Why Autofocus Is Almost Too Good These Days.

Who would have thought, that in 2026 you would be hearing people say those words; “The autofocus is just too good!”. It’s funny to think that people are saying this these days, and it’s not any particular type of photographer either!

I had a YouTube video playing in the background, and the guy was talking about various things (an older James Popsys that popped up) and then started talking about why modern autofocus is so good and that things just don’t feel the same anymore. This got me thinking, when I’ve picked up various new cameras in workshops and group meets, and pointed it at something, be it people walking, dogs running or birds flying, it’s always just hit focus… I can see where this is going.

“Where is this going?”

To be fair, that video was not the first time I have heard this being said. As newer cameras and firmware updates come out, autofocus across the board has become unrecognisable in the last few years. You’ll often hear photographers say that they just raise the camera to their eye and capture the subject without even thinking about it. 

The conclusion is often, it’s the camera doing the work, not them. Heck! I can be sitting down and a flock of geese can fly over-head, and I can literally point my camera in the air without even looking at the viewfinder and the flock will be in focus. 

I completely understand when someone says the autofocus is just too good. While with my Nikon Z6ii I have to wait for the eye or subject autofocus to kick in (maybe the subject needs to get a bit bigger in frame, maybe it needs to come into better light etc), with my newer Nikon ZF (or my regularly used Z5ii) I lift the camera and the camera finds the subject, often before I even realise it’s there in the case of a tiny bird, insect or person walking into the frame.

“Is too good, too bad?”

There are many situations where you need spot-on, fast, accurate autofocus, such as capturing once in a lifetime events and moments. Thankfully, even modest or older cameras can do this with ease (my trusty Z6ii has never failed me with autofocus).

However, often you might want to capture sports, fast moving subjects like cars and planes, wildlife, birds and even worse… Your children! The best autofocus certainly helps with any of these! But then we have a question, which this all comes down to…

“Where is the skill if your camera is so good?”

And that about sums it up. Talk to people now, and a lot feel like although huge opportunities have suddenly been opened to them, they no longer feel like they are in control. The skill level of capturing that subject has now become an easy target, with no need to think or plan your shot.

Of course it allows you to concentrate on other things such as composition, lighting and your settings, but the joy of knowing it was YOU who captured that subject is gone.

Above: Images captured on the Nikon Z6ii and various lenses.

And that is something important to remember. Just think, when you had to hunt for your favourite music you would be so happy when you found it. And then all of a sudden you have Spotify and you have every bit of music you could ever dream of.  The joy is sucked out of the fun of the chase.

“Stepping Back”

It’s so easy to go out and capture moving objects now, easier than it has ever been in fact with the latest autofocus, but sometimes it’s nice to just take a step back.

Many of you may have noticed, when I am out photographing birds that I don’t use my Nikon ZF (which shares the same AF as the flagship Z8/Z9 cameras) very much, I almost exclusively use the Nikon Z6ii. The reason for this is simple, I actually want to think about what I’m going, I want to make sure I have focus, I want to feel like I fought for the image, and I can understand people who feel like this.

I could easily go out and just capture everything I see without thought, but there is just something more rewarding knowing that I actually captured something that didn’t instantly lock on.

“Conclusion”

The reality is, for most people, most of the time, autofocus has been great for the last decade. Sadly, another reality is that autofocus is now so good that you don’t even think twice about it’s application and you can take it for granted. 

However, there is a real need to remember how to operate a cameras autofocus and not rely on the latest algorithms. Relying solely on amazing autofocus doesn’t make you a better photographer, even though it can lead to getting the photos you might have missed. It leads to you relying on the mechanism. Take that away at some point, and you’ll realise it was the camera, not you. For some people that might not be a problem, but for a growing number of photographers it just feels like cheating.

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My name is Mark G Adams and I run Photography By Mark G Adams. I am a professional photographer from South Wales, shooting weddings, events and portraits as well as running meets and workshops. For fun I like to shoot landscapes, wildlife and occasionally do street photography. Enjoy my website as I share my knowledge learned over decades of working and having fun in photography – This Is My Personal Website
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