To understand which autofocus mode to choose, you must first understand what you are photographing. Autofocus modes and settings on all cameras are approximately the same. They may have different names and be controlled differently, but the principle is the same everywhere. So what is autofocus?
First, make sure that autofocus is turned on. On advanced cameras (Nikon / /D7000 / D7100) there is a separate switch on which there is M mode (manual focus) and some other modes - different autofocuses, or just AF.
M (Manual) mode works the same way cameras worked in the 50s, that is, without autofocus. If you don't have such a switch, then the autofocus modes on your camera are controlled through the menu.
In addition, autofocus lenses with a built-in motor (AF-S) also have an autofocus switch, very often marked M/A - M. Make sure that the lens is not in manual mode. Do not confuse the AF-S lens type with the AF-S autofocus mode, they are different things, although they are called the same.
Autofocus modes are as follows:
AF-A (Auto). Automatic mode, in which the camera decides for you how to focus. If you don't know exactly which mode you need, choose automatic mode.
AF-S (Single). Mode for static scenes. In this mode, the camera focuses once when you press the shutter button halfway, and that's it. The camera no longer focuses until you release the button. Great option for landscapes and portraits.
AF-C (Continuous). Tracking mode, when the camera constantly monitors the subject and adjusts autofocus continuously until you release the shutter button. It turns on when you press the shutter button halfway. This mode is essential when photographing wildlife, sporting events, and fast-moving children.
In the Custom Settings Menu in the Autofocus section you can find AF-S/AF-C priority selection.
Release- this triggers the shutter immediately, even if the image is completely out of focus. I can hardly remember ever getting sharp shots in this mode.
Focus- the shutter only fires when the image is strictly in focus. It's very slow and you risk missing a shot.
I recommend value Release+focus for AF-C, it's somewhere in between. Even if the first frame is out of focus, the next ones will be significantly better when shooting continuously. In this case, you will not lose the first frame, although it will be a little blurry. Focus is good for AF-S because nothing moves in the frame.
In addition, you still have to choose the type of autofocus area.
Nikon usually offers three options:
Conventionally, areas can be divided into two types:
Multiple sensors (AF-Area). Information about focus comes not only from the sensor you have selected, but also from the points surrounding it, and the surrounding sensors are not highlighted in any way. For example, on the Nikon D7000 you can select a zone of 9, 21 or 39 points. Typically, the faster something moves in the frame, the larger the area required. To be honest, I don’t use these zones, I prefer 3D tracking.
3D tracking. This mode may be present on some models along with a white rectangle and crosshair, on other models it may be somewhere else, for example, when choosing the size of the autofocus area. As the name suggests, this is a tracking mode, and when tracking, not only the distance to the object is taken into account, but also the color. You select a focus point, autofocus clings to what is under this sensor, and then begins to follow it if the subject moves or you turn the camera.
The fundamental difference between AF-Area and 3D tracking is that in the first case, the camera focuses on what falls within the selected autofocus zone, and in the second case, the camera itself moves the zone behind the object, switching autofocus sensors. Therefore, in 3D mode it is very convenient to focus on something specific, then move the camera to frame it differently, but autofocus will still focus on what it was initially aimed at. This differs from the AF-S mode in that AF-S is not aware if the object moved further or closer during framing, or even flew out the window.
Additionally, 3D tracking can even replace single focus point selection. Instead of going through the points with the selector until you get to the one you want, you can simply visit the center one in 3D mode and then frame it as needed, while the camera will keep focus on the subject, moving the focus point, switching autofocus sensors. At the same time, the subject will not be able to escape from autofocus.
Setting up Canon autofocus is a simple process that consists of several steps designed to check the accuracy of the focus and make corrections if necessary. To present the material as best as possible, I use part of the answer from Canon technical PR specialist Chuck Westfall, who answers user questions 12 times a year in the online resource TheDigitalJournalist.
As unfortunate as it may be, the accuracy of the autofocus system is a really big problem for Canon. There may be technical manufacturing flaws and cases of incompatibility. In general, the incompatibility of initially compatible parts is a very philosophical topic, but this phenomenon sometimes happens, and not only with Canon.
Perhaps because of this expressed problem, an autofocus adjustment system was developed, which is, of course, very, very convenient! This function allows you to customize almost any working lens! It's great! Previously, in order to adjust the kit, you had to take the camera and lens to an authorized service center. This was a huge problem for people from small towns, where such a service center simply did not exist.
Now autofocus correction has become accessible and convenient, and our task is to figure out how to use it.
Before getting down to business, I’ll say a few more words about the adjustment process. In short, to determine the accuracy of a lens, you need to take a series of shots that will tell you whether the autofocus is hitting or missing. Misses can be of two types: overshooting the focus point and undershooting, back focus and front focus, respectively.
If everything is fine, then you forget about this article and enjoy life. If you find mistakes, then you need to understand what they are and make the appropriate correction to the camera, which, by the way, does not change the factory firmware. This type of correction works as follows: the camera receives not one command (to focus), but two, the second command is to shift the focus point back or forward by a certain amount.
This autofocus adjustment can also be divided into two types according to autofocus misses. In the first case, the camera misses with all lenses the same way, and in the second with each lens by a different distance.
Both types of settings are absolutely no different. Unless it costs time if you have a large fleet of lenses, in this case the first setup option will be faster.
Let's finish the long introduction and move directly to autofocus adjustment, which, by the way, was written by the above-mentioned Chuck Westfall.
How to set up autofocus on Canon?
- mount the camera on a good, strong tripod;
- set the correct target with which to check autofocus. You can download it. The characteristics of the target and its location are described in detail in the article “”;
- sufficient uniform light must fall on the target;
- the distance to the target must be at least 50 times the focal length of the lens. For example, for a lens with a focal length of 105 mm, the target should be located at a distance of 5.25 m (105 mm x 50 = 5250 mm = 5.25 m);
- Canon autofocus mode must be turned on on the lens;
- camera focusing mode – One-Shot AF;
- required for test center point focusing;
- test shots are taken with the maximum aperture;
- use the Aperture Priority mode (Av) or fully manual mode (M);
- correct exposure is necessary for a successful test;
- use the highest ISO possible;
- if the lens has a stabilization system, be sure to turn it off;
- To prevent movement, use a cable release or shutter timer;
- an excellent result will be achieved by turning on the mirror pre-raising function;
- you need to take three series of shots in which autofocus adjustment will be used with values from -5 to +5. The series will be as follows: 3 pictures in a row with a value of -5; three pictures in a row with values 0 and the last 3 pictures with -5;
- view the photos you took on a calibrated monitor with a zoom of 100%;
- repeat a series of test shots with different autofocus adjustment values and thus achieve the sharpest photos;
- Enter the resulting maximum sharp adjustment values into the appropriate camera menu.
Before checking and adjusting autofocus, I recommend that you read the recommendations below, which will allow you to conduct tests even more accurately:
Eliminate angles between the autofocus check target and the optical axis of the lens. The presence of such angles greatly reduces the stability and efficiency of autofocus. It is worth remembering that the autofocus sensor of a digital camera is assembled from a large number of linear groups of pixels. Focusing on a target line located at an angle to the optical axis of the lens may result in only a few pixels from each group being able to identify the target. Ideal test conditions would be a complete match of the contrast part of the target to the entire area of the central autofocus sensor.
To get the best possible test shots, manually reset the focus before each shutter release. To do this, set the lens to infinity. Only after completing this procedure, focus.
If you take the same group of photos, the photos in them will likely look slightly different. This is a normal situation due to the tolerances of the camera's autofocus system.
As a note, the autofocus adjustment of lenses becomes more pronounced the longer focal length lens.
You should know that adjusting the autofocus of a variable focal length lens will be relevant on this lens only at the focal length at which you conducted the test. In other words, when testing a 28-70 lens at 50mm, the adjustments you make will only work at 50mm. In this case, the manufacturer recommends adjusting such a lens at the maximum focal length used.
It may happen that for a particular lens-camera pair, the autofocus adjustment will be ineffective. In this case, contact an authorized service center for adjustment on special stands.
You also need to know that this moment does not exist official system to adjust autofocus. The method described above is the one by which more cases, a positive result was achieved. Therefore, if you come up with a more effective or faster method, use it!
Now in our photography course there will be a couple of rather tedious, but necessary lessons on the path to professional photography. The first of them is dedicated to working with focusing. More specifically, how to properly set the focus, what focusing modes are available, focusing zones, and when it is better to use which focusing mode.
An involuntary epigraph. I recommend reading this lesson from our photo school with digital, it is best to have a SLR camera in your hands and try to apply what is written immediately in practice.
The games are over, and it's time to take the first step into adulthood. Today I will tell you in detail about focusing and how to work with it. (I talked about what focusing is and its basic properties in our Photography Lesson No. 3).
So. The camera needs to be shown WHAT to focus on. To do this, it has focusing zones.
Focus areas.
The size of the focus areas can vary from a simple point to a fairly large area.
This is what the focus area switch might look like.
With a point everything is more or less clear:
1. Choose where focusing will occur (for example, in the center of the frame or at the edges of the area). In this case, focusing occurs only in the small square that you have chosen.
2. Arrange the frame. In this case, what you will focus on must be in the zone you have chosen.
3. Actually, you take photographs.
In this case, you are rigidly specifying where focusing will occur, robbing the poor camera of any initiative. In a camera, this type of focusing is called “ Single-zone autofocus."
In most cases, the focus area is left in the center. And in those rare moments when the object of focus is not in the middle, do this:
- place the object they want to focus on in the middle.
- press the shutter button halfway (in this position, the camera does not take a picture, but adjusts the focus. The photo will be taken if you press the shutter button all the way). They wait until the camera adjusts the focus, usually emitting a characteristic squeak (if it doesn’t, read below “focus modes” in the same chapter. You can throw away the camera, if anything, a little later).
- keeping the button pressed halfway so that the focus remains locked, frame the frame as necessary. For example, so that the subject of shooting is in the upper right corner.
- press the shutter button all the way. Get a professional photo.
In the second option, you select a small zone consisting of SEVERAL points. And now you move it in the viewfinder. It turns out that the focus is caught not by one point, but by a kind of trap for the point. This method is called "group dynamic autofocus"
The third method is for the most courageous - you “give over to the camera” the entire autofocus area, and it itself searches for the object closest to itself and focuses on it. This method has a “simple” name “autofocus with dynamic focus selection and closest subject priority.”
That's all I wanted to tell you about focusing zones. But this is not the end of the photo lesson. In order to completely confuse you, they also came up with focusing modes. Although those villains who invented them sincerely believed that they were doing a good and useful thing.
Focus Modes
When I talked about focusing zones, I was answering the question “WHERE will focusing happen?” Now I will tell you about HOW it will work.
Let's try to figure it out in order. There are three focusing modes: tracking, single-frame and manual (who would have thought, but sometimes you need that too!).
This is what the focus mode switch might look like.
When should you use single-frame focusing?
Single-frame focusing, in my personal opinion, is the most advanced and simplest type of focusing. Usually it is included by default in digital cameras. It works as follows.
First option. You press the shutter button halfway, not all the way. The camera focuses on the subject. It beeps and BLOCKS focus. That is, it doesn’t change it anymore. After that, you can (holding the button halfway) move the frame in the direction you want and take a photo.
A friend of mine who often shoots with his favorite point-and-shoot camera in clubs has encountered a problem - many club rooms are too dark and autofocus does not work there. He solves this problem in the following way. He looks for something in the illuminated area of the club that is approximately the same distance as the object he wants to photograph. Focuses on a "bright object",locks autofocus, moves the camera to a dark place and takes a photo.
The second option is even simpler. Simply select your subject and press the shutter button all the way down. The camera focuses and immediately takes a photo.
As I said, this is the most commonly used focusing method. It is the most accurate and is suitable for shooting stationary and inactive objects.
When should you use focus tracking?
Focus tracking is useful for shooting moving subjects. In fact, the camera is TRYING ( keyword) keep a moving object in focus. That is, the focusing motor works constantly and changes the focal length. But how he does it depends on where you are shooting, and on what kind of object it is, and at what speed it is moving. And, of course, from the camera itself. This option can be useful when you take several photos in a row (or perform burst shooting).
AF tracking mode starts when you press the shutter button halfway. While you press it, the camera tries to keep the subject in focus. When you press the button, he will take a photo. If you let go, it will stop working.
When to use manual focus.
It’s clear how manual focusing works - manually, my dear friend, manually! Turn the focus ring or wheel, or pull the lever. Here are the cases when it should be used.
1. A small amount of light.
It's clear why. The camera itself does not see what to focus on - it is dark. Many cameras have an autofocus illuminator, which is designed to help with focusing, but it often fails.
2. Photos in motion.
Typically, tracking autofocus is needed to shoot moving subjects. But, if he can’t cope and doesn’t keep up with the object, then you can do the following. Using manual focus, adjust the camera to the place where the object is expected to appear. When he appeared in this place, the main thing was to press the shutter button in time.
3. Shooting a portrait or some planned complex composition.
When only a detail is in focus, it is often easier and more convenient to adjust the focus in manual mode.
4. Shooting through glass or mesh.
Well, everything is clear here. The camera doesn’t know that you need to shoot what’s behind the fence, and stubbornly focuses on the reflection in the glass or on the mesh. Therefore, you have to forcefully adjust the focus to objects “behind the glass”.
5. Macro photography.
I will not explain what this is as part of this photo tutorial. In a nutshell - shooting objects at a very close distance. So that they appear very large in the frame.
The camera does not always willingly and obediently focus at such short distances. Sometimes they don't focus at all. And with focusing zones, things are not so simple.
6. Photograph of the texture - a flat surface on which there are no contrasting areas.
The fact is that autofocus is based on color contrast. If you try to bring something that has a flat white surface (for example, a sheet of paper) to your eyes, you will easily notice that the eyes themselves begin to look for strokes, dashes, fibers - anything. Because the eye cannot focus on a truly monochromatic material. The same goes for the camera. The greater the contrast, the easier it is to focus (especially in difficult lighting). And if what you are shooting is something monochromatic and inexpressive, and also poorly lit, then the camera may simply not focus on it, and you will have to use manual focusing.
And finally. Each lens (or a camera with a lens, if they are indivisible “until death us do part”) has a minimum distance at which it can focus. That is, closer - the image in the photograph will already be blurred. You can find out this “critical” distance from your passport, from the scale on the lens...
Or experiment by trying to shoot, gradually decreasing the distance. By the way, it happens that the “passport” distance differs from the real one.
The maximum focusing distance is usually infinity. Moreover, it comes after a certain footage. That is. Up to, for example, one and a half meters it is necessary to adjust the focus. After one and a half meters - no longer. Anything beyond that will be sharp.
I've given you a lot of information about focusing. All of it applies to most SLR cameras. The designations may be different, but the meaning will remain the same. Cameras have different controls, the number of focus points, and the presence of modes, but the principle remains the same. I would advise you to practice a little various modes. Over time, you will choose without hesitation optimal mode. Well, when you become a professional photographer... Do you need it though? Wouldn't it be better to just be a person who takes beautiful photographs?
ISO and image quality, one of the most important parameters for a DSLR camera is correct setting mode and focusing method.
Nikon has a variety of options for how focusing works, with different combinations of focus modes and focus areas. Typically focusing on modern DSLRs Nikon cameras occurs when pressing the shutter button halfway, or by pressing the special AF-ON button.
Focus Modes:
'AF-S' or 'S' (Auto Focus Single)- focus mode cameras, in which the camera focuses while the shutter button is pressed halfway, and when successful focusing is achieved, it stops focusing. Once pressed, once focused. In camera instructions, the mode is often translated as ‘ Single-servo AF‘. To change the aiming accuracy, you need to release the button and press again. The mode is suitable for static scenes.
Focus mode switch to . The same is available on cameras, D1, D2, etc.
'AF-C' or 'C' (Auto Focus Continuous)- tracking continuous (long-term) automatic focusing mode of the camera (in instructions it is often translated as ‘ Continuous-servo AF‘). When you press the shutter button halfway, the camera constantly tries to focus correctly. Press the button and the camera constantly monitors focus. A very useful mode when shooting subjects move or the composition changes.
This is how the focusing mode is selected on cameras like D4
AF-A (Auto Focus Automatic)- automatic focus mode selection cameras. In this mode, the camera can choose to operate in AF-S or AF-C mode. Basically, all amateurs shoot in AF-A mode and often do not even suspect the presence of other modes. I noticed that the mode AF-A often behaves like AF-S mode.
AF (auto focus)— general autofocus mode. The mode is turned on on the camera itself, and should not be confused with the ‘A’ mode on the lens itself.
AF focus mode switch (lever) on the camera
M.F.(manual focusing)- manual focusing cameras. The mode is activated using the camera menu. Typically, only focusing has this mode. In this mode, you need to manually rotate the focus ring on the lens to achieve correct focusing. On the one hand: manual focusing can be difficult for beginners, on the other hand: it A vital focusing method for advanced photographers and professionals. Manual focusing on the central control lens is one of the serious advantages over conventional digital cameras (soap cameras). Very often the automatic camera and lens cannot determine how to focus correctly and to achieve optimal focusing it is enough to switch to manual mode and manually tell the camera to focus accurately.
Focus mode switch using the Nikon D5100 camera menu
M (M - manual focusing) — manual focus on the lens or on the camera. Same as MF. Attention: Not all lenses have a focus mode switch, for example, a lens does not have any focus switches at all. Important: in order to switch to MF manual focus mode with a lens that does not have a focus mode switch, you need to switch the focus lever on the focusing camera to ; Only MF mode with such a lens will always be available on the focusing camera. Different types of lenses and cameras are described in detail in the section.
A (Auto)- auto focus mode lens. In this position of the lens focus switch, only automatic focusing using the lens is available. Attention: Not all lenses have such a focus switch; for example, the switch on the lens is shown below.
M/A (autofocus with manual override)- automatic focusing lens with priority of manual control. Attention: Not all lenses have this focusing mode; the example below shows the switch on the lens. This mode involves automatic focusing with instant manual focus adjustment, and the lens does not need to be switched to the 'M' focusing mode. You can read more about this mode.
AF-F ( Full Time Servo Auto Focus) — constantly tracking focus mode for shooting video. Attention: This focus mode is only available on modern cameras with video recording capabilities. This mode does not work when taking photographs. Usually you can't find the mode in the menu AF-F, it is only available in Live View mode when entering the info menu. This is a very useful mode, it allows you to record video with constant auto focus. This mode is only available in cameras starting from .
Important: due to the fact that all Nikon central control systems have different controls and different menus, each camera switches focus modes differently. In general, M, AF, S, C is responsible for selecting the focus mode switch near the lens mount for focusing and settings in the menu of the camera itself. For non-motorized cameras, focus mode selection is performed only through the camera menu. Various setting combinations for different types cameras are shown in the diagrams above.
Damn important: if you are using a focusing camera, and there is a lens on it with automatic focusing but focusing and without a focus mode switch on the lens itself, for example, a combination (camera) and a lens (without a focusing motor and without a focusing mode switch) - for manual focusing you must switch lever near the camera mount to the 'M' position, otherwise when focusing manually the camera may be damaged.
A number of Nikon cameras have a built-in rangefinder (focus indicator in the viewfinder). The rangefinder in the viewfinder can tell you in which direction you need to turn the focusing ring on the lens to achieve the correct focus. The rangefinder works with both automatic and manual focusing. There are rangefinders in cameras, etc. In general, on old lenses that could not focus automatically, there is a special focusing scale on which the distances to the focusing object are indicated. It’s a pity that when using old optics on younger Nikon cameras, the rangefinder refuses to work. With manual optics, the rangefinder only works on older Nikon cameras.
On any Nikon digital camera, the green circle in the viewfinder in the lower left corner of the viewfinder is responsible for the accuracy of focusing at the selected focus point. When it lights up, it means that the sharpness at the selected point is normal. The green dot is an indispensable assistant when working with old class lenses and the like, such as
Advanced cameras have fine tuning focusing operation: Release priority and Focus priority in AF-C and AF-S modes.
Typically in AF-C mode the following options are available:
- FPS frequency - the shutter release is more important to the camera than focusing accuracy, this is called Release priority
- FPS+AF frequency - the shutter speed is more important to the camera, but it also takes into account focusing accuracy (not available on all cameras)
- Focus - The most important thing for a camera is focus, not shooting speed.
Using the priority setting, you can set what is more important when shooting - focusing and then releasing the shutter, or releasing the shutter and ignoring focusing. I set AF-S priority to focus priority mode, AF-C to shutter priority mode.
Important Note:
Live View
Live View allows you to turn a complex SLR camera into a regular point-and-shoot camera, that is, you can focus (take photographs) using the large display of the camera itself, and not through the optical viewfinder (eye). In Live View mode, focusing is based on contrast. This method much slower than normal focusing through an optical viewfinder. Moreover, the difference in focusing speed in Live View mode and through the optical viewfinder can be tens of times. Some cameras have two focus modes in Live View. The first is “tripod” focusing, it is done as with ordinary digital cameras(dichotomous, by contrast). Secondly, you can frame the frame using Live View, but when you press the shutter button to focus, the camera turns off Live View mode, focuses through the normal focusing system, and then turns on Live View mode again or takes a photo. A simple description of how Live View works can be found in Dmitry Evtifeev’s blog.
Settings are responsible for working with focus points AF-area mode.
- Automatic (auto-area AF), indicated as a white rectangle. Focuses on the nearest subject using all available points.
- Dynamic (dynamic-area AF), focusing works only on one point, but takes into account information from nearby points
- Single Point AF, focusing is performed on only one point.
- Additional: 3D tracking, or selecting several zones. Such settings are not available on all cameras and are often sub-functions of dynamic focus area selection.
Important:
It is very convenient to configure the focus area method selection for amateur and advanced amateur cameras using a programmable key (as I did on). This will allow you to very quickly switch between single-point focusing, automatic zone selection, dynamic mode, 3D tracking, etc. Professional and flagship Nikon cameras have a special zone switch, which simplifies working with professional equipment.
Attention:
in manual focus mode (M, MF), focusing is available only on one focus point.
Important:
A number of cameras can show in the image which point or group of points was focused on. When viewing a photo, you can activate a mode in which the focus points will be indicated by squares. This mode is supported only by professional cameras of the type, and all are full frame. This is convenient because when setting up a quick preview of a photo at a scale of 1 to 1, the scaling is done exactly at the focusing point at which the shooting was performed. This allows you to very quickly check and select good sharp images. On advanced amateur and amateur cameras, to see if focusing is correct, you should hold down the image zoom button, and then use the selector to find the area in the image where you focused. If your camera does not have a function that shows which point was focused, you can use the ViewNX program that comes with the camera. The focus points can be displayed on the computer display. Sometimes this is very useful. In the example photos, I just copied the work of the ViewNX 2 program.
Important:
ViewNX only shows focus points on the computer when the photo was taken in AF-A, AF-S, AF-C modes with focus priority. If AF-S, AF-C mode with shutter priority is selected, the program will show focus points only if the camera was confident that focus was correct.
Important:
Not all Nikon cameras allow you to change the focus area and type when using automatic modes(green mode). IN modes P, A, S, M everything can be customized to your taste.
“Loop focus points” function
This function simply allows you to move the focus point in a circle, thus looping it. When the rightmost point is selected, pressing the selector right will move the focus point to the leftmost position. This function simply allows you to speed up the work when focusing on one point.
Wide and standard focus area
Some cameras allow you to select a wide focus area as opposed to a normal focus area. A wide focus area reduces the number of focus points (zones). For example, with 11 focus points, 7 wide zones are created. Optically, in viewfinders, the zones will be larger in size than the dots. This sometimes makes working with the camera easier.
Focus adjustment (adjustment)
Sometimes the lens may malfunction and focus behind the subject (back) or in front of the subject (front) of focus. People call this lack of lenses back focus, front focus (back and front focus). Some cameras can adapt to the “wrong” lens. To do this, you need to find the focus adjustment in the camera and correct the focus. Only Nikon D300, Nikon D4 have adjustments
Single point focusing using Nikon D2Xs camera
Cross-shaped focus points (sensors) vs regular focus points
No matter how much I used single-point focusing, I did not find a difference in the quality of focusing using a cross-shaped point and a regular focusing point. Basically, they say that cross-shaped focus points (sensors) are much better at focusing than regular points. It is generally accepted that cross-shaped focus points cope better with scenes like 'wires against the sky'.
Focus illumination
Nikon cameras have a special light bulb that helps focus in dark conditions. The light bulb simply illuminates the subject of focus and autofocus makes focusing easier. In AF-C mode, the illuminator may not turn on. The focus illuminator is often called a “spotlight” and is recommended to be turned off. Personally, I have the backlight turned off, but in poor lighting conditions I use the flash, which has its own "red spotlight" with a long range. More details about the flash spotlight in the photo tricks section, here
Lately, my blog has required huge expenses for maintenance and filling with new materials. You help me a lot when you use any external links, located on Radozhiva.
Conclusions:
Learning how to navigate focusing modes will help you achieve the desired result more accurately and quickly. I highly recommend experimenting with the focus modes and areas on your camera.
The material was prepared by Arkady Shapoval.
The autofocus system settings of the Canon EOS 70D are not as rich as those of the top models of the line, although they overlap with them in many ways (even in the sense of the design of the corresponding menu pages), but in any case they remain very, very advanced for an amateur-level camera, which is the 70D. Therefore, we considered it appropriate to dedicate a separate review page to talk about them.
|
|
Mode manual selection. One AF point works, you can select it either with dials (the navpad dial moves the point up/down, and the front control dial moves left/right) or with four navpad buttons. In the menu you can set whether the movement will be closed in a circle or not. In the “zonal” autofocus option, you manually specify a group of several points, and further refinements are made by the camera’s automation. There are five possible group options - nine dots in the center, or four dots on the right, bottom, left and top. It is in this order that they are cycled through – both with the navigation pad buttons and with both dials. It’s a little strange that only such strictly defined positions of the group are possible, and that you cannot move the group one point at a time in different directions, but that’s how it is. |
The Tracking Sensitivity setting determines how quickly the camera will react to and switch to a new subject that comes into focus.
|
| |
 |  |
 |
|
|
The Accelerate/Slow Track setting allows you to set how sensitive it is to track objects that change speed suddenly and dramatically, and that may stop and then start moving again. |
 |  |
Choosing a priority in burst mode - whether to take a photo immediately when you press the shutter button, or still focus carefully - is found in many cameras, but in the Canon EOS 70D this can be done independently for the first frame in the series and for the second (and subsequent) frames . In addition, you can set the compromise value “Equal priority” (this is what is shown in the screenshots), rather than giving unconditional priority to the release or focusing.
|
|
|
The fifth page is dedicated to the autofocus system illumination. Sixth – the camera’s persistence in achieving a positive focusing result. The “Do not continue” option is advisable when using telephoto lenses - in fruitless attempts to find focus, their lenses may move too far, and focusing on the next frame will take a longer time.
|
|
The seventh page specifies which of the AF area selection options will be used as they are cycled through, and the eighth page determines how this selection will be made - by successive button presses, or by pressing the button once and then rotating the dial.
|
|
|
You can set different autofocus modes for horizontal (landscape) and vertical (portrait) camera orientations. To do this, the “Different AF points” item must be enabled in the menu. More precisely, there are even three options - two vertical orientations, with the handle up and with the handle down (although, I must admit, I have not met any serious photographers who would hold the camera in this way, but still). Both the selection mode (single-point, zone, automatic) and a specific point (or zone) within this mode are specified. A very useful feature. |
Extremely flexible settings for AF point illumination - both on the monitor and in the optical viewfinder.
|
|
If we talk about the autofocus speed of the Canon EOS 70D, we first of all note that it has increased significantly in the Live View mode, thanks to the new hybrid autofocus system with phase sensors built into each cell of the matrix. True, autofocus is fast by the standards of a DSLR camera; the best of mirrorless cameras have long learned to focus much faster.
The usual “mirror” phase detection autofocus was not affected and remained very fast, as we expect from a Canon DSLR.
In order not to be unfounded, here is a video illustrating the autofocus operation of the Canon EOS 70D with the EF-S 18-135/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. A series of quick refocuses are performed from a close object (window frame) to a distant one (a brick wall of a house). First, the “live view” mode is Live View, we see the image on the camera monitor. Next are similar refocuses in normal shooting mode with phase detection autofocus. In this case, the image is not displayed on the monitor; performance can be judged by the sound confirmation of autofocus operation.
Widget from FS
