This week Mark explains autofocus Points. The reason for all of these autofocus points is to make it easier for photographers to create off-center compositions and still get the focus right. In this episode Mark will give you tips on how to use the autofocus points.
cazillo.com Having proper focus in an image is imperative. No one wants an out of focus picture of themselves or a family member, same goes for other types of photography. This is one of the basics, so you need to get it right all th time. In my video I go over how to use each mode, why you shouldn’t focus then recompose & how I focus. You can also find out what the 1/3-2/3s rule of focus is. Please share this video with your friends! Thanks!
What does he mean by recompose after you move the focus point to the desire location?
I’m doing it a bit differently. I’ve removed the autofocus from the shutter release, and have it soley on the AF-ON button on my Canon 7D. I also always run AI Servo. This way I can focus, then let go of the focusing button and recompose. Then I also have the AE lock next to the AF button. I find this configuration superior, although it takes a little while to get used to.
Can autofocus points be used in manual mode,mr mark ?
Best way? Manual focus.
It’s best to select the closest AF point and take the shot. If you focus and recompose using the center AF point, your focus will be thrown off, as well as your metering. You will notice it more so with wider apertures, but it’s still a concern. Shooting and recomposing is just the lazy mans way of doing things.
Its best to use the center point and recompose.
Sorry if this has already been asked.
Is choosing the left focus point (the subject standing to the left of the viewfinder) the same as using the centre focus point but just half pressing the shutter (with the subject standing in the middle of the viewfinder) then recomposing by side stepping to the right so the subject is on the left of the viewfinder?
Saw some points on using the centre point and then recomposing – often I do this myself as it is the only cross-hatch on my 20D….BUT if you have a Canon 24-70 L for instance (a lens with a fair bit of field curvature) then it isn’t recommended. On a lens like the Tamron 28-75 one good trick is to zoom in, focus lock, zoom out to reframe and shoot. This gives you better point accuracy and contrast. Make sure servo off too.
reduce the aperture so you have a larger focal range.
nice video..
one question though… what if i have multiple subjects, say 3 subjects and i want to focus all of them at the same time. How can i go about this? Thank you!!
As usual Mark.. the way you exlpain stuff is excellent!!
Hello,
I have D5100, how to show the depth of field when I auto focus in live view as you did in this video by 5D Mark II?
@MaghoxFr: Do a search on youtube for the following video by Gregory Cazillo.
How to use Autofocus in your DSLR
He explains why you don’t always want to use the center focus spot and reframe the shot. If you want to know which control knob to use to elect the focus point down load the 40D user’s manual from Canons website. Look on pg 17 (English Version) you will see a 9 way controller they call the “Multi Controller” and talk about how to use it to select your focus point using it on page 34.
I’m interested in what you are saying but I’m not sure I’m following. Could you PM me with a link or a description on how to use that? THank you
One critical thing that Mark didn’t mention is when shooting a shallow depth of field and you re-frame your focus plane will shift. Until I learned this I couldn’t understand why my nifty-fifty didn’t have the focus I wanted at 1.8. To deal with this use a focus point that is closest to how you want the frame shot and is on subject.
One of the better ways to use Canon auto-focus is to program the joystick on the back to select auto-focus points. This lets you jump directly to any of the nine points using your thumb. Leaving the other wheels open for other functions. On a Canon 40D this is done by setting the “AF Point Selection” to “Multi-Controller” mode. This great for kids and other things moving around.
When shooting parties, it is hard to use a single point like you say. It simply isn’t quick enough.
I really enjoy your videos, for you look at it and discuss things for the normal guy or gal. I have watched some others videos, and they only seem to talk about the best gear, the most expensive lenses etc…, like we all would own D3’s and D4’s etc… So thank you for also talking and explaining things to me and others who can be, and are on budgets sometimes. You are doing a great job, and look forward to viewing alot more of your clips and future clips, well done Greg 10 outta 10.
Hello Gregory, I take pictures of horses and of course we have them move around constantly. Sometimes I use manual focus but for the most part when they’re moving around I use auto focus. But personally what would you use if you were working with horses or any other kind of animal?
Thanks again for all those great tips and explanations on Focus… I shall apply what I’ve learned here…. Most excellent ! Keep up the good work !
I shoot f1.4 portraits all the time…no issues.
Then it’s impossible. Any alive object will move and it will be more severe and not visible than camera movement. The only way to shoot right with f1.4 is from tripod and command person to “freeze”. Of cause you think in your own way anyway. Then, good luck!
…which IS BAD when it changes the way you want the image to look! If I want f1.4 for more bokeh then I want f1.4, not f2.8 or f4 to get subject in focus because I am too lazy to shoot the right way.
Focus and recompose is not that bad, you just need to lower the focus depth, by closing more aperture. And it’s really depends on lens. With Minolta 50mm/f1.7 you will always have a bukeh and Minolta 35-105 has a fixed focus through entire zoom, means 50mm focus length is not a for portrait only. Best focus is always with good illumination of object, the rest is up to the lens, shutter speed, stabilization and camera built.
Really helpful video! Great timing as well haha, ended it right before those folks interrupted the video.
Thanks!!
Very usefull comments: Plane of focus on 3:20; One third/Two thirds Rule 2:20 (example on 8:20)
I personally would recommend single point AF or manual focus for stationary subjects as in portraits, studio work, macro, landscapes to name a few, and continous AF (AI servo in Canon) for moving subjects..ie sports, kids, pets, bride and groom walking down the isle. Great Vids dude keep it up!
Mee too although I didn’t have any issues when I used the D7000…
My problem is I focus with my left eye and my Schnoz is in the way of the dial to move my focus points on a D7000.
As long as you are aware of the limitation and know how to work around it then you should be fine. Hopefully you will be able to upgrade your body in the near future and get rid of this issues. Thanks for being a fan!
Greg, I agree. I was using it on a 24mm 1.4G, but the side focus points are extremely inaccurate, no matter how many times I focus. Perhaps that’s a limitation of my camera with 11 points, but I had no other choice other than manual focus or to use the center and re-focus, and stop down a little….