Do you have a default AF Mode?

Mike410

Suspended / Banned
Messages
134
Name
Mike
Edit My Images
No
Hi guys,

Do you keep your AF mode set to One shot, AI Focus, or AI Servo as a default and change according to what you are shooting?

If you dont have time to change the AF Mode what is the best mode to have it in?

Would AI Focus be best as it covers both still and moving subjects?

Thanks,

Mike
 
i use ai servo with back button focusing enabled (not sure if the 500d has this feature). it lets me track a moving subject by keeping the af button pressed in, or alternatively just a quick press to lock focus on a stationary subject. it seems to be working for me up till now so i'll stick with it untill i find a better way
 
What lexie said.. Back button focus and ai
servo always. Never looked back though I wouldn't mind visual confirmation
 
Do you have a default AF Mode?

this is almost impossible to have a few ezamples below

Ai servo is for focusing on moving objects where as one shot is more used for objects that dont move or you need to find a focus point then reframe a shot

so example

football / motoracing would more than likley be Ai servo

for still life and models it would be one shot especially for models as a example you would focus on the eye then reframe the shot that way getting a nice crisp focus , if you were to use ai servo on this and lets say it tracked your movement (subject ) you could end up focusing on a complete diffrent part of the body and it would focu there and can put the rest of the picture out


so each variation to what you are doing is diffrent
 
Last edited:
in Nikon speak, I use the AF auto mode as a default (let it choose servo or not) with 3D tracking and the center point lit up by default. That works for general purpose shooting. I also have it on aperture priority, stopped down a stop. I leave it like this for quick shooting. If I am shooting something specific, then I alter the settings to be specific.

thanks,
rick
 
Same as a couple of the others, Back button and AI, best of both worlds.
 
can some one correct me here but isnt back button only a lock button and does nothing but and ai servo tracks a item with your movment ???

which to me for portraits and still life will work but not guaranteed to be focused correctly at the original point if you move the camera

i just cant see how this is best of both worlds it simply isnt

can some one please tell me if i am wrong here
 
To clarify Alex.....
Focus operates the same whether it's on the shutter release or the AF-on button (other functions associated with the two buttons will vary with CFn settings)
In single shot then you can press, release and recompose.
In AI servo, press and hold will track. Press and release will cease tracking at the time you release the button.

Bob
 
To clarify Alex.....
Focus operates the same whether it's on the shutter release or the AF-on button (other functions associated with the two buttons will vary with CFn settings)
In single shot then you can press, release and recompose.
In AI servo, press and hold will track. Press and release will cease tracking at the time you release the button.

Bob

thank bob i can see what the previous post are on about now :thumbs:

i didnt realise that if you release on ai servo it would still be locked on but i suppose only at the point if you were to move itwould act in the same way one shot does so having the back lock and ai servo can be very usefull but it is just rembmering to release the finger once locked
 
Last edited:
AI Servo and back button focus. I really prefer manual focus, but my eyes struggle a bit with the small VF in a crop camera. I pull out my F2/FM now and again, to see what a real VF looks like!
 
What sort of situation are you talking about? Are you looking at general walk around with the possibility of shooting anything?

I always use AF Single and centre point..... apart from when shooting sports/wildlife when it is on rear focus and AF is taken off of the shutter release. It is a 2 second job to switch between Single and Servo so I've yet to find a need and Single is much more accurate for stationary subjects, especially when using fast glass resulting in shallow DOF.
 
My answer is.
Two sets of custom functions (Canon 1D mkIV)
one for walk around/general
the other for sports/wildlife (moving subjects)
Davol
 
Back
Top