These days, when lenses come with lightning-fast autofocus, powerful image stabilization, aperture control from the camera body, transmission of aperture and focal-length information to the EXIF data, and a whole host of other clever features, using fully manual lenses might seem like pointless masochism. Modern cameras, however, offer a number of features that make fully-manual lenses worth considering as a perfectly sensible alternative. In this article, I’ll introduce you to some tips and tricks for shooting with these lenses while keeping your sanity intact.

When I first visited the Galapagos, the Lava Gull (Leucophaeus fuliginosus) was one of my target bird species. And, as these things usually go, once you start looking for something, you can’t find it. When I returned to the Galápagos this year, I let the gulls slip a bit from my focus and concentrated more on Darwin’s finches.