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Photography vocabulary · Lenses & Focus

Autofocus

Meaning in photography, with examples

/ˈɔːtoʊˌfoʊkəs/nounCore term

In photography, autofocus means: A camera system that adjusts the lens by itself so that the subject becomes sharp, usually when you half-press the shutter button.

In Turkish: otomatik netleme, otofokus, AF

How it is used

Often written AF on lenses and in menus. Photographers compare cameras by how fast and accurate the autofocus is, and talk about AF modes such as single, continuous and eye-detection AF. When the camera keeps searching, they say the autofocus is hunting.

Example sentences

  1. The autofocus kept hunting in the dark bar, so I switched to manual focus.

  2. Eye-detection autofocus makes wedding portraits much easier.

Common collocations

  • continuous autofocus
  • eye-detection autofocus
  • autofocus point
  • the autofocus is hunting
  • focusThe point or area of a photo that is sharp. Something is in focus when it looks sharp and out of focus when it looks blurred.
  • sharpClear and detailed, with crisp edges and no blur. Used about photos, parts of a photo and lenses.
  • lensThe part of a camera that collects light and focuses it onto the sensor or film. It contains several pieces of glass and usually the aperture.
  • mirrorless cameraA digital camera with interchangeable lenses but no mirror inside. Light goes straight to the sensor, and you see the image on a screen or an electronic viewfinder.

More terms: Lenses & Focus

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