1. The subjects are all standing in the same place.
    Because the subjects should all be standing in generally the same place and the camera does not move there should be no need to refocus. Using F11 should achieve a few feet of good focus. The further the point of focus is from the camera the longer the range of focus or “Depth of Field” becomes.
  2. It handles large groups better than auto focus.
    If people pile in to the booth it will stay focused on a middle point rather than focus on the front row.
  3. Lenses have a minimum focusing distance.
    There is always some dude that wants to stick his face too close. If the lens cannot focus because the subject is too close, then I will not take the picture. I would rather he be out of focus and the image still capture.
  4. Auto focus can delay the image capture.
    When Darkroom sends a command to take a photo the camera will pause to focus. In lower light the focusing process can be a little slower. Most of the time the difference is less than a second, but that could also mean the difference in a smile or a blink.
  5. The camera will still fire even in low light.
    Auto focus relies on light and contrast to achieve focus. If there is not enough light, then lens will not focus and the camera will not fire.
  6. The camera will not accidentally focus on the background instead of the subject.
    This one speaks for itself.

If you are getting a “Retaking” message most of the the time this issue an issue with your camera trying to auto focus. If you want snappy consistent results from your camera try using manual focus!

Happy shooting!
– Eugene Wise