If you are a beginner of photography, it is essential to learn and understand several aspects that will help you succeed as you navigate the field. One of the most challenging parts of a photographer's journey is deciding between the use of a manual or auto focus in your shots.

When it comes to camera lenses, there are tons on the market to meet your needs, but choosing between automatic and manual is important. If you are familiar with Rokinon, the company is widely acknowledged for their manual focus-and-aperture-only lenses. Today, they are starting to provide users with modern-featured lenses featuring auto focus and electronic apertures.

You can choose from a decent lineup of lenses at Photo Savings, but you must remember that each has its disadvantages and advantages to consider. Read on to find out when and where to use manual and auto focus lenses for the highest possible quality shots during your photography journey.

Automatic Focus

Using sensors in measuring the focus of the scene, automatic focus is a mode that determines the sharpest focus for the framed shot. All you need to do is to point and shoot with this mode on for an efficient and convenient way to best capture the list below.

1. Animal Photography

For those who love to capture animals, whether it be in the sky or on the ground, auto focus is arguably the best choice, especially when you want to take shots of lovely birds in flight.

2. Action/Fast-Moving Subjects

For circumstances where your subject is moving at a face pace, such as an athlete playing a sport or a car racing by, it may be far more beneficial to use an autofocus lens. By simply choosing a continuous autofocus mode, the camera will be able to adjust the focus of the lens as your subject moves closer or even further away from the camera.

3. Still Photography

With speed and accuracy, which isn't as feasible with manual mode, autofocus works well in still photography or non-moving photography, such as movie or TV stills.

Manual Focus

Unlike autofocus, where all you have to do is click down on the shutter button, manual focus puts the control in your hands to get your photos how you want them to look. Manual focus lenses deliver amazing results when used in during these times:

1. Macro Work

You can get extremely close to even the tiniest subjects with macro photography and the help of a manual focus lenses. Controlling the lens yourself allows you to focus on the part of the frame that you want to look sharper or remain out of focus.

2. Low Light

Shooting in a dark location is never a problem if you use a manual focus lens. By just using your camera’s screen or viewfinder, you will be able to enhance the image properly with your desired sharpness. When using autofocus in dimly lit environments, your camera lens will keep searching for something to keep its focus on, which typically ends up unsuccessful.

3. Shooting Through Glass or Wire

If you like to shoot through objects such as glass or wires, using Rokinon manual focus lenses helps you to completely avoid falsely focusing too closely on other things like smudges, reflections or wiring instead of your subject.

4. Lack of Contrast

Have you noticed your camera struggles to focus on your subject even when the lighting is bright? Switch to manual focus to gain more control over what should be the right point of focus for the shot you want.

5. Landscapes

Photographing landscapes with a deep depth of field can be a challenge, especially if you are a rookie in the field. Get everything in the scene brilliantly sharp by finding and establishing the hyperfocal distance and set the mode to manual focus. Make sure it is in the proper distance to appreciate more the exact depth of field that you desire for your image to have.

6. Portraits

Taking your selfie or somebody else’s portrait requires your focus to be precise. By using manual focus, you get complete control over the shot that saves time and effort from having to arrange your focus points on the subject's eyes, move around, and frame your shot every time.

Manual vs. Automatic - It’s Your Choice

Photography is always about making the right choices. When choosing between automatic focus and manual focus, remember that autofocus has been proven to be more efficient and convenient in many circumstances, and still provides high-quality images. When we speak about precision and reliability, there is no doubt that manual focus shines brighter. Contemplate your next photo shoot session, and choose your lens based on the subject and environment. If you need more help with a lens selection, you can always contact us!