[Leica] AF.... here we go again......

["BIRKEY, DUANE" <dbirkey@hcjb.org.ec>]

>  To what extent would you say the views you expressed are shared by 
other pros who must shoot fast-moving subjects, such
as sports and kids?

I have a love/ hate relationship with my EOS 1N.  The AF  works great for 
some soccer shots and horrible for others.  The first game  I covered 
with it, I found I had a lot of shots where the background was the 
sharpest part of the photo.  It took me a while to learn what, when and 
where to use AF.  I find I turn it off a lot.   I've not had very good 
luck with off center action as the sensors are too small and don't focus 
as well as the center sensor.  I use manual exposure as it is a whole lot 
easier to print.  The evaluative metering will give you a rainbow of 
exposures even though the light hasn't changed.

The thing with AF is that you expect it to be able to focus on anything 
and you want immediately.  You get frustrated if it can't do it.
You kind of feel that you can wait for the shot to happen.   With manual 
focus you pre-focus, pick points to shoot at and anticipate the action 
more.  I think you get lazier with AF.   For most of my shooting, manual 
focus is fine and I can follow focus most things.  
Focusing with M is a nightmare for me, I've given up shooting moving 
subjects with it.  I think I was predestined for R.

The other problem with AF and fast lenses is that the camera is focusing 
on the body instead of the face.  Depending on the subject or sport, you 
may find a difference of 6 to 12 inches of difference between the two 
which can make for less than acceptable sharpness in the important areas. 
 You can pretty much forget about using out of focus objects in the 
foreground with AF.  I've found my composition on the fly goes down hill 
with AF as well. 

I was the sole athletics department photographer for my University when I 
was in school and covered every event for publication, I used all manual 
focus EQ, (well they didn't have decent AF then but the first generation 
was out).   I looked at many of my photos that were published and 
discovered that almost none of my shots could have been taken as composed 
if I had used the center focusing point or the situation was relatively 
static enough that AF would have been useless.

Moving kids need AF and zooms in my opinion.  If you can make them sit 
down or lean against something manual focus is fine. 

I have days where I want to sell my EOS and buy R,  I have some days 
where a hammer is best kept far away from it.   But then I shoot an event 
or something where AF is indispensable and I can't imagine doing without 
it.   

You do get some nearly impossible shots on occasion with AF, because you 
try some that you never would have attempted with MF.  But AF can be a 
frustrating experience and I've lost some great shots that I would have 
had with MF because the camera focused elsewhere at the moment of 
exposure, cursed be AI servo focusing and .......

Duane