[Brightcolours]

Nowadays it seems every camera company except the stubborn leica is focusing on AF systems and trying to improve AF abilities with every effort. They want AF can do everything. But, I doubt, is AF really that important for every kind of photography?

 

Yes, I understand that for some kind of photography AF is very important, e.g. for sports photography and bird photography.

 

But, for many other kinds of photography (I would call them regular photography), I feel that AF is not very important, maybe not needed at all. For example, for candid photography

AF will avoid many missed images with candids. MF often just is too slow here.

, I definitely think MF is more convenient than AF---of course with a good MF lens with a good MF ring, a precise distance scale, and precise DoF marks. Since in candid photography basically you use zone focus technique. With an AF lens you can also do zone focus, but it is far not convenient as with a good MF lens.

No idea what use a distance scale is. At short distances I am not accurate enough to judge if something is 25 or 40 cm away from the film plane. Same with 3,  or 5 meters? Only thing I can "judge" accurately is infinity. AF is way more precise.

For landscape photography, you can use AF but AF is not necessary. With a good MF lens with a gprecise distance scale and precise DoF marks you can do a lot better.

DOF markings are nonsense, in my opinion. Just an inheritance of the past, where small prints and low res. film and MF without helping view finders were the norm. Now, just focus on the subject or infinity and do the "Merklinger" method.

For portrait photography, AF is not enough at least. You need MF to do critical focus.

Of course AF is good enough ^_^ . Unless your camera needs calibration.

With an emphasis on AF performance, I am sad to see that many or most modern lenses have no or very crude distance scales, no or very crude DoF marks, with only very rare exceptions like Leica and Zeiss. And many or most modern DSLRs have their view finders/focus screens optimized for AF but not good for MF, though on some mirrorless cameras focus peaking and image splitting exist in their EVFs.

In the film days I NEVER used DOF markings, nor distance scale. I used the view finder and the split prism focus screen (OVF). If I had a Leica, I would use the range finder (and again not the distance scale). With my 6D, I use the OVF with precision focus screen. Still no need for distance scale. Only time I use it is to set my Voigtlander 20mm to almost infinity.

I don't know why there is no company (except the luxury leica, again) dare to make a camera designed purely for MF lenses...if they do for some high level cameras I think they would sell them well at least not as bad as they may think.

Leica uses a range finder. One can't rely on guessing distance to a subject, and measuring distance is even less an option.

Of course, design and production of a new line of MF lenses may be an issue...but I think it deserves.

 

With AF being so popular nowadays I think people and companies may have forgotten and ignored MF...and have forgotten that MF is at least as useful as AF and in some situations better than AF.

I can use MF just fine on my 6D. The AF on the body does not hinder MF usage. Just like the continuous shooting option does not hinder my one shot usage, for instance. If I can't get by with my Eg-S super precision focus screen for MF, I can always order different kinds of split prism focus screens, to see which has my fancy.

And I can use AF in its different modes too, when the situation calls for it.

 

I don't understand the call for an MF only camera... I don't dislike my DLSR because it has video either, even though I don't use that...

 

PS: my MF lenses include a 140mm f1.8 Old Delft, 20mm f3.5 Voigtlander, 50mm f2 Nikkor, 55mm f1.2 Canon, 55mm f3.5 Nikkor, 55mm f1.2 Nikkor, 85mm f1.8 Nikkor, 135mm f3.5 Nikkor, 135mm f2.8 Nikkor, 500mm f8 Tamron.

 

PPS: I have one use for the distance scale. I have a no viewfinder 6x9 MF (medium format) film camera. To judge distance, I focus with my DLSR with MF (manual focus) lens and read from the  lens barrel the distance to the subject. Then I can set the same distance on the 6x9 camera and make a focussed image.