is the CZ 2/35 fast enough for (my) cats?

A couple of days ago, I was rather bored at home so I decided to take the CZ 2/35 out for a spin in the cat house. Somehow, my cats seemed intrigued at the lens, much more so than when I used the Nikon 50mm f/1.8. Hemm maybe cats have good taste. Anyway, I entered the cat house, they seemed very sleepy (as always!). Once I got in, they got hyper! I don't know what sort of vibe the Carl Zeiss lens brought, but it worked! My cats were running around, reaching for the roof, and biting my foot, typical. I fired off some shots and surprisingly, have a few keepers. Sure there wasn't as much as when I used the 50mm f/1.8 but remember that the Zeiss has no AF, so I had to rely on manually focusing the lens, as well as searching for the perfect spot to focus on through the viewfinder. The other problem I encountered was when my cats were moving (as you'd expect by using an MF lens), the difficulty in focusing back and forth is very annoying and frustrating. Though once my cats stood still, it was all natural, focus point on the eyes, and boom - nailed the focus. That may be down to the smooth focusing ring of the 2/35, or the bright viewfinder of the D700, or both.

So, would you want to use an MF lens when shooting animals? My advice, avoid it. Unless you're really patient and understand the typical behaviors of those animals, you're gonna have a hard time keeping up with where to focus, and ultimately producing a sharp, focused image. For me, I wouldn't mind using the 2/35 again when I take pictures of my cats, since I have a good relationship with them, and most of them would pose for me (you'll see what I mean!). I also know how to make them relaxed, or make them lose it and go nuts. For example, my cats have a habit of going hyper once I touch their back and belly - they'll start running around as if there's a race!

That's my opinion, of course I'll take more photos of my cats when I have the time (and their time as well!). Do you have any other way of dealing with focusing when it comes to animals or fast moving subjects? Share them if you will, by writing a comment :)

Enjoy the photos and let me know what you think of them :)

this is also on my flickr