As we have already touched upon, some photographers will look down on others that use autofocus. However, this should not be the case, as both autofocus and manual focus both have their place in photography.
While manual focus is potentially better on the whole, this does not make autofocus redundant. When it comes to taking faster images, autofocus can be the best option to consider. The camera does all of the difficult work with taking the shots, and it allows you to have more time focusing on the shot. With manual focus, you will also need to take the time to prepare your camera.
When it comes to whether or not photographers use autofocus, this ultimately will depend on the specific photographer, and what they are photographing. While some photographers may only use manual focus, others will use a mixture of the two. The more confident a photographer is with their camera, the easier they will find it to determine which option is better for them to use.
It is important to remember that there is no right or wrong in photography. Just because someone uses autofocus, does not mean you have to, and the same can be said for manual focus.
The settings a photographer will use is based on their camera. If they have a high spec camera, then autofocus tends to be more favorable to use in some scenarios. Whereas, when you have a less expensive camera, the autofocus settings can cause some sharpness issues with the camera.
What is useful about autofocus is that for some cameras, this will also control the shutter speeds and aperture, for photography that is still, this is particularly great. However, if you are taking photos where you need to manually adjust the aperture or the shutter speed, manual is the better option to consider.
When looking at different photography roles, an example of a career path that tends to use autofocus is paparazzi. This is because they need to take photos quickly and do not have the time to set up their camera on focus. Their photography heavily relies on more of a point and shoot method.