i use AF about 80% of the time because it works perfectly about that often. i know when it doesn't work by looking through the viewfinder and also by the AF lock light. i know enough about the DOF i get with most of the lenses i use that i don't need DOF preview to know what's going to be in acceptable focus and what isn't. although most of my landscapes are shot at smaller apertures to get the best combination of DOF and sharpness, whenever, i shoot wildlife, it's essentuially always wide open to get high shutter speeds.
knowing the conditions under which my AF works reliably means that i can ignore the step of manually focusing and concentrate on composition under those conditions. since i also know when the metering system works reliably, i know that most of the time, i can ignore the meter except for confirming that i am getting the right shutter speeds for the effects i am after if i am shooting flowing water or similar subjects where i want intentional blurring. by knowing that i can trust my AF and metering to work correctly under most circumstances i shoot under and when they fail to work, i don't have to think about anything except composition most of the time. i let the camera do what it is good at and know when to override. it's my compositions and sense of timing that distinguishes my images from others and enables me to sell them, not my ability to expose and focus correctly. that's assumed and a commodity in my specialty. Herb.... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bruce Dayton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Herb Chong" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 7:22 PM Subject: Re: Sigma 2.8 Zoom lens comments > Herb, > > I'm with you on this. I don't expect the AF to be perfect. It is a > tool just like the light meter. Used in a smart fashion, it can be > very helpful. Heavily relying on it instead of your photographic > skills can cause you to end up with an image you didn't intend.
