Manual Focus
Focusing by turning the lens ring by hand while judging sharpness visually or by scale.
Measured in
m
In depth
Manual focus remains the only workable method in several situations: macro work at high magnification, astrophotography, shooting through obstructions, video where a focus pull must be timed, and any lens with no electronic coupling. Modern aids — magnification and peaking — make it far more reliable than the ground glass and split prism of film-era cameras.
Examples in practice
Focusing on a star at 10× magnification is the only way to achieve true infinity focus for a night-sky exposure.