The impact of focus matters while filming. It is preferred by photographers and videographers who want to emphasize their subject's presence and develop an emotional connection with their audience. A correct focus supported by a precise follow focus system produces sharper results and allows you to make a specific object or person stand out and more highlighted than its surroundings.

Regardless of how significant the content is, a poorly focused shot can quickly divert your viewers' attention. Using autofocus or a follow-focus system to stabilize focus while filming can create impressive results. Read below to learn all about auto and manual focus and the best follow-focus system to invest in for your upcoming project.

Different Focusing Modes

In the photography world, there are several focusing modes that beautifully streamline the entire filming process. The main focusing modes are:

Auto Focus (AF)

The autofocus (AF) feature smartly adjusts the camera lens to maintain focus on the target subject. Sensors communicate the distance of a subject to the lens, which then adjusts its focal length. This feature is ideal for maintaining focus when the subject is moving or when you need to target one more subject.

Manual Focus (MF)

Manual Focus (MF) is the exact opposite of AF. It requires the photographers to adjust the depth field of the camera lens manually to focus a scene. Earlier in the 20^th^ century, MF was the only focus, and all cameras had to be adjusted manually. Nowadays, many professional photographers still use manual focus to capture scenarios in dim light, low contrast, or backlighting.

When Should You Use Auto Focus?

Sometimes it becomes necessary to turn all your settings to full auto for a shoot to reach better visual effect. Here are the top situations when using manual focus is not possible or impractical, and autofocus is the only option.

1. Shooting from a Handheld Gimbal

You usually use a gimbal when you have to film a moving object. In such situations, you need the autofocus on your camera to automatically direct its focus on the subject without shaking the gimbal. Experts advise using extremely wide-angle, deep depth of field, and infinity focus to have your focus centered with a moving gimbal.

2. Shooting Animals or Children

Children and animals are the most challenging subjects to film clearly because their movements and actions cannot be anticipated. You can try a guessing game, but you will be proved wrong most of the time. In such situations, autofocusing your camera to track a specific subject can be incredibly useful.

AF mode can switch between single and continuous autofocus when it detects a moving object. So, you can use continuous AF mode to maintain consistency throughout the filming easily.

3. During a Telephoto Shot

Compared to a wide-angle lens, a telephoto lens offers a lesser area of focus – a single movement is enough to disturb the well-established focus. Besides, the still lenses have a small focus throw which makes it even tougher to focus. Here, autofocus can assist in tracing the subject smartly and keep them in focus in a telephoto shot.

Using the Follow Focus System to Focus Manually

The follow focus system is mainly set up to reduce vibrations when adjusting the focus precisely and smoothly for perfectly filmed shots. The focus operation is moved to the side of the DSLR, which leaves better access to the focus puller to make the focus follow acting.

Compared with AF, MF is slightly inconvenient. However, when is the time that you have to adjust the focus manually? Here's the answer:

When the shooting object is too close to the camera. The camera is difficult to automatically focus when the focal length is shorter than 50mm, therefore a manual focus adjustment is needed.

When there are obstacles between the object and the lens (such as railing and glass). The cameras often get blurred when filming in such a scenario by using follow focus to better focus the target object.

When shooting objects with low contrast and low light. In this situation, the camera is hard to distinguish the border of the object, causing a failure to focus on the items you want to highlight.

Get the Best Follow Focus System in Town

If you want to produce high-quality content that attracts your audience's attention, you need the best follow focus system. And when it comes to camera accessories, there are no better choices than SmallRig. From innovative design solutions for modern content creators to producing the best quality and reliable accessories, SmallRig did a great job.

The SmallRig Mini Follow Focus 3010C offers unique features and a smart design that ensures your next work is impressive. This follow focus is designed to provide maximum ease and improved focus control while filming.

Let's take a look at some of the benefits you will enjoy by using SmallRig follow focus:

• It allows multiple shooting scenes, including handheld, tripod-mounted, and other shooting scenarios.
• The SmallRig follow focus has an anti-slip and anti-sweat design to control the focal length comfortably.
• Rapid and easy assembling and disassembling on the left and upper sides of the camera.
• It has adjustable A/B hard stops that can be set according to your shooting requirements.
• The compact and portable design of the SmallRig follow focus system makes it easier for you to carry.
• Ergonomic design with independent modules.
• The follow focus system is compatible with various lens sizes.

Conclusion

Digital production is all about finding the gears that help you better concentrate on your work. SmallRig, with its extensive experience, has been delivering state-of-the-art products since 2013. From broadcasting to blogging and professional video production, SmallRig products are used by over two million creators across the globe.

If you can be the next SmallRig user, gear up your production process with SmallRig's widest variety of tools and accessories, including cages, tripods, LED lights, follow focus gears, microphones, and much more.