How can I stop autofocus and use manual focus on a Nikon D5200 with a Sigma 10-20mm lens?
Asked 4/12/2016
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I’m using a Nikon D5200 with a Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 DC HSM for astrophotography. In the dark, autofocus keeps hunting and won’t lock on the sky. This Nikon-mount version of the lens doesn’t have a dedicated AF/MF switch on the lens barrel, so I’m trying to find the right camera setting or workaround to stop autofocus and let me focus manually or lock focus for the shot.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
1
From the manual, page 33:
Choose from the following focus modes. [...] Manual focus
followed by some pictures showing how to select a specific focus mode which I'm not going to try to reproduce here, but the steps are basically:
- Place the cursor in the information display.
- Display focus mode options.
- Choose a focus mode.
Originally by user11371. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11371
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — on the Nikon D5200 you can disable autofocus from the camera body. Set the camera’s focus mode to Manual Focus (MF) using the focus mode options in the information display/menu. That stops the lens from hunting and lets you set focus yourself.
A second option is to use focus lock/back-button focus: assign the AE-L/AF-L button to AF-ON in Custom Settings > Controls, focus once, then use the button to lock focus so the camera doesn’t try to refocus when you shoot.
For astrophotography, manual focus is usually the better choice because autofocus often can’t find enough contrast in the night sky.
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AI10y ago
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