auto focus - am I missing something???

fallen_mathi

fallen_mathi

Messages
539
Edit My Images
No
hey,

ok so ive had a dslr (40d) for about two and a half weeks now, and so far i just cant see the point in auto focus?, i remember reading about how great diferent cameras were at it, and how fast lenses were at focusing, but so far ive shot, verious diferent things, from macro bug shots, to moving animals, and each time became fed up of auto focus, and ended up switching back to manual,

am i missing something?, why is auto focus so raved about?

thanks:)
nathan
 
never seen anyone rave about autofocus...

wouldn't like to photograph a football match in manual focus though.. would you?
 
Because it allows you to focus on something quickly if you don't have the time to mess around with manual ;)

Maybe your lens just has slow AF or something.
 
You didn't say why you were fed up of auto focus? Perhaps if you said what problems you were having someone could give advice on how to get the most from it.

I've never had a problem with the auto focus on my 400D, occasionally it'll focus on the wrong subject but if I release the shutter button and try to get another focus lock it'll usually shift.
 
Macro bug shots would almost always be manual focus. Moving animals would need the AF mode changing to servo so it constantly focuses with the movement.

StuD - if you haven't already, change the camera to use the middle AF point only - then you decide what is to be the focal point. You can manually select one of the others quite easily if you want the focus off centre.
 
It's like saying I dont see the point in sliced bread. Until you want a slice of toast and cant find the bread knife. If all you eat are bread rolls then sliced bread will pass you buy.

Autofocus, when you get the hang of it (not that its hard), takes a chunk of the hassle out of normal togging. One less BIG knob to twiddle.
Depending on what you are shooting then AF is invaluable. As RP says macro, go manual. For sports and moving wotnot then AF is pretty much a must have, especially if you switch on AI Servo and use the center spot for focussing.
 
hey again all,

thanks for help, i think what i was missing, was changing the AF point, before it just kept focusing on the wrong point, so i would get fed up, and do it manually, ive tried now using the middle AF point only, and it seems to be helping, will have to see if this makes my life easier from now on:)
 
AF can be a great asset but I do think that people are so used to it being an integral part of shooting that they do forget it can be quicker to use manual.

A normal part of making an image with a handheld camera is to focus with the selected focus point on the part of the shot you want the plane of focus on, then recompose and fire the shutter. If you're used to focusing for yourself it can be quicker to focus and frame in one movement.

I'd be quite happy to shoot some footie, or any other sport with a MF camera.... but then I'm not like other people. :LOL:
 
I'm just trying to picture taking this shot without some really good AF:

Bird-03-ABAF6931.jpg


Clearly it must be possible, as somehow photographers managed prior to AF, but I doubt that they'd have anything like the keeper rate that even a fairly rubbish photographer like me can achieve with the right hardware.
 
fallen_mathi said:
hey again all,

thanks for help, i think what i was missing, was changing the AF point, before it just kept focusing on the wrong point, so i would get fed up, and do it manually, ive tried now using the middle AF point only, and it seems to be helping, will have to see if this makes my life easier from now on:)
Click to expand...

On the 40D try setting the option for making the thumbstick select focus points - I find it incredibly useful for switching points quickly when I need to. Once you get into the habit of using the right point it really makes a big difference (y)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top