For weddings, I mostly shoot manual focus. Once in a while, I'll shoot AF (of course then I have to use my 35mm MZ-S), but mostly it is MF on MF (medium Format). Wedding are actually quite static for what I shoot. I am a bit more traditional. Tom may have a different use as he shoots a more photojournalist style.
Don't get me wrong, I would never consider buying a 35mm without AF, but there are many, many times when it is not better and sometimes worse than manual focusing - with the caveat that you have good eyesight and good technique and a good viewfinder. AF for me is wonderful when I am shooting moving subjects that have no obvious, predictable pre-focus locations. I've done a lot of youth sports - turned into slideshows for the end of season. AF has been indispensable for that (come to think of it, a DSLR would have been perfect!). The rest of the time, I haven't found it to be an improvement over manual focus. Bruce Friday, February 14, 2003, 7:35:08 AM, you wrote: SD> Even if the camera is on autofocus, you can still see what's in focus. SD> If it's a problem, I switch to MF. (It's a static subject, so speed is SD> not essential). I'm also one of those folks that finds the "point, SD> focus lock, recompose" a comfortable and natural approach. This is SD> probably because I was away from photography for a while, and came back SD> into it with an AF camera. Don't forget, the focus right is loose on AF SD> lenses, so MF is not as comfy as my old SP500. SD> I know there's a number of wedding guys on the list. What do y'all do? SD> That's an interesting combo of static and moving candid. SD> Steven Desjardins SD> Department of Chemistry SD> Washington and Lee University SD> Lexington, VA 24450 SD> (540) 458-8873 SD> FAX: (540) 458-8878 SD> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 02/13/03 10:56PM >>> >> But I wonder about your comment. Why would you say AF would be SD> "leaving >> things to chance"? SD> Well its just that with manual focus, "I" know exactly what SD> I want to focus on and dont have to "hope" the camera/lens SD> focusses properly. SD> JCO
