Focusing - recomposing.

The23rdman

The23rdman

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Dean
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How many of you guys 'n' girls center focus and recompose and how many use the various focus points? Do you use a different method depending on how wide you're shooting? As a Canon user I feel limited and often find there is no point where I need it for wide open shooting.
 
I do a bit of both depending on what I'm shooting.

I tend to use the centre spot the large majority of the time but depending on the subject may select one of the outer points as required...

Approx 80% of my shooting is centre spot and recompose...
 
I normally use the centre AF point. Though when doing wide angle landscapes I usually manually set which AF points to use, then set the aperture based on how I want the DOF, and then compose. For wide angle city/street I usually use centre AF and recompose.

So the short answer is basically; it depends. :)
 
I tend not to stick to any point as such, although prefer when the centre point is used because of the cross type focus point (500D).

I sometimes focus and recompose if I've stopped the aperture down and increased the DOF to compensate for the focal plane shift (I think my thinking is right here lol)

However I'm unsure how much better the outer points are relative to a center point recompose and subsequent focal plane shift - presumably much better or else they would be pointless???


Andy
 
I focus/recompose nearly all the time, partly because it's easier than messing around with focus points and partly because the centre point sensor is more accurate. This is on a Canon 400d.

It only seems to to cause out of focus pictures when the subject is very close to the front of the lens, even at f1.4.
 
Sometimes, with wildlife especially, you don`t have time to recompose,it is gone before you have a chance. I tend to leave the camera set to centre spot focus and move it around with the thumb pad if time allows.
 
Centre point and recompose for me, too. As an aside, how many people use multiple focus points ? I don't think I have ever used it on my G1.
 
Various focus points for me. Some compromise is sometimes required when I just cant get one of the focus points to cover the intended focus point. Iain
 
I'm always moving focus points, rarely do I use the recompose method, but, and this is the important bit, I normally shoot wide open, and especially when you're doing headshots with an 85mm 1.4, recomposing, simply isn't an option :)
 
I always use the centre spot and recompose when shooting hand held, and a mixture of both when I'm using a tripod & shooting product shots.
 
Pretty much as said above, if shooting stopped down - focus and recompose. If shooting wide open - shift focus points. At wide apertures close up, FTR is guaranteed to muck up focus.
 
Depends how lazy I'm feeling. Wide angles when shooting anything that's not close-up, I use centre because I feel it doesn't really matter. For close-up stuff, especially on my 10.5mm @ f/2.8 then I generally use the relevant AF point.

When tripoded up on a long telephoto I use the relevant AF point
 
focus on fixed centre spot and recompose, or pre focus and lock. Cant see the point of loads of focus points, by the time you have moved it around the shot is long gone. OK maybe tripod mounted static subjects excluded.......
 
depends what i'm shooting. motorsports selected point, aviation centre, sports centre, club centre re compose.
 
I use centre point mostly when shooting birds as I usually have plenty of room to crop anyway.However, since getting the 7D, I am tending to use the outer AF points more as an aid to composition as they're all cross type and extremely reliable.
 
Dave Pickett said:
focus on fixed centre spot and recompose, or pre focus and lock. Cant see the point of loads of focus points, by the time you have moved it around the shot is long gone. OK maybe tripod mounted static subjects excluded.......
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Because when shooting wide open on a fast lens if you use the centre point then recompose your focus plane will not be where you thought it was as it has now moved! ;)

Edit:
Here's it explained... http://blog.duncandavidson.com/2008/09/focus-and-recompose-exposed.html
 
as has been said, all depends on the apeture, distance & time to get the shot. The focus points on my D90 are left unlocked just in case but i would say, centre + shift 70% of the time.
 
I always move the focus point to the nearest position to the point of focus I choose (e.g. the subject's eye in a portrait) before focusing. Bear in mind also that not all focus points on Nikon cameras are equal.
 
Centre & recompose most of the time for speed - but I totally agree with V8burble (post #17) as I too use the focus points when shooting wide open or basically where the DoF isn't sufficient that the subject won't have moved OoF

Often, during a Wedding ceremony, as the D300 has so many focus points I can compose the shot then choose a focus point on the Bride's face and without moving the camera then refocus on the Groom's face too - where centre focus would have them both well OoF but a nicely sharp shot of Aunt Doris in the background :D

DD
 
Single point focus on my d90.

Used to select the focus point as l didnt like using focus/exposure lock.

I'll still select the focus point if doing numerous portraits off centre though etc.

Since discovering 'back button focusing' I mostly use centre and recompose.... much easier and a big success rate unless using my lenses wide open at 1.8-2.8 etc close up.
 
The23rdman said:
This 's basically the problem and the main reason I'm thinking of switching to Nikon. The outer focus points on the 40D seem very unreliable.
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Try a Nikon that has 51pt 3D focussing - it's great. D3 - D700 - D300 - and probably other bodies too.
 
I can't get on with the 51 point 3d focusing, it seems to wander all over the place and I'm never sure whether it is in focus when I release the shutter - too late to find out after the moment has passed.
 
david357 said:
I can't get on with the 51 point 3d focusing, it seems to wander all over the place and I'm never sure whether it is in focus when I release the shutter - too late to find out after the moment has passed.
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I've heard that said a lot but I use it 95% of the time - and it just works for me. I focus on the subject in the centre of the frame - keep the AF on button pressed - with focus on 'C' of course - and move the camera to frame the shot or follow the subject and the focus point stays on the part of the subject where I placed it. Wonderful - very fast and reliable. I son't have time to change focus points manually on moving targets.
 
I've gone through an evolution with this particular subject.

I used to focus and recompose on the 5D but once I learned what I was doing to the focal plane I soon stopped! But I still got occasionally poor shots which I could only put down to the AF not nailing the focus. Then I got the 1Ds and with 51 point AF life at teh edges improved somewhat.

So when I decided to change to Nikon the 51 point AF was a big factor (along with ISO) and I have to say that I love it. I shift the focus point all the time now and did my first few shots with the 85mm f1.4 last week. Shot at f4 the eye that I had focus on is blindingly sharp. It's what I was missing!! Add 51 point AF to a tack sharp lens and I'm in heaven :) (Sad I know!)
 
Ali, do you mean you use all 51 points (I do), or do you use 51 point 3D tracking?

It's the 3D tracking I am not sure about.
 
Does nobody use that little twiddly bit on the lens that changes the focus? ;)

For me changing the focus points is too much of a faff. I will use the center point and when there is too much of a shift after re-composing I'll just correct with a tweak.
 
david357 said:
Ali, do you mean you use all 51 points (I do), or do you use 51 point 3D tracking?

It's the 3D tracking I am not sure about.
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I'd like to know this too. I know nothing about the tracking technology, but Nikon focusing sounds great to me.
 
dazzajl said:
Does nobody use that little twiddly bit on the lens that changes the focus? ;)

For me changing the focus points is too much of a faff. I will use the center point and when there is too much of a shift after re-composing I'll just correct with a tweak.
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That's all well and good if the subject isn't moving or is close enough to see properly and you have a lens which allows you to do so.
 
One of the reasons I'm off to look at a D700 today, feel like I can't trust the 5D to focus properly enough of the time. When it does focus it produces amazing shots, but the hit rate just isn't high enough for me. If I do swap I'll probably keep it as a back-up.

Edit: forgot to say, most of the time I pick a focus point, although somtimes I do stick with centre.
 
Ever since picking up my first slr I've picked a focus point that's most appropriate. Only recently have i started using focus and recompose for things like wedding group shots where I'm at a small enough apperture for the recomposing not to affect focus.

TBH - I'm rubbish at focus/recompose and find selecting the best focus point manually to be much more intuitive. Probably makes me a freak but that's me!!

David - the 51pt 3D auto tracking is too automatic (ie prone to error) for my liking - it may be suitable for moving subjects but I don't like it at all.
 
I focus and recompose if the angle I have to recompose by is not too great. if it is then I manually choose which focus point to use with the joystick button on the back. guess I've been allowing for the focal plane problem without thinking about it :)

My camera is always set to partial metering so the circle in the viewfinder is the metering area. This means if the scene needs it I tend to meter, AE lock and recompose as well.
 
Ryan, thanks, that's what I felt, then I thought that if Ali uses it .........

Lazlo - who is Ken? :thinking::thinking::thinking:
 
Just a few words here in favour of the 7D....

The 7D has 19 AF points and thery're all cross (+) type so all equally reliable. Additionally the centre AF point uses + and x when used with lenses of f 2.8 or larger.

When using all AF points with earlier Canon bodies, you've always had to obtain focus lock initially on moving subjects with the centre AF point only.Thereafter it will pass AF lock to any of the other AF points as the subject moves within the the pattern of AF points.

With the 7D, you can obtain that AF lock initially with ANY of the 19 AF points, and once focus lock is obtained it still passes AF to the other AF points, which is a big improvement with difficult moving subjects.

Add to that the fact that you can vary the number and pattern of active AF points and it's a pretty impressive AF system IMHO.
 
CT said:
Just a few words here in favour of the 7D....

The 7D has 19 AF points and thery're all cross (+) type so all equally reliable. Additionally the centre AF point uses + and x when used with lenses of f 2.8 or larger.

When using all AF points with earlier Canon bodies, you've always had to obtain focus lock initially on moving subjects with the centre AF point only.Thereafter it will pass AF lock to any of the other AF points as the subject moves within the the pattern of AF points.

With the 7D, you can obtain that AF lock initially with ANY of the 19 AF points, and once focus lock is obtained it still passes AF to the other AF points, which is a big improvement with difficult moving subjects.

Add to that the fact that you can vary the number and pattern of active AF points and it's a pretty impressive AF system IMHO.
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I've heard too many bad opinions on the 7d's iso performance to really consider it.
 
Same as Ryan, I don't use the tracking. I'm generally shooting reasonably static subjects but there is enough movement between them and me to get it wrong so I use the (11 from memory) AF points and just shift to the closest on to the eye and place it on the eye I want in focus. That's for shooting portrait/head shots.

For things like groups I'll just use the central one and shoot with enough DOF to get everyone sharp and if I have enough focus for the people behind then I know I'm OK for the foreground too. :)

The only time I'd conside switching to continuous is for a couple coming down the aisle at a rate of knots but I usually ask them to take it steady to allow me plenty of shooting time and not had a problem with them running yet ;)
 
The23rdman said:
I've heard too many bad opinions on the 7d's iso performance to really consider it.
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Well I'd take a lot of those opinions with a pinch of salt Dean, and I can only speak from experience of using it. I wouldn't be using the 7D if half of the opinions you read were accurate or based on experience of the camera, which often isn't the case. ;)
 
Just to get a bit more specific, does anyone regularly use the outer focus points on the 5d Mark II - I have found that the focus isn't always accurate with the outer points so have gone back to focusing and recomposing.

Is this a genuine weak area of the 5d Mark II or is down to my poor technique?
 
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