This tip was printed from the MalekTips Computer and Technology Help and Tips website at http://malektips.com.

Digital Photography - Why Use Manual Focus?

SUMMARY: Reasons why one should sometimes use manual focus even with advanced digital cameras.

You may wonder why you should ever bother using manual focus if your digital camera has auto focus. Isn't auto focus much easier to use and always provides the right focal distance for your photos?

Unfortunately, auto focus is not perfect. Difficult lighting situations, subjects that are very close or very far away, and conflicting focal points may result in your digital camera autofocusing incorrectly or unable to do so at all. You may need to compensate for this by using your manual focus ring.

Also, you may want to intentionally blur a photograph for artistic effect. In this case you will need to slightly defocus your photograph manually.