Another wonderful video Doriyan. Thanks for putting it out.

Great points Doriyan, about Fujifilm (still love my X-T1) and manual focusing!

Great video, as always my guy. We might have been on a similar journey this past year or two you know… 18months ago, when I started taking my product photography more seriously I slowly realised manual focus, even with the Fujinon glass, was quicker and got me better results - funny that will all the technology in our hands, manual focus with focus check and red peaking got me the best results. End of last year I picked up the same Voigtlander 23mm f1.2 to use for just fun personal photos… and actually it’s changed my whole perspective. Autofocus is no longer a crutch, it’s very useful for certain things; but, there is another way… a more involved, more conscious way that allows us to make photos not just take photos. It’s cool following your journey. Have a great weekend 👍

I *just* got my first manual focus lens (for digital anyway) and this video was a big part of what convinced me to give it a shot. I thought it would be incredibly hard, but it ended up being way easier than I thought, especially once I set up my camera to be in black and white but have red peaking. In some ways it was easier than using autofocus lenes, because instead of trying to finagle the AF system to focus where I wanted I just… focused where I wanted! And I didn't need to focus and recompose, I didn't need to move the focus point, I didn't need to pray to the face tracking gods that it would be reliable… I just focused where I wanted. Sure, I did get a lot more out of focus than I usually do, but I got plenty of shots enough in focus that things worked. Interestingly it also made me respect aperture more, and I got more concious of narrowing it down more often to get more in focus (esp. for groups of people), which I should be doing anyway! So thanks for helping me along on this journey with this (and other) videos! I think I'm kinda hooked now.

Loved this video so much! For me, manual focus has been an unexpected part of the journey. When I first bought my x-t30, I wasn't sure if I would like zooms or primes, and wasn't sure if I could manage manual focus, so I got the kit zoom 18-55 and a manual focus 35mm. What I found as I started learning my way around the camera was that thinking about exposure took up too much of my brain, and so did having focal length choices with a zoom. Paring down to AF primes was pure heaven. I shot aperture priority so there again, fewer decisions. But I found that as I got better, I wanted the control that came from full manual exposure ... and now, just like you said - I want the control of manual focus. It occurred to me that for the past year or so, my frustrations and growth have all been centered around "learning to get my autofocus to do what I want it to do." Wait, what? And THAT'S going to be my journey? Flick that switch and go into manual, and just immediately go get what you want! You still might need autofocus for sports or something, but I think understanding a room, distance, depth of field - wow, that seems like you are really in command of your vision for a photograph.

Keep up the great work Doriyan! Reminds me why I love to shoot manual.

Nothing beats the feeling of nailing a shot with manual focus. Especially with digital cameras these days, it's refreshing to add at least one limitation back into the mix to mimic even a portion of that film photography experience. Great video as always Doriyan, always the most insightful and inspiring

Great vid, once the Voit 27m comes out I'll deffo be trying manual focus for fun.

You are 100% right about when signing a contract with manual focus. If you miss, it’s on you for missing and can show where you can improve. When you hit and “ come up strong” it is quite the greatest feeling in the world ! Great video Dorian! It is always a blast to watch your content and observe your art

Cameras nowadays are definitely doing more of your work. While it does alleviate the workload, it takes away the creative satisfaction of completing an image yourself. Hence why I still lean on my 5D Mark III and dslrs. The mark III can't focus dark objects even with a blickey to my head. You definitely do become more aware of your surroundings when shooting manual for sure.

DLD4L!! Doriyan, Lee and Dee 4 life! I'd love to go on a street walk with you the next time im in town this summer!

I grew up with manual focus, now I'm growing old with auto focus and occasional zone focus. Love your enthusiasm and emotion. Thanks.

Shot grad photos this year completely manual with a Voigtlander lens on Fuji and medium format film and I 100% agree with everything you said. I felt like the cameras were truly an extension of my mind, rather than just a tool.

I started doing photography when auto-focus wasn't really a thing yet so I'm very comfortable with manual focusing. But I must say I like both equally. In some situations AF feels more useful, in others it's easier to just focus manually. What I do is set up my cameras so that I can easily switch between the two without much faff. Best of both worlds! Another nice thing with manual focus is that it reminds you that you need to vary your aperture depending on what you're shooting and not get into the bad habit of always shooting wide open hehe.

I take a mental snapshot of the scene and then close my eyes and manually focus. The only peeking I use is when I open my eyes for a split-second to check whether I’m turning my focus ring in the right direction. Then it’s back to closed-eye memory focus. Sure, my keeper rate is just over 4 percent, but there’s nothing better than being in tune with the universe and with the camera at the same time. But when money changes hands, I have to use the quickest and most efficient focusing system available to me so that I can divide my extremely limited mental capacity amongst the other contemporaneous aspects of making the image like lighting, posing, timing, angle, background management, encouraging the subject, discouraging the distractions, the exposure triangle with respect to the storytelling aspect of that image, and managing our time so that the client can get on with their day and I can fully prepare for my next appointment. I’m bound by contract to do so, but as the person who drafts those contracts, I suppose I brought this all on myself.

The nice thing about shooting manual is that it forces me to s l o w d o w n and take the time to really pay attention with whatever I am shooting, rather than taking the spray and pray approach of AF. I always get better results that way. Fewer shots. Move keepers.

nice video and insights, I do get the prideness factor when I make an image by myself in MF with manual exposure etc... I found that I enjoy MF mostly with a focus tab and a short focus throw (you know the 3 brand names...) where I can focus by feel even before putting the camera to my eyes (need at least 5.6 for it to work), do I miss sometimes ? yes but I am a hobbyist, so NO money or client on the line... Generally speaking I think more automatism on a camera = more chance to have a standardized image which I dont want. I think AI in photography could make people want to go back to more manual cameras that make mistakes, human mistakes, just a thought ... 😁 cheers from Montreal

This is the take we needed! 😎

Great Video Bro!

Hi Doriyan, Being a frugal kind of guy, I have acquired a few ... ok a lot of manual lenses :) Recently found a Nikon d700 and the only Nikon lens I had for it was an old manual 50mm E series. It's been a blast using it. Being an old man, I don't mind the slower pace and I don't feel like the camera is doing all the work for me. pete

LETS GOOOOOOOO 😮‍💨😤

Great video!

2014-2018 I was shooting on manual focus on all shoots. Af isn’t what made us better photographers, it just make us lazier

Sold any digital dslr stuff a decade ago. Since then, I use only a film camera, without a light meter and just manual focus. In todays digital and fast world, that slow manual film photography helps (talking about the hobby here). Professional photographers surely have to be fast and autofocus helps, however I need to slow down after the normal daily madness at work and have some fun. Thankfully we can still shoot film with manual focus cameras. Wishing we had more offers from Epson, Voigtländer, Canon, Nikon and Fuji though, cause Leica prices are crazy.

Word!

Exactly my experience as well. I used to think mf only cameras and lenses would be a nightmare experience, but as soon I learned and tried them on the school I realized the older the technology the better regarding, not only but mainly, focusing. The problem is technology is beeing made to make people lazier instead of learning the craft, evolving in that direction and not caring about those who want the best tool for the job. Nothing wrong making equipement like that to give artistic expression for anyone regardless of technical skill but then again, when im shooting digital i often feel like a digital canon a1 with a real scale on the lens was better than my r5.

Very good video. I agree with you totally. What do you suggest for those who don't have any focus peaking or assist on old cameras like Fujifilm x-pro1 ?

Would love to hear about lenses that you find enjoyable to use with manual focus.

Love love love manual focus/zone focus.

I'm right there with you. Even my Leica SL with manual lenses give me a higher level of satisfaction..

It'sDee! I love shooting manual.

Hey Dorian, do use focus peaking ? or other assist mode ? and if peaking High or low ? and I finally bought the lens after a 6 month of reviewing and second guessing

Autofocus IS overrated! I like to pick exactly what my camera focuses on. 😉 My favorite kit right now is my Olympus Pen-F with either the 25mm or 50mm TTArtisan f/2 manual focus, near-pancake lenses. Focus on exactly which part of the scene needs to be sharp, let the rest go to blur. If you want to point and shoot, set it at f/8 and 3m.

You from San Antonio?

Fujifilm and (reliable) autofocus does not work together

Why do we still bother, AI is already today so advanced that in a couple of years maybe even months or less you don't have to go out and deal with cameras in order to create (or let create) art and incredible creative and sharp photos

4th 😂

I've only clicked on this video to tell you that I've asked KZfaq not to recommend your channel for making a video with this title.