Is Continous Autofocus a big deal for those who shoot video

[ss396]

Just wondering for those of you who shoot a lot of video;  Is continuous auto focus (D800 has it, 5DmkIII does not) a good feature? 

[theuserjohnny]

It's a great feature but even though its there I personally (and I think I can speak for a lot of people who shoot video) still use manuel focus just to really ensure that you have the shot that you want.

[cinema-dslr]

Not realy a big deal.
The whole reason for shooting with dslr's is for the control you get with what is in focus and what isn't.
When using shallow dof any autofocus (even the best out there) would go crazy between subjects in your composition.
For steadycam shots it could be handy but only if it's very good/fast.

[Axilrod]

Not at all, I wouldn't want it and I suspect it would cause more trouble than it's worth, and video is really all I do with DSLRs.  People have been using MF in the cinema industry for as long as it's been around, I don't think any professionals will be disappointed in the slightest bit. 

[Jedifarce]

Just wondering for those of you who shoot a lot of video;  Is continuous auto focus (D800 has it, 5DmkIII does not) a good feature?

That's the thing isn't it? Those who shoot 'video' might need auto focus for things like sporting events that have action that is too quick follow manually. Filmmakers don't do video. There's a difference. If you want to do video you use a camcorder not a DSLR.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

If you can afford to pay a focus puller, its not necessary at all, and will be better than AF for rehearsed scenes or still / slow moving subjects. 

However, if you want shallow depth of field for a subject moving at random, like soccer players, or kids, AF is needed.

Those who love HDDSLR video have learned to deal with lack of AF, and use techniques used by filmmakers for the last 100 years or so. 

I'm not a fan of someone running theu a scens which is later cut to show only the one second that he is actually in focus, and has no continuity.  Movie makers using focus pullers rehearse and practice focusing on quickly moving actors until they have it down precisely. 

So, yes, continuous AF is a big deal for many would be video users, but not all.

[vuilang]

For those who said:  YOU dont need autofocus in Video.. WRONG. PLZ STOP BEING TOO CONSERVATIVE
what do you do with the focus puller? follow focus syst?  YES.To get it in focus

as of now, the AF ability to get video in focus on where we want it, isnt reach it full potential/development yet. Just because the AF hunt back and forth in video doesnt mean you dont need AF... YOU NEED AF THAT WORK ON WHERE YOU WANT THE FOCUS AT.. those are new tech that would take time/research to best it.

[vuilang]

Just wondering for those of you who shoot a lot of video;  Is continuous auto focus (D800 has it, 5DmkIII does not) a good feature?

Can you show the the link that's stated d800 has AF in video mode? thnkxs

[IWLP]

For the corporate/talking head videos I shoot, no, not at all.

For ENG/action/stock footage acquisition (at least the types I do), yes it would be a big help.

For some of what I shoot, a small aperture takes care of some of the focus issues. However, not everything is/can be shot at small apertures. I don't mind trying to pull focus, but as of now, I don't find the camera screens conducive to pulling focus. And while I realize that there are loupes and monitors available to make it easier, I don't have the budget for such things, nor necessarily the desire to add them onto my camera.

$.02

[Leadfingers]

Yes, it's a VERY big deal.  For those of us who aren't Steven Spielberg, but still shoot a lot of video, it's a big deal.

Half of the problem with this conversation is that the Manual Focus guys almost sound like you're being being physically forced to use it.  If you don't want it... THEN DON'T.

For those of you who shoot a lot of video, how do you maintain focus during a live event?  I mean, with the little 3" screen on the T3i that I use, it's pretty much impossible to truly see what's clearly in focus.

[Frank209]

only if it's programmable. other, not at all.

[Axilrod]

For those who said:  YOU dont need autofocus in Video.. WRONG. PLZ STOP BEING TOO CONSERVATIVE
what do you do with the focus puller? follow focus syst?  YES.To get it in focus

as of now, the AF ability to get video in focus on where we want it, isnt reach it full potential/development yet. Just because the AF hunt back and forth in video doesnt mean you dont need AF... YOU NEED AF THAT WORK ON WHERE YOU WANT THE FOCUS AT.. those are new tech that would take time/research to best it.

PLZ STOP TLNG ME WHAT I NEED AND DNT NEED AND PLZ STOP TYPING LIKE THIS.  Go tell this crap to the cinema industry and they will laugh at you.

I do not need AF for video, I've never asked for it, wished I had it, etc.  Manual focus has never made me compromise shots in any way, nor has it ever messed up any of my productions.  I simply don't trust a camera to decide what I want to be in focus, and I could absolutely care less if we get AF on these cameras anytime soon. 

[nvsravank]

I dont see anybody complaining about the presence of auto focus. I only see folks saying it is not necessary for them. Which means it is not a bad idea to have auto focus and based on your needs you either engage autofocus or not.

Also for the "Movie" folks as opposed to the "Video" folks, they are talking about control and for that control they are willing to put money to get the focus pullers and monitors to overcome the limitations of the DLSR monitors and are happy to do that.

For the "Video" folks who dont have the budget for such gear, autofocus is seen as a magic pill, but then i feel that they dont realize that auto focus has problems - for example even when focus tracking for still shots the lens hunts sometimes and that is BAD BAD BAD for video.

This means 5D3 will not lose the movie folks who bought into the DSLR for the disposable camera factor, nor will it lose the regular movie makers who bought into the DSLR for its workflow merits and cost merits. It might lose some "Video" folks to the D800, but then it might not since the D800 has lower max possible ISO settings than the 5D3 for video.

I also thought that auto focus would be nice, but reading more into the issues with autofocus in the current generation, it might be right for mainstream pro use anyway.

[Jedifarce]

Just because the AF hunt back and forth in video doesnt mean you dont need AF... YOU NEED AF THAT WORK ON WHERE YOU WANT THE FOCUS AT..

Here's the problem, if you are trying to focus in on something behind a preceding object, whatever that may be, with the autofocus engaged you just can't. The autofocus will always focus in on whatever is closest to it. That's not a plus but a negative for a filmmaker.

 However for a videographer at sporting events its a plus -maybe-.

[Lyra Video Productions]

Not a big deal.  Nearly all the video professionals I know shoot exclusively manual focus.  And the ones who don't use manual most of the time--let's just say they're not that talented in general. (I'm not bashing you if you use auto focus a lot for video--I'm just speaking from my personal experience) Of course, there are a few situations where it's fine to pop it into auto focus but those are far and few between.

Now, it's probably the case that most people don't use auto focus because it can't really be trusted--especially with a shallow depth of field--to stay focused on the thing you want to stay in focus.  You can't take the chance to let the camera go fishing for focus at the exact moment you need to capture something.