Focus Problems horse jumping - Nikon D5100

[cwindle1]

Hi,

Posted about this before and finally have an example that I've kept. Aperture was set at f/8, shutter speed 1/2000, ISO 1000 (although looks sunny, was very glum day, when I put it lower, was too dark). So please tell me what is going on? I had it on 3D tracking and was following horse and rider all the way to the jump having it focused and the min a click the shutter to take the pic, the background is in focus and well, you can see for yourself...

Nikon D5100 with Nikkor 70-300vr.

 

[sscarmack]

I've never, and when I say never, I really mean NEVER have had good luck with 3D focus. And I use a D4. Call it user error, call it not enough practice, call it what you want. I think the feature is useless and doesn't really work, but thats just me

If your going to insist on using it, I would suggest the things I said above, user error and practice.

Go outside and start with something big, like a car, and 3D track it and then move onto faster objects.


In your example here, I can see why you had some problems. The background is really close to you subject, matter of 10 feet maybe?

It helps to have some distance, but obviously you cannot move the jumps.

Maybe try pre-focusing?

 

[Braineack]

Next time try using dynamic area and pan with the subject.

 

[chris]

Get in position, focus on the centre of the jump where the bars cross, switch to manual focus and wait for the horse and rider to appear. You can still track the horse and rider but just press the trigger as they are in the middle of the jump.

 

[astroNikon]

I shot my son's first soccer game of the season this past weekend.
I have a new lens which I'm using a Nikon 70-300VRII.
Since it is AF-S (built in motor) and not like my 80-200/2.8 AF-D (screw focus relying upon the camera's focus motor)
I decided to use a different tactic.
I used AF-C (Continuous) Dynamic 9 for all shooting.
Previously I used AF-S - Single Point and Dynamic 9, but mostly Single

What I've found is the more you allow the camera to make the decisions,
the more out of focus shots you end up with especially when there's a busy background.
No exception with the new lens either as I've found.

last year I would do half-releases for "tracking" to prevent a long focus throw.
I would get most if not all the shots in focus.
I was highly disappointed in the results of my new tactic. And I tested the lens on moving traffic on my street, airplanes flying directly overhead (they land 1/2 mile from my house), birds, people or anything that moved

First to evaluate your photo you need to determine what the camera is focusing on
If you zoom in and scroll around you can actually determine that
Look directly under the horse. The foilage looks nicely in focus considering the ISO ... and also some of the foilage to the left and behind it.
you actually noticed this yourself.

So .. I think you need to go to the basics and go to AF-S Single point Focus mode.
Learn to be steady while following the shot. or Focus on the jump crossbeams then hold focus, then shoot when the horse is jumping.

The key is, learn to evaluate your photos and determine where the camera is focusing and make adjustments.
the camera focusing on the wrong things.
So don't let the camera make the decisions.
Try AF-S Single Point, focus on cross beam, set your AF-E/L to AF Lock. When you focus press and hold this button, then use the release to take the photo.

I use my button for AF-Lock. Meaning I use the regular forefinger release button for focusing on a half-press then use the back button to LOCK the focus.
If you use the button for AF-Focus then it is pressed to focus, and you have to hold it down in order to take a picture.
more info --> Nikon AE-L / AF-L Button
-->

 

[Designer]

Chloe; the focus point that you used completely missed the horse and rider. The focus point is actually on the shrubbery just beyond the horse's front leg.

What you need to do is select a central focus point that will be on the horse and rider at the moment that you press the shutter release.

 

[KmH]

The Multi-CAM 1000 AF module in your D5100 is not up to the task of doing 3D tracking auto focus even though it has the feature.
I don't think the Multi-CAM 4800 AF module in a D5200 is up to the task of 3D tracking either.

Like astroNikon I used AF-S in Single Point area mode to shoot action sports and panned the camera with my subject to keep the single AF point on the subject.

The center point of the 11 AF points in your camera is the only cross-type AF point and is a more accurate AF point than the other 10.

 

[Mashburn]

have you tried AF-C?

 

[dannylightning]

3D focus seems a little strange, it keeps choosing focus points an changing the focus, it does not really know what you want it to focus on. for me it seems to focus on the closest object but some times it may jump to something else if there is allot of stuff in the back ground.

AF-S or AF-C seem to work best for me but i generally stay in AF-S, for still subjects ill pick single point focus and for moving objects ill stick with the default auto area focus.

 

[Braineack]

If you're going to shoot moving objects, I like to use dynamic, and track with them in camera. The camera will move focus points if it has to and will try its best to maintain focus on the orginal subject. I hardly ever miss focus this way. My camera is set to D9 90% of the time.

The only difference with 3D is that it add in color to the equation and you can see the focus point that's currently in use. With Dynamic, you don't see if the camera is using a difference focus point from the orginal.

Really, each can be used succesfully--but you need to know how they work.

Both require you to grab focus on the subject you intend to shoot initially.

It was mentioned above the focus point was actually on the trees, if 3D tracking was used, I'm assuming the first focus achieved was also on the trees and the 3D tracking tried to maintain focus there as a big horse rode through the frame. Had you achevied focus on the horse first, the camera would have had a pretty easy time tracking a brown blob across a green area.

 

[Braineack]

have you tried AF-C?

3D tracking is a method of AF-C.

 

[Mashburn]

3D tracking is a method of AF-C.

well that showed my newb side. How nice of you to point it out. Lol

 

[Derrel]

Your horse jumping shot is back-focused by at least 25 feet.

 

[Designer]

Your horse jumping shot is back-focused by at least 25 feet.

Yessir! That's where the shrubbery is that the camera focused on.

 

[Derrel]

The Multi-CAM 1000 AF module in your D5100 is not up to the task of doing 3D tracking auto focus even though it has the feature.
I don't think the Multi-CAM 4800 AF module in a D5200 is up to the task of 3D tracking either.

Like astroNikon I used AF-S in Single Point area mode to shoot action sports and panned the camera with my subject to keep the single AF point on the subject.

The center point of the 11 AF points in your camera is the only cross-type AF point and is a more accurate AF point than the other 10.

I am going to partially disagree with the above statements: the ancient Nikon D70 can track focus exceptionally well, and FAST too--but the key is to use a high-grade lens that has inherently shallow depth of field, and good lens focus performance. The ancient D70 can focus on track and field and soccer targets exceptionally well with the 70-200 f/2.8 VR, 200/2 VR-G, and 300/2.8 AF-S Mark II. The 300mm f/4 AF-S is a nervous, sometimes unreliable focuser on any body it is used on. So, the CAMERA and the AF module really are not the determining factors. I own the 70-300 VR-G lens, and have used it for youth soccer, portraits, and scenics. The real issue is not the camera the OP has...the 70-300 VR-G lens is a sketchy,sketchy focuser even in bright light on the D3x, which has a very strong AF module and a very powerful CPU. So, the issue is not the AF module...the issue is that the 70-300 VR-G is a lens that has very sketchy AF performance at times. I would say that the 70-300 VR-G is one of the worst AF lenses I own, in terms of reliably andconsistently nailing focus; it hiccups a LOT of the time. The 70-300 VR-G in fact has a well-known tendency to NOT INITIATE AF if the target is significantly outside the current focusing distance, until the user grabs the focusing ring, and begins getting the focus close to right.