Manual Focusing confusion (D3200)

[nikond32001]

Hi

I have only been photographing for a few months and have got my head around most the manual settings such as aperture/shutter speed/iso/light meter etc.

However struggling a bit understanding manual focusing, I have always kept it in auto focus however would like to learn how to manual focus.

In my user guide it gives options of AF-C (continuation), AF-S (single servo), AF (autofocus) and M manual.

When looking through the viewfinder (while in default AF mode) you can move a red dot within 11 points in a grid that comes up to where u want to focus (i think)....is this manual focusing..even though my lens switch is set to Auto and so is the camera setting? Does the switch on the lens have to be on Manual for it to be manual or can you select manual on the body and it overrides it?

Also i have been offered a used Nikon 55mm 1.8 D for £50...this will not auto focus on my camera and seller says you have to turn the ring to manually focus....i thought manual focus was setting the point of focus on the viewfinder (left/right/centre/corners etc)...do you also have to do this while turning the ring on the lens? Also he said something about having to fix it at f22..does this mean i cant use e.g. f6-8? Not sure if i should even buy this..

Many thanks in advance for any pointers..have tried googling but doesn’t really answer my questions!

 

[SCraig]

No, that is not manual focusing. That is simply using a single autofocus point for autofocusing. As the lens seller mentioned, to manually focus a lens you have to set the camera or lens to manual focus mode and then turn the focusing ring on the lens.

 

[Solarflare]

You can set manual focusing at the lens or in the camera. Which with the D3200 probably requires some menu surfing.

Which is kind of confusing, because whenever the autofocus doesnt work, there are always so many possible reasons for it...

Also, with any original Nikon lens but the cheap kit lenses (and very old AF lenses which wouldnt autofocus on a D3200 anyway, since they need an autofocus motor in the camera), you can also just grab the manual focus ring and move it around. You have to keep the shutter half pressed though - if you release and half-press again, the autofocus will reengage.

 

[hirejn]

Manual focusing means adjusting focus using a ring on the lens itself and verifying sharpness optically or using the focus dot indicator in the viewfinder. On most lenses you can turn the AF/M switch to M and begin manually focusing. On pro bodies, you can turn the focusing selector to M. Not sure specifically about the D3200 but check the manual. Moving the red squares around inside the viewfinder is simply telling the camera where to look for focus; it doesn't actually perform the focusing. If the lens you're offered is causing so much confusion and requires so much work to focus, do you want it? I wouldn't. I'm not a hobbyist. I don't have time to putz with stuff for the sake of novelty. I use it to get a job done.

 

[Derrel]

The 50mm f/1.8 is an AF-D lens. It has autofocus, but need an in-CAMERA AF motor to drive the lens into focus. The D3xxx and D5xxx bodies lack an in-camera AF motor. ANd since the 50mm 1.8 AF-D does have an on-lens f/stop control, it needs to be set to the minimum f/stop, which is f/22; after the lens has been set to f/22, THEN the metering system in the D3200 will allow you, the user, to sue any aperture available on the lens, by using the normal control method, using the camera's top-mouinted button and the control wheel. You CAN use ALL the f/stops on the lens, but the input MUST be done using the camera body's control system, not the aperture control ring on the lens itself.

Is it worth the 50+ pounds? Might be. It's a decent lens. It's difficult to say. For slower, more-deliberate shooting, manual focus on the D3200 might be okay for some people. Indoors and or in low light? Manual focusing of the 50mm lens is probably NOT going to be accurate enough to hit focus anywhere near often enough to make using that lens and that camera a worthwhile endeavor. If you had a D7000 or D7100, which both have the in-body AF motor, then the 50/1.8 AF-D would be a smart buy, for sure.

 

[amolitor]

The D3xxx bodies can use the viewfinder's meter/bar-graph thingy (usually used for exposure) as a rangefinder. It tells you which direction, and how far, you have to turn the focus ring to make the camera's AF system (however it happens to be configured at that moment) decide that the picture is In Focus. You cannot use it in Manual Mode, maddeningly, because the camera insists that it be an exposure meter in that mode.

This does let you focus pretty accurately.

 

[OrionsByte]

Just to add one bit of clarification to what everyone else has already said:

When you "move the red dot" around to pick a focus point, the camera is still moving the lenses back and forth to attempt to focus on whatever that dot is on. So the camera is still doing all the heavy lifting, and you're just giving it more specific instructions. It's like saying, "Dear camera, please focus here." From then on, the camera makes all the decisions.

Manual focus means that you are doing everything, and the camera is doing nothing (in regards to focus). You physically turn the focusing ring on the lens to move the focal plane until whatever you're trying to focus on is actually in focus. The camera makes no decisions to help you (though it does have some helpful tools/displays that can help you make the decisions).

I hope that distinction helps.

 

[KmH]

See pages 35-43 of your Nikon D3200 Reference Manual - on the software disc that comes with the D3200. Or you can download the D3200 Reference Manual here - https://support.nikonusa.com/app/an...2LzEvdGltZS8xMzg2MDIwMTE2L3NpZC9RNjI2LVFHbA==

That section of the reference manual (Focus) explains the 4 focus modes and 4 focus area modes your camera has available for you to use.
In addition it also covers those circumstances when auto focus will not work very well, and you will need to use the AF Assist feature and/or manually focus using the built-in Electronic Rangefinder feature the D3200 has.

 

[The_Traveler]

Many thanks in advance for any pointers..have tried googling but doesn’t really answer my questions!

Interestingly enough, the makers of those cameras have anticipated the problems finding the specific answer for many questions and have incorporated into a little book, known as the manual, that is typically enclosed with the camera.
By reading this manual, you will have the answers to many questions that would otherwise involve much searching on the Internet.

If you have misplaced your manual, KMH has given you a link to download a copy.