Autofocus is the better choice most of the time: it is faster than any hand on a focus ring, it can follow a moving subject, and modern cameras find faces and eyes on their own. Manual focus wins when autofocus cannot see what you want sharp, or keeps changing its mind: very close macro work, stars and other dim subjects, shooting through glass, fences or foliage, and any shot where you want the focus fixed at one distance for a sequence of frames.
Most photographers use both, often in the same shoot. This page explains how each method works, compares them side by side, and goes through the common shooting situations one by one so you know which to pick and how to set it up.
How autofocus works, in short
Autofocus moves the lens’s focusing elements with a motor until the camera measures that the chosen spot is sharp. Cameras measure focus in two main ways.
- Phase detection compares light arriving from opposite sides of the lens to work out both which way the focus is off and by how much, so the lens can drive straight to focus. It is fast and good at tracking movement.
- Contrast detection moves the focus back and forth and stops where edge contrast is highest. It is very accurate on still subjects but slower, and it can hunt.
Most current cameras combine the two (often called hybrid autofocus) and add subject detection that recognizes faces, eyes, animals and vehicles. How autofocus works covers the mechanics in more depth.
Two settings decide how autofocus behaves. The focus mode sets when it focuses: single-shot autofocus (often labeled AF-S or One Shot) focuses once and locks while you half-press the shutter, and continuous autofocus (AF-C or Servo) keeps refocusing as long as you hold the button, for moving subjects. The AF area mode sets where it focuses: a single point you place, a zone, or the whole frame with tracking. Choosing the point yourself is covered in how to choose focus points.
How manual focus works
With manual focus, you turn the focus ring on the lens until the subject looks sharp, and the camera leaves the focus wherever you put it. Set it with the AF/MF switch on the lens or the focus mode setting in the camera.
Judging sharpness by eye on a small screen is hard, so cameras with live view or an electronic viewfinder offer focus aids:
- Magnification (punch-in) enlarges part of the image 5 to 10 times or more, so you can see fine detail snap into focus. This is the most accurate aid.
- Focus peaking outlines the sharpest edges in a bright color. It is quick and works well for moving the focus around, but it is less precise than magnification, especially with wide lenses and small apertures.
- A focus distance scale, on the lens barrel or shown in the viewfinder, lets you set a known distance without looking at the subject at all.
Many lenses also allow full-time manual focus: autofocus does the work, and you can touch the focus ring to correct it without flipping a switch. Some cameras offer a related mode that autofocuses first and then hands control to the ring while you keep the shutter half-pressed.
Autofocus vs manual focus at a glance
| Autofocus | Manual focus | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Very fast, often a fraction of a second | Slow; depends on your skill and the lens |
| Moving subjects | Can track continuously | Very hard, except by prefocusing on a spot |
| Low light and low contrast | Can hunt or fail | Works as long as you can see or measure the distance |
| Very close subjects | Hunts at high magnification | Precise, especially by moving the camera |
| Busy foregrounds (fences, glass, branches) | Often grabs the wrong thing | Goes exactly where you put it |
| Repeatability across frames | Refocuses every shot unless locked | Stays fixed until you move the ring |
| Effort | Little; you choose the point and mode | High; needs focus aids and practice |
Which to use, situation by situation
Sports, wildlife and anything moving
Use autofocus in continuous mode with a zone or tracking area mode, and subject detection if the camera has it. Human focusing cannot keep up with a subject moving toward or away from the camera. The one manual exception is prefocusing: set the focus on a spot the action must pass, such as a jump or a finish line, and fire as the subject reaches it. Camera settings for sports and camera settings for wildlife cover the rest of the setup.
Portraits
Use autofocus with eye detection, or a single point placed on the nearer eye. At wide apertures the depth of field can be a few centimeters, and the eye is what viewers check first. Manual focus is useful for very shallow depth of field with a still, posed subject, using magnification on the eye, or with older manual-only lenses.
Macro and close-up
Manual focus usually wins. At high magnification, autofocus hunts, and the depth of field is so thin that a millimeter matters. A reliable method is to set the lens to the magnification you want and then focus by moving the whole camera slowly toward or away from the subject, or by using a focusing rail on a tripod. Use magnification in live view to confirm. See macro photography, and focus stacking for getting more of a small subject sharp.
Landscapes
Either works. On a tripod, many landscape photographers switch to manual after focusing, or focus manually with magnification, so that the focus stays put through a bracket, a panorama or a long exposure. To keep both foreground and background acceptably sharp, focus at the hyperfocal distance rather than on the horizon.
Night skies and astrophotography
Use manual focus. Autofocus has too little light and contrast to work with on stars. Do not simply turn the ring to the infinity mark or the hard stop, because many lenses focus past infinity. Instead, magnify a bright star in live view and turn the ring until it is the smallest, sharpest point you can get. Then leave the ring alone, and tape it if you are worried about knocking it. Infinity focus explains why the mark is not reliable.
Low light and events
Try autofocus first, using the center point or a single point on a contrasty edge, since autofocus is still faster than guessing in the dark. Many cameras have an AF-assist light, and some flashes have a focus-assist beam, that help in dim rooms. If autofocus still hunts, switch to manual and use magnification, or focus by distance.
Through glass, fences, foliage and crowds
Use manual focus, or a single small autofocus point placed exactly on the subject. Wide or automatic area modes tend to pick the nearest high-contrast object, which is the fence or the dirty window, not the animal behind it.
Street photography
Autofocus is fine for most street work, but zone focusing is a manual technique worth knowing: set the focus to a distance such as 3 meters, use an aperture that gives enough depth of field around it, and shoot anything within that zone without waiting for the camera to focus.
Video
Modern continuous autofocus with face tracking works well for vlogs and people moving about. Manual focus gives deliberate control over when and how quickly focus moves from one subject to another, a technique called focus pulling. Autofocus that racks focus by itself in the middle of a shot is the most common reason to switch. See camera settings for video.
Is autofocus missing even when it should work? How to fix common autofocus problems goes through the usual causes and fixes.
Get the best of both: back-button focus
Back-button focus moves autofocus from the shutter button to a button on the back of the camera. Press the back button to focus; let go and the focus stays where it is, so the shutter only takes the picture. It gives you autofocus speed with manual-style control: focus once on a still subject and recompose freely, or hold the button down to track something moving, without changing any setting.
Common mistakes
- Letting the camera choose the point. Automatic area modes focus on whatever is nearest or most contrasty. For still subjects, pick the point yourself.
- Using single-shot autofocus on a moving subject. It locks once, and the subject moves out of focus before the shutter fires. Use continuous autofocus.
- Focusing and recomposing at wide apertures, close up. Turning the camera after focusing changes the distance to the subject slightly, enough to miss the eye at a wide aperture. Move the focus point instead.
- Trusting the infinity mark. Many lenses focus past infinity. Check stars and distant detail with magnification.
- Judging manual focus on the unmagnified screen. A photo that looks sharp on a small screen can be soft at full size. Magnify to check.
- Forgetting the switch. After a manual focus shot, it is easy to leave the lens in MF and blur the next quick moment. Check the switch whenever you pick the camera up.
- Turning the ring in autofocus on a lens without full-time manual override. On some older lenses this fights the motor. Switch to MF first if your lens manual says to.
Try this: a 10 minute focus test
Put a small object on a table about a meter away, with a busy background behind it. Set your widest aperture.
- Take three frames with autofocus, using a single point placed on the object.
- Switch to manual focus. Take three frames focusing by eye on the normal screen or viewfinder.
- Take three more with magnification turned on, and three with focus peaking if your camera has it.
- View all twelve at 100 percent on a computer. Note which method was sharpest and which was most consistent.
- Repeat with the room lights dimmed, and see where autofocus starts to hunt.
You will learn exactly how reliable your own autofocus is, and how much magnification helps your manual focusing.
Questions about autofocus and manual focus
Is manual focus better than autofocus?
Not in general. Autofocus is faster and more accurate for most subjects, especially moving ones. Manual focus is better for macro, stars, scenes with obstacles in front of the subject, and shots where the focus must stay fixed.
Do professional photographers use manual focus?
Yes, but selectively. Sports, wildlife, event and wedding photographers rely mostly on autofocus. Macro, astrophotography, architecture, some landscape work and much video work use manual focus regularly.
Why does my autofocus keep hunting?
Hunting means the lens is moving back and forth without locking. The usual causes are low light, a subject with little contrast or texture, a subject closer than the lens’s minimum focus distance, or an area mode picking up the wrong thing. Aim a single point at a contrasty edge, add light, or switch to manual.
What does the AF/MF switch on a lens do?
It chooses between autofocus and manual focus. In AF the camera drives the focus; in MF the motor is disengaged, or ignored, and the focus ring alone sets the distance. Some cameras have the same choice in a menu or a switch on the body.
Is autofocus accurate enough for sharp photos?
Usually, yes, when you choose the point and mode. If a lens consistently focuses slightly in front of or behind the subject on a camera that focuses with a separate sensor while you look through an optical viewfinder, many such cameras offer an autofocus fine-tune setting. Cameras that focus on the sensor itself, as mirrorless cameras do, rarely need it.