Centrepoint focus and recompose - the only viable option?

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In the 7 or so years I've been into digital photography I've always used this method. It seems like the ideal and natural solution - the speed and accuracy of auto focus with the control of manual.

From my own limited experience I really can't see how anything else could come close - I know those who prefer to manually focus whinge about AF; and I can see why when you've got 9+ focus points and have to somehow expect the camera to read your thoughts as to where you want it to focus - to me this seem absurdly hit and miss..

Not that I'd ever consider shifting from focus and recompose for the vast bulk of my shooting, but am I being blinkered or unfair? How do people find the use of all AF points at the camera's discretion - does it usually hit the right spot? Which method do the majority of forum users prefer?
 
af dosnt mean you have to let the camera chose the focus point, its far easier to choose the focus point position and leave af on, this way it won't jump about and instead will focus on where you want so long as that red square is over what you wish to focus on

Id never dream of letting the camera chose the focus point.
 
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tamphotography said:
af dosnt mean you have to let the camera chose the focus point, its far easier to choose the focus point position and leave af on, this way it won't jump about and instead will focus on where you want so long as that red square is over what you wish to focus on

Id never dream of letting the camera chose the focus point.
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Exactly this... always select the closest focal point manually and then use auto focus to nail it via that point.

Using centre and recompose will run people in to all sorts of issues when shooting at f/1.4 and the like due to such shallow focal planes
 
Thanks chaps - I appreciate that you can designate other AF focus points in preference to the centre point; but I've never really seen the need.

That said I suppose your approach is dictated largely by what you're shooting - I like street and candid, so speed and versatility are the key considerations, plus (until this morning) my kit was always crop bodies with nowt faster than f/1.8.. so perhaps the dof was always sufficient to hide any focus errors.

I can see how one might wish to designate an alternative focus point if speed was of less importance and / or the composition was less variable.

Anyway, I think I'll stick with centrepoint focus / recompose since I've just bought a 5DII; which isn't renowned for the ideal distribution and performance of it's outer AF points :p
 
tbm said:
so perhaps the dof was always sufficient to hide any focus errors.
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You're right, if you've got enough DOF to allow for you moving and your subject moving in the moment you've recomposed, its fine.

I shoot wide open pretty much all the time, so focus recompose doesn't work at all for me. :)
 
tbm said:
Thanks chaps - I appreciate that you can designate other
That said I suppose your approach is dictated largely by what you're shooting - I like street and candid, so speed and versatility are the key considerations,
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its just practice dude, see the image as you bring the camera up you can change the focus point position, do it enough and you know how many clicks it takes for certain positions, meaning by the time you bring you camera up to you eye it will be in the right spot,

This is what i do, as a press photographer and speed is key, and if you want to change it you can with your eyes still at the view finder, practice makes perfect
 
treeman said:
You're right, if you've got enough DOF to allow for you moving and your subject moving in the moment you've recomposed, its fine.

I shoot wide open pretty much all the time, so focus recompose doesn't work at all for me. :)
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That's fair - I like to shoot wide open too, but with modestly fast lenses and crop sensors I suspect I largely get away with it :lol:

tamphotography said:
its just practice dude, see the image as you bring the camera up you can change the focus point position, do it enough and you know how many clicks it takes for certain positions, meaning by the time you bring you camera up to you eye it will be in the right spot,

This is what i do, as a press photographer and speed is key, and if you want to change it you can with your eyes still at the view finder, practice makes perfect
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Cheers - never considered this approach but I can't argue given your line of work :p

Looks like you're one or two (!) steps head of me in the skillz department, but I'll give it a try - perhaps it'll be come a necessity for sharp shots with full frame.

In the meantime, I feel a trig based re-composition focus error spreadsheet coming on :D
 
ajax_andy said:
Exactly this... always select the closest focal point manually and then use auto focus to nail it via that point.

Using centre and recompose will run people in to all sorts of issues when shooting at f/1.4 and the like due to such shallow focal planes
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I was about to post something similar. Focus recompose is great when you have enough depth of field to "play with" but there are two problems you can and will encounter at some point:

-Blurred photos due to the DOF shifting when you move the camera to recompose
-Field curvature causing the image to go soft and distorted when you recompose

Can't really do anything about either but a good AF system is invaluable tbh. I use to own an shoot with a canon 5D mk ii and loved the camera but hated the AF system in it. My keep rate wasn't great due to missing focus often enough with the two aforementioned points, yet my keep rate with my D3 (far better AF system) is great and only declines when I'm not on the ball, instead of the camera's fault.
 
IIRC, a few high end Canon FSLRs used to have eye-controlled AF points - the camera detected where the user was looking and selected that AF point as the one to use. Do any of their DSLRs still have this feature and (indeed) was it any good or just another marketing man's bright idea?
 
I've got an EOS 50e I use for film, the 'e' is for Eye Control. I've read some reports that its was pretty good, but you have to calibrate it for your eye, to be honest I doubt I'll ever bother. I guess feedback wasn't good, as I haven't heard of any of their DSLRs using Eye Control.

I have used focus/recompose for the longest time, with single point AF. Coincidentally, this weekend I started using the focus points 'properly' as I have noticed I miss focus occasionally, and I wonder if it's as a result of focus/recompose (although I rarely shoot wider than f4 with my lens selection, so it's been less of an issue for me).
 
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What has happened over the last 20yrs is that Auto focus is fitted to just about all cameras.As a result it is seen as the default position and manual focus is seen as some sort of add on for difficult situations.I have only had an auto focus camera for 3yrs the other 35yrs + I used manual focus cameras.Certainly as far as I am concerned manual focus is the default position it is infinitely far more controllable than any auto focus system.Auto focus does not work properly under a lot of circumstances when manual does.Some people use the Back Button system with auto focus due to the fact that it keeps the camera a manual focus camera until the Back Button is pressed.That still has it's failings though.
What can be said though is that the development of auto focus for certain subjects has been of great benefit such as action sports where one hand is freed up to operate the zoom ring.But it is subject dependent, on a static subject at least, manual is superior by far.It is just a question of what is being photographed.
It is unfortunate that the manufactures are doing things to cameras that cause problems for manual focusing.The fact that there are very few split screen focus cameras now and that even if you can get a split screen the cameras are designed in such a way that if a lens faster then f2.8 is fitted like a f1.4 there is no increase in brightness through the viewfinder.:cool:
 
If shooting moving stuff I'll use a more appropriate focus point complete with AFC and BBF. but I always choose, the camera never does. I prefer manually focussing but with the comparatively poor viewfinders in most DSLRs it's not a lot of fun with things that aren't perfectly still.
 
I focus and recompose with my Leica stuff but I have no choice with that as that is where the rangefinder patch is. No problems shooting at f1.5 with that.

With my 7D the little joystick on the back makes moving the AF point simple so I use that when shooting with the DSLR.
 
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