Which autofocus mode(s) and area(s) do you use?

[Matthias]

Hi all,

Last weekend I went on a trip to Algonquin where I photographed a moose in dens woods, it was very hard to get the focus correct and it got me thinking whether I was using the "best" settings.

The camera focussed on parts of the animal instead of the head and sometimes it would focus on a branch next to (or in front of) the animal. In retrospect, I could have used DMF to first use the autofocus and then finetune with manual focus to get it right. Obviously, since the moose wasn't particularly fast, this will not work for any animal.

I googled a bit and found following image, in case you have not seen it yet I will post it here:

On my camera I have 2 memory slots to save settings. One I have set for bigger/slower animals and one for moving and smaller animals. I do not have animal/bird eye autofocus so I have to rely on more old-fashioned focussing.

• For bigger and slower animals I use Small spot tracking focus (AF-C)
• For smaller and faster animals I use Wide tracking focus (AF-C)

Obviously, these settings are for wildlife and sports. When I take photos of e.g. landscapes, cityscapes, people, I use Small Spot that I can move around in the frame (in AF-C).

So I was wondering, which autofocus settings do you use in which circumstances (and why)?

 

[T N Args]

Thanks for the very interesting graphic. I will try to learn from it.

For your slow moose among branches, I would have started with AF-C and Spot:S. If the Spot:S area is too large, I would have then gone to AF-S and Center then pressed the Control Wheel Center Button for one of its two magnifications that give you pinpoint AF.

cheers

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

I only use 3 focus modes and all with AF-C, because I shoot wildlife in the main, and everything moves. However, I don't change it when shooting landscape either, because it makes no difference really. The modes I use are centre (90% of the time) Zone with tracking for small, fast birds, and centre with tracking for larger birds. I have been experimenting with expanded flexible spot with tracking, which locks on well but isn't quite as accurate in hitting focus.

 

[Brownie]

Anther variable is sensitivity. Set it too high and it can jump around from subject to subject, especially on the older cameras. 5 is better suited for an airshow or birds in the sky, lower settings seem to work best in the brush when you want it to stay locked on a bird instead of a branch.

I honestly can't recall the mode I use most on the A7 IV without the camera in front of me. Once I sorted out what worked I left it alone and stopped playing. Certainly AF-C, tracking, but I can't remember if it was flexible spot, medium, or what. Might be just medium spot. Whatever it is it works great.

The A7RIII is a different animal. It has a couple generations-old focusing algorithm. The 'Lock-On Wide' recommended by a Sony Ambassador who shall remain nameless is horse crap. I guess it was the best they had at the time. It can't decide what to focus on if there's anything else in the focus area that the camera thinks could be a subject. It will change form here to there. DEFINITELY not to be used with sensitivity set to anything higher than 3. Since that camera only tracks in one of the Lock-On modes, I've settled on medium...so far...we'll see.

Like Kev, I don't worry about switching it back for stationary objects, the camera doesn't care. The only pain in the butt is unintended bursts when it's in one of the custom modes on the dial.

 

[iamdlewis]

For the A1 which is always in AF-C the focus areas i use for BiF is wide for BiT is small spot and everything else is default medium spot bit generally changed for need. For the A7Riv for BiF I think it is center but really don't use it for that anymore, BiT small spot, everything else is most likely small spot.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Great idea for a thread!

@Matthias you and I have similar cameras, but I'm not sure if the a6400 has slightly updated autofocus.
Coming from a video-centric approach, I used to keep my camera in Wide and AF-C for everything. Now I do the following:
- People/events: ensure AF is set to Human eye AF, then Zone + AFC
- Pets/zoo: change AF to prioritize animal eye AF, then Zone + AFC
- Flowers: Center + AFS
- Scenery/landscape: manual

Sometimes, for subjects other than fast moving humans, if I get annoyed that the AF won't lock onto my intended subject, I just go directly to manual focusing. I have MF set to custom button C1 for that reason.

 

[Soundmike]

As a relatively new wildlife photographer and am still experimenting with my A9II ,sometimes reading or watching tutorials by certain experts can be bamboozling. Especially with Bird's in flight using wide I've found 50%reliable and from what I've tried so far,any of the tracking modes my success rate drops to about 25%. Must admit haven't tried Kevrianos centre with tracking so thanks for posting this information as I'm still on the learning curve.