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Do you use AF lenses?
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I not take AF lenses from following reasons:

1) Camera manufacturer when change their product line like they will be not usable any more ( If I spent $$$$ for gears I would like to use them 10, 20 yrs later too not just right now. )
2) For same amount when I can get a consumer line AF lens I can buy at least one pro MF lens.
From same quality MF lens I can buy at least 5 pieces or more.
3) Under 1500 USD I didn't see any good AF lenses, I am not that reach to spend 10 000 USD a good AF lens collection. From 1500 USD I can collect a very nice set from best MF lenses.

I strongly believe best pieces of MF lenses never loose their value, I am not sure about AF lenses at all, especially if "nice" maker like Canon drop current product line as happened in past.

Anyway if I really need one I will buy one, but not smart till I am fine with MF lenses.


PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
nemesis101 wrote:

PS Orio - need that link!


Link sent.
-


PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Schnauzer wrote:

Everything I have now is A/F and they have served me very well.
I don't care how I get the picture, A/F, M/F, old camera or new camera, as long as I get the picture I want.

I look forward to seeing what I can get with one of these older lenses.


Quite right - the image is what's really important, not how you get it.
I have a couple of AF lenses - one came with the camera, a Sigma 28-105 and the Canon kit lens, bought purely for the wide angle coverage at a low price. I do sometimes use them, especially in situations where I might miss fast stuff, but the vast majority of the time I use manual focus, because that's what I've used all my life and I like it.
The past few years have seen many owners of older kit dump their lenses on the market virtually all at once and it's led to a situation where I (and others) can now afford to gather up most of the good lenses we could only dream about in years past. It's a situation that won't go on indefinitely, but there were millions of manual lenses sold in the past several decades and a very high percentage of them are still out there somewhere.


PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
nemesis101 wrote:

I admit to using A/F when something is moving very rapidly - like moto-cross, where even with hyperfocal distance calculations etc. the damned bikes are receding over the next rise in the ground at 60mph....


Oddly enough, that's where I really learned the tricks of fast action manual lens use - motorsport. Was a very expensive process, mind you, shooting transparencies with a 90% reject rate. Much, much easier (and cheaper, in image costs) nowadays with AF and digital. Of course, most motorsport tracks these days don't allow you in to the very dangerous areas I used to get to, and nearly got run over on, on more than one occasion.


PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
nemesis101 wrote:

I admit to using A/F when something is moving very rapidly - like moto-cross,


This is when I never use (nor used) AF.
Maybe because I could never afford the expensive L lenses, only cheap lenses, I was never able to obtain sufficient performance from AF when in need of tracking fast subjects.
AF always is too slow for the need, often picks what has nothing to do with the subject, and often wanders here and there without picking what I want.
I always obtained a significant higher amount of useable shots by using MF and prefocusing technique.


PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Orio wrote:
... by using MF and prefocusing technique.


Yes, but which is only applicable when you can predict the movement.
Try this with little children in the garden or on a playground. Wink


PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
When my kids was little I made some photos without AF and I guess so many other people too.


PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
LucisPictor wrote:

Yes, but which is only applicable when you can predict the movement.
Try this with little children in the garden or on a playground. Wink


You have to anticipate the movements, that's the secret of the great photographers Wink


PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
AF have also some limit
Take this sample, the focus have to be put exactly in the middle of the beast
1 mm to high and the skin is out of focus
1 mm down and the eyes are out of focus
of course we want the stones out of focus
this shot would be impossible to succeed with AF
and don't forget that at this scale the beast is moving very fast



PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Focusing just one step in many to make great pictures. A talented guy can make superb images with a 10 USD film camera with a Helios-40. An untalented can't make with a Canon xxx Ed-If viagra lenses too. Many people in photography just see technical matter and loose what is most important to make some beauty what you can see over and over again.

My wife say good picture is : what you can print in large and hanging on wall and make you happy over and over again. I guess this is the most important thing in photography.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
When my kids was little I made some photos without AF and I guess so many other people too.

Of course, but as far as I am concerned, I get more good results with AF lenses than with MF lenses when I take photos of my kids. If I get a good result with an MF lens, the picture is fantastic, though.

Orio wrote:
LucisPictor wrote:

Yes, but which is only applicable when you can predict the movement.
Try this with little children in the garden or on a playground. Wink


You have to anticipate the movements, that's the secret of the great photographers Wink

Ha, ha! Embarassed Twisted Evil Wink


PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 9:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Carsten wrote:
I get more good results with AF lenses than with MF lenses when I take photos of my kids

Maybe it work for you
I checked my last year shots when I was using AF and this is my best shot.
I was using flash but the eyes are out of focus.
With AF you guess the result, with MF what you see is what you get.
I am sure I would be at the same level if I stayed with AF
For me, I get better result with MF and feel a progression of my skills



PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
poilu wrote:
Carsten wrote:
I get more good results with AF lenses than with MF lenses when I take photos of my kids

Maybe it work for you
I checked my last year shots when I was using AF and this is my best shot.
I was using flash but the eyes are out of focus.
With AF you guess the result, with MF what you see is what you get.
I am sure I would be at the same level if I stayed with AF
For me, I get better result with MF and feel a progression of my skills



"...when I take photos of my kids"!

This is not a kid, is it?

I didn't say that generally my AF pics are better than my MF pics, because they aren't. And I really like to shoot with MF lenses. Just in some situations, I am not fast enough with MF. That's all.

BTW, in your shot the reason why the "eyes" are not in focus is not the AF lens, but the very shallow DoF.

What I want to say is that I do not like any kind of dogma. There are advantages for almost any kind of equipment you can use. Even my 3 MPix Pentax Optio S has advantages over my 40D. I can put the Optio into my shirt pocket. Try to do that with a DSLR. Wink

And my hand is not too big. Wink


PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Carsten wrote:
This is not a kid, is it?

I am sorry but I don't have photos of kids, they are too fast for my manual lenses Laughing


PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
poilu wrote:
Carsten wrote:
This is not a kid, is it?

I am sorry but I don't have photos of kids, they are too fast for my manual lenses Laughing

Ha, there you go! Laughing


PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 3:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I like people who can understand a small joke Smile


PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
i have 2 AF lenses, both are kit lenses for my d40. i tend to get some use ut of them but niether are any good for macro of which i do a fair amount of. also the 55-200mm is no good as a birder so i use my 300mm f4.5 ais with a 2x TC.


PostPosted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm very un-religious about it. I use manual focus lenses mainly because I have a lot of them and cannot afford to replace them with new ones. I also have a few AF lenses, most of which are inexpensive and useful: the 18-55 that came with my camera, a 50/1.8 and an 80-200 that's cheap but quite sharp. I just bought my only expensive AF lens, a 10-22mm wide angle, which cost what is for me a fortune. But there is no MF alternative at the wide end for a 15x22 format body... so I accepted this as a one time expense that gives me back the full range of lens capability that I have on film (and then some). I don't have any plans to add any more AF lenses to the stable, I think I'm pretty well covered now.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 1:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
YEP i carry a mixed bag what ever lens will work i use what i need to get the job dun Smile


day bag
Pentax K100D, K10D, K1000, Pn3
Sigma APO micro 70-300 F4-5.6 AF
Vivitar Series 1 100-500 F5.6-8 MF
Pentax - DA 18-55 F 3.5-5.6 AF
Pentax - FA 28-80 F3.5-4.5
Pentax - M 50 F1.4 MF or 1.7
Magnicon 70-210 F 4 AF ( this is a re branded Tonkina)

night bag
Pentax K100D, K10D, K1000, Pn3
Pentax - M 50 F1.4 MF or 1.7
Tonkina AT-X 80-200 F2.8 MF
Takumar 135 F2.5 MF
Pentax - FA 28-80 F3.5-4.5 AF
Pentax - DA 18-55 F 3.5-5.6 AF
Magnicon 70-210 F 4 AF ( this is a re branded Tonkina)

as needed lenes
Kion micro 70-210 F4.5-5.6 MF
Slogar Mirror Lens 500 MF


PostPosted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 1:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I use two. The Tamron 28-75 SP AF Aspherical XR Di. I use it because it beats all Canon EF lenses in that class and I've had it for a long time and It was the first "good" lens I bought.

Also the Canon 10-22 because I don't have good WA MF lens yet. (The 10-22 isn't that good at 10 but acceptable at 22)

Jules


PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have a few AF lenses but way more MF lenses. I seldom use AF even on the AF lenses. Wife has poorer eye site and uses only AF. Probably 95% MF for me. Use AF on 500mm ai-s for flying birds, no substitute for AF there.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have one...

The Sigma 12-24mm.

I normally manual focus with it, given it's focus range window.

I hope to get a second AF lens... the Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6... one day


PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've sold all mine except for the Canon EF 50mm/1.8 II which I like. But I often use it in manual focus.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
What is AF ? Laughing Laughing


PostPosted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
AF = About Face Very Happy
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