Coz
Reged: 02/04/2002
Posts: 403
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What would be the best focus mode and area mode to use in this situation? When I'm taking portraits of kids and I shoot one after the other (not on continuous, on single frame), if I don't focus on the subject each time and they move, it comes out focused on the background. I have it on AF-S and single area. Should I have it on AF-A and dynamic area if I'm going to shoot one after the other without focusing inbetween shots? I had it on AF-A before, but changed it to AF-S, for some reason.
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Lounge Lizard
Old Wrinkly
Reged: 17/01/2004
Posts: 17885
Loc: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
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I always use centre-spot focus, focus on the subject's eye, keep the shutter button half-depressed and then re-frame and shoot. I seldom like the camera making decisions for me in situations like this because it often gets it wrong.
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Lounge Lizard
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
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Benchista
Wich Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 37888
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
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Quote:
I always use centre-spot focus, focus on the subject's eye, keep the shutter button half-depressed and then re-frame and shoot. I seldom like the camera making decisions for me in situations like this because it often gets it wrong.
How do you know if you never give it the chance? 
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Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
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Terrywoodenpic
A whiff of silicon...
Reged: 21/01/2006
Posts: 370
Loc: Saddleworth UK
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Most experienced photographers give all new options a try when they are introduced.
However many new exposure and focus introductions are intended to be aids for novices.
Though I expect there are times when even ancient photographers like myself say "what the hell" and set auto everything. To be honest the strike rate is very good.... but almost never perfect.
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63 happy photo years from amateur to professional and back to amateur
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beejaybee
Marvin
Reged: 18/07/2007
Posts: 4982
Loc: Really Here In Name Only
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Quote:
Quote:
I seldom like the camera making decisions for me in situations like this because it often gets it wrong.
How do you know if you never give it the chance?
Isn't this the sort of issue that "face detection" was designed to combat? If so then it's practically an admission that the existing modes weren't adequate.
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beejaybee
Marvin
Reged: 18/07/2007
Posts: 4982
Loc: Really Here In Name Only
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Quote:
Though I expect there are times when even ancient photographers like myself say "what the hell" and set auto everything.
Not me, I understand manual mode, trying to use automatics means I end up frustrated thinking "how the **** do I get this **** thing to do "X"" when working manually I just set what I want. And when I get it wrong it's my fault, not some anonymous bunch of software writers (probably in Bangalore) who I can't take any sort of action against.
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Benchista
Wich Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 37888
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
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Probably. I actually work the same way as David - I know I don't know if it works properly or not because I've never tried it because I don't think it's going to work properly.
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Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
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Lounge Lizard
Old Wrinkly
Reged: 17/01/2004
Posts: 17885
Loc: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
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Quote:
Quote:
I always use centre-spot focus, focus on the subject's eye, keep the shutter button half-depressed and then re-frame and shoot. I seldom like the camera making decisions for me in situations like this because it often gets it wrong.
How do you know if you never give it the chance?
I have tried it several times and know that it doesn't do what I want, reliably. I'm not anti-automation. In fact, automation is a good thing because it lets us concentrate more on the composition rather than the technicalities. I'm just against making that the assumption that the camera is always right in auto mode.
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Lounge Lizard
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
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Lounge Lizard
Old Wrinkly
Reged: 17/01/2004
Posts: 17885
Loc: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
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Quote:
To be honest the strike rate is very good.... but almost never perfect.
Like with satnav, it's mostly useful but still needs intelligence on the part of the user to know whether the answer it provides is good and to take appropriate action when it's not.
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Lounge Lizard
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
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Coz
Reged: 02/04/2002
Posts: 403
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Quote:
I always use centre-spot focus, focus on the subject's eye, keep the shutter button half-depressed and then re-frame and shoot. I seldom like the camera making decisions for me in situations like this because it often gets it wrong.
That's what I do too. Focus on one eye. And I usually focus before each shot. But I tried shooting one after the other, thinking they would all be in focus like the first, but obviously they weren't.
So what do I set it to if I want shoot continiously and the subject moves out of the little square in the middle that I've used to focus on?
Edited by Coz (24/04/2008 18:12)
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Nod
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 08/04/2006
Posts: 4335
Loc: Devon, UK.
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Stun.
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MATWSIJ.....
To avoid being offended, please insert apropriate smiley.
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Terrywoodenpic
A whiff of silicon...
Reged: 21/01/2006
Posts: 370
Loc: Saddleworth UK
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Two options use manual focus or keep the finger half pressed.
on single shot it will not refocus unless you let the shutter release right up.
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63 happy photo years from amateur to professional and back to amateur
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Coz
Reged: 02/04/2002
Posts: 403
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Quote:
Stun.
Pardon?
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Coz
Reged: 02/04/2002
Posts: 403
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Quote:
Two options use manual focus or keep the finger half pressed.
on single shot it will not refocus unless you let the shutter release right up.
So after I've taken a photo, instead of taking my finger right off it, I just let it up half way? That might be a bit difficult. What if I put it on continuous? If I left it on the focus settings I have it on, would I still get the same problem on continous mode?
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Nod
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 08/04/2006
Posts: 4335
Loc: Devon, UK.
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Quote:
Quote:
Stun.
Pardon?
Sorry - my warped sense of humour!
For subjects that refuse to sit still for more than 1 second at a time, I always set my phaser to "stun". Any higher than that and parents start throwing things at me.
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MATWSIJ.....
To avoid being offended, please insert apropriate smiley.
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Coz
Reged: 02/04/2002
Posts: 403
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Oh right, LOL.
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zx9
old hand
Reged: 22/06/2007
Posts: 1041
Loc: London
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How about using a slightly smaller aperture to give a little more DOF and more room for focus error.
I would go with one of the fixed focus points as above, at least you can predict where the camera is going to focus. If you are shooting in portrait oriantion use the focus point closest to the eyes. If the lighting is reasonably constant set the exposure to manual, a bit of under exposure can be more easily sorted in the computer than an out of focus image.
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ZX9 (Keith)  
My Flickr Pictures
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Terrywoodenpic
A whiff of silicon...
Reged: 21/01/2006
Posts: 370
Loc: Saddleworth UK
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Quote:
Quote:
Two options use manual focus or keep the finger half pressed.
on single shot it will not refocus unless you let the shutter release right up.
So after I've taken a photo, instead of taking my finger right off it, I just let it up half way? That might be a bit difficult. What if I put it on continuous? If I left it on the focus settings I have it on, would I still get the same problem on continuous mode?
The problem a you set it out is badly served by the camera designers.
If you put it on continuous as far as I know it will try to refocus... it seems to me there needs to be a button to hold focus. As it Is, I usually just re focus and re frame again.
Though it might be worth experimenting to see if it dose indeed refocus during fast burst.
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63 happy photo years from amateur to professional and back to amateur
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Coz
Reged: 02/04/2002
Posts: 403
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I've found the answer to my problem! If I focus on what I want, then re-compose, then hold the AE lock button down, then take the photo, I can take one after the other without having to re-focus on the subject. It still comes out in focus, even if the little square is on the background and it doesn't try to focus.
I'm suprised no one thought of this.
Edited by Coz (27/04/2008 16:26)
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Terrywoodenpic
A whiff of silicon...
Reged: 21/01/2006
Posts: 370
Loc: Saddleworth UK
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Quote:
I've found the answer to my problem! If I focus on what I want, then re-compose, then hold the AE lock button down, then take the photo, I can take one after the other without having to re-focus on the subject. It still comes out in focus, even if the little square is on the background and it doesn't try to focus.
I'm suprised no one thought of this.
Very Strange ...
The AE lock is only supposed to hold exposure.
Not Focus.
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63 happy photo years from amateur to professional and back to amateur
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