, or repetitive textures—like grass, feathers, lace, or hair. These intricate details often confuse autofocus because the camera doesn’t know which part to lock onto. In busy or detailed compositions, autofocus might shift back and forth between competing areas.
This can result in frustration and missed shots as your camera hesitates or selects a less desirable focal point. In these cases, switching to manual focus gives you the ability to commit to a precise point. You can train your eye to spot the sharpest area through the viewfinder or by zooming in on live view.
Manual focus also becomes useful in creative projects where selective focus is part of your storytelling. When you want just one sliver of a field of flowers in perfect focus or a single thread in a woven textile to pop while the rest fades into blur, manual focus lets you make that choice intentionally. This elevates your image from a random snapshot to a crafted photograph.
Shooting Through Obstacles
Another common situation where manual focus is essential is when you are shooting through glass, fences, branches, or other semi-transparent obstacles. Autofocus can get confused by reflections or objects that are closer to the lens, even if you intend to focus past them.
Let’s say you are photographing an animal at the zoo through a fence. Autofocus may continually focus on the fence rather than the animal. Switching to manual focus allows you to override the autofocus system and lock in on your subject.
This is equally true for creative photography done through glass windows, jars, or translucent materials. The reflections or distortions from these objects might trick your autofocus system into hunting or locking focus at the wrong depth.
By using manual focus, you can ensure that your camera is seeing beyond the distraction and placing clarity exactly where you want it.
Mastering Manual Focus for Creative Control
Manual focus might seem intimidating at first, but with consistent practice, it becomes second nature. And once you gain comfort with it, you’ll start to experience a deeper level of control and artistic freedom. There’s a satisfaction in knowing that you—not your camera—are making all the focus decisions. This opens up a world of creative possibilities.
Using Focus Peaking for Accuracy
Some modern cameras offer a feature called focus peaking. This visual aid highlights the edges of objects that are in focus with a colored overlay, usually in red, yellow, or white. When manual focusing, this feature can be invaluable.
Focus peaking allows you to quickly see which part of your image is sharp without guessing. It can be especially helpful when shooting video or using live view on your LCD. This reduces the need to magnify and zoom in repeatedly to confirm sharpness.
If your camera supports this function, it’s worth experimenting with it to develop a feel for your focusing accuracy. Over time, your eye will begin to notice sharpness even without this assistance, but it’s a helpful training tool in the beginning.
Manual Focus in Portrait Photography
Portrait photography demands precision. The difference between a compelling image and a blurry one often comes down to whether the eyes are in perfect focus. While autofocus is typically reliable in portraits, there are times when manual focus gives better results.
This can happen in low light, when your subject is moving subtly, or when you’re using a lens with a very wide aperture. Wide apertures such as f1.4 or f1.8 create a razor-thin depth of field, and autofocus may not always lock on the correct area, especially if the subject is slightly turned.
Manual focus gives you the ability to ensure that the focus is placed exactly on the eye, or another specific feature that you want to emphasize. It also allows you to recompose without risking the camera refocusing on a new point.
Using manual focus for portraits may slow you down slightly, but the payoff is often a more deliberate and refined image.
Night Photography and Astrophotography
Night scenes and astrophotography present major challenges for autofocus systems. In low light, the camera often fails to detect contrast, which it needs to lock focus. You may find yourself waiting while the camera tries—and fails—to find a focal point.
This is especially frustrating in night street photography, long exposure shots, or when photographing stars or the moon. Manual focus allows you to skip the trial-and-error process and get right to composing your image.
For astrophotography, the general rule is to set the lens to manual focus and rotate the focus ring until the stars appear sharp in your viewfinder. This often means focusing at or near the infinity mark on your lens. However, it’s important to double-check sharpness by zooming in using your LCD. What looks sharp in a small preview might be slightly out of focus once viewed at full size.
Manual focusing in the dark can feel difficult at first, but as with anything in photography, experience builds confidence. Once you’ve learned to find your focus in the dark, it becomes a fluid and dependable part of your process.
Video and Filmmaking Applications
Manual focus is the standard in filmmaking for a reason. Unlike still photography, where focus can change from frame to frame, video requires consistent focus throughout the motion. Autofocus during video recording can result in distracting focus hunts or shifts that ruin the flow of a scene.
Filmmakers often use follow focus systems and manual focus to control depth of field and pull focus between subjects within a frame. This intentional movement of focus, known as a focus pull, allows for creative storytelling by shifting attention from one subject to another.
Even in casual video shooting, manual focus ensures smoother, more cinematic results. If you are exploring video content, practicing manual focus will add polish and professionalism to your footage.
Learning to Trust Your Eye
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of learning manual focus is that it forces you to trust your eye. In a world where technology often makes decisions for us, manual focus returns control to the artist. You begin to observe your subject more carefully. You become aware of how your lens behaves at different apertures. You recognize how light and focus interact, and you learn to predict the visual outcome.
This heightened awareness translates into stronger overall photography skills. Even if you return to using autofocus for convenience, you now know to override it when needed.
Manual focus doesn’t just help you take sharper pictures—it trains you to see more clearly.
Integrating AF and MF Into Your Workflow
Now that we’ve explored the strengths and ideal uses for both autofocus and manual focus, it’s important to understand that you don’t have to choose between them permanently. Some of the most skilled photographers switch between AF and MF fluidly depending on what the situation demands. Integrating both into your workflow can give you the best of both worlds: speed, efficiency, precision, and control.
Knowing When to Switch
The first step in building a strong focus technique is recognizing the signs that it's time to switch from one mode to the other. If you’re using autofocus and notice your camera struggling to lock focus—either hunting, missing the subject, or repeatedly focusing on the wrong area—that’s your cue to switch to manual.
This happens often in backlit scenes, low-light environments, or when working with highly detailed textures. Instead of waiting or wasting time with failed autofocus attempts, switching to manual puts the decision back in your hands.
On the other hand, when the lighting is consistent, the subject is well-defined, and you need speed—such as during events, wildlife photography, or fast-paced portraits—autofocus saves time and ensures you don’t miss the moment.
It’s not about being loyal to one mode over the other. It’s about using the best tool for the job, and becoming adaptable as a photographer.
Combining Manual and Autofocus on the Same Lens
Many modern lenses allow you to override autofocus even while it’s engaged. This is sometimes called full-time manual focus. In this system, you can use autofocus to get close to your intended focus point, then fine-tune the focus manually using the focus ring.
This hybrid method is especially useful when using wide apertures or when critical sharpness is required. Instead of starting from scratch, autofocus gets you close, and manual adjustments bring you to perfection. It’s also a helpful method when working with portraits or shallow depth of field scenes.
To use this feature, make sure your camera body and lens both support it. Consult your camera settings and lens manual to see if full-time manual focus is available and how to activate it.
Using Live View and Zoom for Manual Focus
One of the best tools for improving manual focus precision is live view with zoom. When using your camera’s LCD screen, most systems allow you to zoom into the frame digitally—often up to 10x or more. This feature makes it easy to verify that your intended subject is tack-sharp before taking the shot.
This is particularly helpful for still life, product photography, landscapes, or any scenario where you have time to refine focus. It also removes some of the guesswork when working with narrow apertures or subtle shifts in depth of field.
Practice using live view to examine the fine edges and textures of your subject. You’ll begin to notice how slight movements of the focus ring affect different planes within the image. Over time, this teaches you greater sensitivity to how focus works across distances.
Manual Focus and Creative Techniques
Manual focus opens the door to creative experimentation. Techniques such as selective focus, soft focus, freelensing, and tilt-shift photography rely on the photographer’s ability to intentionally control what appears sharp and what falls into blur.
In selective focus, you deliberately place sharpness on a small part of the frame—such as a single petal, eye, or hand—while allowing the rest to fall away. This adds visual interest and emotional depth to the image.
Soft focus, often used in dreamy portraiture or artistic styles, embraces a gentle blur that would be difficult to achieve with autofocus. Freelensing, which involves detaching the lens slightly from the camera body to manipulate the plane of focus, is nearly impossible without manual control.
All of these approaches require careful focusing by hand. They reward patience and an eye for detail, helping you explore photography not just as a technical pursuit, but as an expressive art form.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Mastering manual focus isn’t about reading instructions—it’s about using it regularly. Practice focusing on different objects, in different lighting conditions, and with different lenses. Challenge yourself to shoot a series entirely in manual focus, even if autofocus is available. It will help you slow down and pay closer attention to composition, light, and depth.
You can also train your eye by comparing autofocus shots and manual focus shots side by side. Zoom in to notice subtle differences in sharpness and how depth of field behaves across different focusing techniques.
Over time, you’ll develop intuition. You’ll recognize when your camera’s autofocus is struggling and know how to switch to manual without missing a beat. And most importantly, you’ll feel in full control of your image-making.
Conclusion
The debate between autofocus and manual focus isn’t about which is better—it’s about understanding when each one excels. Autofocus offers incredible speed, efficiency, and modern convenience. It allows photographers to capture fleeting moments with sharp precision. It’s a valuable tool and the default choice for many professionals across genres.
However, manual focus remains irreplaceable in certain situations. It offers a level of control and precision that no autofocus system can fully replicate. Whether you're shooting in low light, working with fine details, or creating artistic effects, manual focus puts creative control back in your hands.
The most skilled photographers use both techniques fluently. They understand their camera's strengths and weaknesses and adapt accordingly. They don’t hesitate to switch modes when needed. And most importantly, they develop confidence in their vision.
Learning to use both AF and MF effectively makes you a more versatile, capable, and intentional photographer. It’s not about relying on one method or the other—it’s about building a relationship with your gear so that you can trust it in any situation. Your focus method becomes just another brush in your creative toolkit.
So the next time you find yourself frustrated with autofocus or uncertain about manual focus, remember: both are powerful. Both are valid. And both have a place in your journey as a photographer.
The more you practice, the more instinctive your choices will become. Over time, you’ll no longer wonder which focus mode to use—you’ll simply know.