[Leica] re: AF, a FAD? And control

[Pete Su <psu@jprc.com>]

I think its a common misconception that using autofocus requires you to
give up control over the exact point of focus in a picture. I don't
think this is true, especially with modern AF lenses and bodies that
allow "full time manual"...

Even with my "rusty" old Nikon 8008s, its easy to use the AF to peg
focus on something and then recompose, as long as you are confident that
you don't change focus too much or that depth of field will cover you. 
This is no different than focusing on the rangefinder spot with a Leica
M.

I do this a lot. I've gotten used to working this way, and find it
convenient because the AF system can usually hit focus faster than I can
(I'm lazy and  not that coordinated. :) ). The key thing is that in all
cases, I am in control of where and when the camera focuses. I just let
a motor turn the focus ring for me, big deal. I don't think turning the
focus ring on a lens is any kind of grand creative act. Of course, for
tripod work, you turn off the AF anyway.

However, the older Nikon camera makes it tedious to touch up focus
manually if you have to...since you have to flip various switches on the
camera and/or the lens to turn off the AF. But the modern EOS and Nikons
make this easy, because the best lenses allow you to override the AF
system instantly, without flipping any switches, and they allow the user
to use a button seperate from the shutter release to activate the AF.
So, you hit the focus button to autofocus if you want, and use the lens
as a manual focus lens otherwise. Best of both worlds. Canon has an
extensive line of lenses that allow this. Nikon has only a few expensive
ones, but should catch up over time. I find Canon viewfinders hard to
focus in, and Nikon viewfinders easy. You may feel differently.

I also like having the AF sensor around because you can use it as a
leica-like rangefinder, so you get a combination of focusing on the
screen and focusing with a rangefinder, even with manual focus lenses.
This is actually the nicest thing about AF, as far as I'm concerned. I
don't shoot sports. :)

Anyway, as always, different strokes for different folks. Just pointing
out that like all automatic tools, intelligent use provides automation
with full control. No real shooter is going to argue that just having AF
will make great pictures. But having AF and using it intelligently can
make great pictures somewhat more convenient to take. Just MHO.

Cheers,
Pete