Selective Focus

Jeep

thanks for that article!
I've been blowing focus because of that and thought it was the camera lol
I've yet to use a focal point other than the middle.
So is auto focal point worth a damn or do you set your point mannually for each shot
 
A good way to practice getting your focus in the right spot is to take pics of a tape measure or yard stick. Put it just beyond the minimum focusing distance of your lens, leading away from you. Try to nail focus only on the foot markers or any other specific point on the tape you have predetermined. Tell yourself, "I'm going to nail it on the 19" mark, and then do it. You could do the same thing with masking tape using black marker slashes every inch or so and then every ten or twelve slashes put in a red one and practice nailing focus only on those. Anyway, just an idea.
 
So is auto focal point worth a damn or do you set your point manually for each shot

I try to use the one closest to where my intended point of focus is - but, like they say in the article, the center one is usually the most sensitive.
If you have a lot of light, it won't be much of an issue, but in low light, the center point will often be the only one that can lock on.

With enough DOF, it's probably safe to focus-recompose - but with thin DOF it can lead to focus errors.

Even if there isn't a focus point exactly where you want to focus, there will be one that is pretty close. Recomposing less will err less.
(Less camera movement after focus has been achieved.)
 
is auto focus point a viable option or just a pain in the ass?
 
i think it's just a pain in the ass...

i'll just stick with the AF on the center unless I need to use MF (which most of the time with my 50, I do...)
 
Moving the focus point only takes a second and a couple pushes of the selector pad.
 
is auto focus point a viable option or just a pain in the ass?

You mean, all of them are active and the camera decides which one to use?

I usually just use one AF point (newer bodies than mine let you select groups of AF points...). As long as the camera picks the right one, it should work fine. But what if it picks the wrong one?


On MY camera, it really isn't an option - and selecting the appropriate AF point is relatively easy. LOL, my 10s (film) only has 3 AF points, and I don't really find that to be too much of a hindrance.

It's funny - sometimes it's actually easier for me with only 3 AF points than the 7 my digital body (350D) has. I don't know what I would do with 45 AF points, lol.
 
There are times when AF works (3D tracking with Nikon)... But for the most part I like to be in control. So I use Dynamic and select my point.
 

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