5 Reasons Why Turning Off your Autofocus is the Right Thing to Do

When I began using a camera autofocus was something that seemed beyond science fiction. In the sense, it would never work in real life. Besides anything and everything else, how would it know what you really wanted to focus on?

Now in this day age and age fiction has come fact and quite well that every camera has AF as standard. It just works and works extremely well. If you’re living with a perception that it will always work in a perfect way, you are mistaken. This is because it can pick up the unwanted thing which may not work in its favor. It may even fail to find what it should actually be focusing on, which can cause the lens to hunt back and forth. At times it won’t even let you throw the shutter.

Let’s examine five situations that will let you know when turning off your autofocus is really worth: 

1. When there is not sufficient light

Contrast is low when there is low light, and AF extensively counts on light as well as contrast to hook onto things. Your camera may have an AF assist lamp built in. Even if you leave it switched on, it will not work in certain situations.

2. When there is not sufficient contrast

In case your AF metering spot is on something like a plain colored wall it will become tough for the camera to focus, even if the light is bright. You can go on re-framing your shot in a temporary way so the spot falls on something with detail. 

Just have the shutter pressed half down for the AF activation followed by keeping the shutter button half-pressed to lock the focus. Time to go back to your actual composition.

3. Shooting wildlife

No doubt most wild animals have a great hearing power. No matter how excellent your autofocus is, it is bound to make a noise. So, you must switch the autofocus off to capture those amazing wildlife shots.

4. Landscapes

When it comes to shooting landscapes you generally want those things in focus from the beginning to distant mountains. This indicates that closing the aperture down to enhance the depth field and focusing a third way into the scene. Have the AF switched off. Leaving it on will refocus when the shutter is pressed.

5. Shooting through glass

Many people prefer taking a photograph through glass which does not seem to be a good idea. It’s best to avoid as much as you can. But at times it is inevitable, for instance, if you’re in a plane, or taking a photo of fish in an aquarium. AF may leave marks on the glass, so it’s better to switch it off.