[danielchtong]

There has been a thread on the supremacy of Pentax in AF.
Push comes to shoves I still rely on MF for super fast BIF shots.
I stress that I am very happy with the fast DA200mm too


There is practically zero chance that any AF camera (Canon Nikon Sony included) can manage these two shots (while panning). All done with A*300F:4. The back ground was at a GBH rookery in a wet land north of Toronto











There is chance that the best AF system can manage this though. Zero chance for the last 2 shots







Post your MF shots too if you have a chance




Daniel, Toronto

[niceshot]

Here is one from a Takumar 135 3.5

[danielchtong]

Here is one from a Takumar 135 3.5

I never attempted small BIF. It is beyond difficult if not impossible

[mikeSF]

Aw, I thought MF was medium format. Lol.

I do use manual focus most of the time, but the subjects aren't moving in the FOV like yours. Nice work.

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Last edited by mikeSF; 06-08-2017 at 09:11 PM.

[timw4mail]

I also favor manual focus. I figure if I can get a sharp shot of a romping kitten in poor light with a 1.4 lens, I am doing pretty well.

[mee]

Aw, I thought MF was medium format. Lol.
I do use manual focus most of the time, but the subjects aren't moving in the FOV like yours.

I thought it was a thread about Medium Format too, not Manual focus. hehe

[KiloHotelphoto]

Yes auto focus can struggle trying to shoot through branchs like that. I've on many occasions got some terrifically in focus leafs with some not so good bokeh of a bird.

[luftfluss]

Over the last three years or so nearly all of my wildlife & critter shots have been MF. I've got a few very nice long MF teles and just don't see the value in going for AF lenses.

Last year while working in the yard I turned around and saw Mr. Bear watching me. We had peacefully crossed paths numerous times over the spring and summer, so he knew I wasn't a threat. I had my K-5 II + A400/5.6 only a few steps away so took some snaps. It's hard to resist giving a cutie like him a cookie.

[photolady95]

I have some birds in flight shot MF but will have to hunt them down. I shoot MF any time I can. My cameras haven't been out of M mode in like forever. Switch set for AF.S because in this shot and most recent ones, I'm using CIF but still have to manual focus to get CIF to capture the birds, squirrels, flowers, and insects.

[Pioneer]

Over the last three years or so nearly all of my wildlife & critter shots have been MF. I've got a few very nice long MF teles and just don't see the value in going for AF lenses.

Last year while working in the yard I turned around and saw Mr. Bear watching me. We had peacefully crossed paths numerous times over the spring and summer, so he knew I wasn't a threat. I had my K-5 II + A400/5.6 only a few steps away so took some snaps. It's hard to resist giving a cutie like him a cookie.

Crossing paths when you know he is there is one thing. Suddenly aware that he has come up from behind is another thing altogether. This is more like stalking behavior and really is not very cute. I have worked around black bears for many, many years and they may seem cute, but they are known to stalk humans.

Obviously you will respond as you wish, but most bears have forgotten to watch the Disney films and are not aware of how we expect them to act. So they generally act as they normally would. Wild and somewhat unpredictable. Be careful. And please don't start feeding them.

[LensBeginner]

I found that CDAF is not so reliable with UWAs... I have a newly acquired Sigma 10-20/3.5 and the AF stops when it finds the contrast to be "acceptable", and that is usually at about hyperfocal distance, if not nearer.
As a result, objects at infinity are not as crisp as I'd like them to be.

When shooting distant subjects at f/8 or so, I know exactly where to prefocus (thank Sigma for the distance scale).
When shooting near subjects I just use LV magnification.
At any rate, almost always full-MF with this one... and the fact that it has a switch on the barrel is a nice bonus, as I can keep the camera on AF and get instant AF when switching to another lens.

[madhurvyas]

I mostly shoot manual with my K01 and focus peaking, I think manual always gives better results.

[danielchtong]

I thought it was a thread about Medium Format too, not Manual focus. hehe

Aw, I thought MF was medium format. Lol..

My apology for not giving the clarification

I found that CDAF is not so reliable with UWAs... I have a newly acquired Sigma 10-20/3.5 and the AF stops when it finds the contrast to be "acceptable", and that is usually at about hyperfocal distance, if not nearer.
As a result, objects at infinity are not as crisp as I'd like them to be..

Why do you need AF?
Manual Focus does help . For UWA shots with its gigantic depth of field, all you need for infinity shots is just set it to infinity. You can fire at will. If your subject is 10 ft away just set that to 5 -20 ft...everything will be in focus except 50 feet away This is call zone focusing (MF speak )
Try that. It is fun just to get rid of the need to focus (auto or otherwise)
I had at one time used a fish eye lens (16mm Zenitar) set to around 3 feet to take image of a woodpecker I was feeding on my left hand. I fired non stop on the right hand until the bird flew away in around 5 seconds.

[BrianR]

Aw, I thought MF was medium format. Lol.

I do use manual focus most of the time, but the subjects aren't moving in the FOV like yours. Nice work.

So you MF your MF? That would be hard core.

[danielchtong]

Yes auto focus can struggle trying to shoot through branchs like that. I've on many occasions got some terrifically in focus leafs with some not so good bokeh of a bird.

If you look at the exif of the first 2 images, you will see that these were taken in the same second.
I was panning, adjusting the manual focus the same time and firing the camera in burst. The heron was initially out in the open. By the time I got it in focus, it was behind the branches of the rookery.
I usually set my distance to around 70-100 feet ideal for heron and my lens. When I see them flying , I raise the camera and fire (of course OOF the first 1-2 second). I need to get them in my viewfinder and focus afterwards.
It is tricky and the keeper rate is low I have to say.