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.
This is arguably the best series on photography on YouTube
Hi Mark, How and what auto focus point to set for a group photo ?
Amazing video. This is what I was looking for
an excellent video. good wishes and thanks.
Can we set multiple auto focus points???
Thanks very much Mark. Was using my camera for some time now but this was a really good tip. thanks to this DP1O1 I have learnt more than through few years of reading photography magazines.
got one another expert tip 🙂
The "rules" say not to center your subject. yet camera companies base their focus points in the center of the frame. How much more difficult would it be be to simply put extra focus points at the "rule of thirds" points as well as the central areas of the frame?
That was so helpful mark, i have Nikon L120, though it has an auto focus settings but i am not exactly getting the auto focused image that i wanted. sometimes i get but sometimes not, your help would be much appreciated. Thanks for the tutorial though.
your videos are very helpful!! Thank you!
How did you get the auto focus point to show up in your video?
I'm not Mark 🙂
But those points would serve you when using the full auto focus mode, where all the points are selected and the camera chooses intelligently. And they would also be useful when choosing the nearest auto focus point to your object to recompose , not necessarily the centre point. The focus points also have some impact on the metering system by the way. They are there for reasons 😀
Good snapping ..
Hi Mark,
What is the purpose of auto-focus points when it is also possible to compose your shot with a center focus and then re compose your shot?
Thankyou for a very informative video, this is very helpful
Why does the sony nex 6 zoom in while manual focusing ? Please let me know why?
Great video!!! Quick question it seems this method is very good for portrait, landscape, etc but what about street photography? Should I then depend on the cameras AF? Or maybe a person whose really used to using the manual focus points what still be fast enough to get those crucial shots
Instead of selecting a focus point near to where I want my image to be sharp, I got used to always using the (most sensitive) centre focus point to lock focus, recompose and shoot. But still you cleared up some things for me in this great video, thanks Mark.
Thanks. You explained it well and now I understand what he's talking about. thank u
He was talking about composition. Not always there will be AF point right where you want to put your focus on and with the composition that best suites your frame.
Therefore, he first selects the AF point closer to where he wants to put his focus on, recompose and then shoot.
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.
@bheboy923 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.
@BMHutchings 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.
more vids PLEASE!
thank you Mark for all your work. It is helping me understand my cameras. POVDOV
thank u very much i got what i want… thankx i learn so much things from u…
oeeeee i like Sam
Good video! One question: are autofocus points accessible with certain Nikon SLR series? Also, is there a way to focus on the entire body and not just the upper part?
Really good video!
Mark, if you normally focus and then recompose, then why would you bother changing your autofocus points?
do you sell these chicks on adorama store ?
Great video… Thanks for the help. Larry
personally i don't use multiple auto focus points. i simply focus right at the middle and then turn my camera to get the picture as i want to (it was pretty much the first tip right after coming back from the park)
I had never thought of the contrast playing into the auto-focus, thanks!
Learning from this video tutorial! Thank you!!! 🙂
Excellent video tutorial as always! Thank you Mark!
Is the video over exposed?
im plannin to buy 5d mark 2.. will the older focusing system disapoint me??