D7200 Focus question...

[DarkShadow]

I find that multi point focus is not the ideal place to be when birds are in or around heavy cover and center focus point is more precise in getting in tight space and not have it jump to the closets object.My Pentax K-3 gets confused sometimes as well with multipoint and may go off on something else like the leaf blowing around or a moving branch.It does help more with in flight shots. I switch from single to multipoint depending on my shooting.

 

[JacaRanda]

If a grouse is one the ground, or sitting on a Douglas fir limb 20 feet above the ground, western deer hunters have been known to take a pot-shot to provide a bird for the stew pot--even though that is technically, not legal. Active western grouse hunters actually out hunting specifically for grouse prefer a 12 to 20 gauge shotgun with an improved cylinder bore barrel and light field loads of #6 (fairly small) shot, something that has a pattern that covers about 30 inches at 25 yards. See where this might apply to using ONE, single, tiny focus point to hopefully hit, and to stay on track with, an in-flight bird?

Acameran Sniper!

 

[JacaRanda]

my lens does not seem to like when i try to manual focus when the shutter is held half way down. if the shutter is not half way down i can manual focus the lens.

the bird flys into a tree branch and i have a good shot, often that bird sets there for 2 or 3 seconds maybe less or more and quickly hops to a spot where i cant get a good shot any more. some times i get the lens on the bird, the camera focuses and its already hopped away. some times i just barley get the shot but if it use anything but single point there is a good chance it will get the branch instead of the bird and ill have missed that split second where i would have has a good shot.

ill play with it again but using the 9,11,51 points or what ever seems to do more harm that good for me. even on my old camera i used something like that for a while, lots of shots were missed focus because the camera decided to focus on a cloud or something way in the background instead. . when i finally switched to single point i noticed i quit missing focus on 90% of the photos i take. most of the small birds i find are hanging out in trees.

What you are describing is simply part of the birdography challenge. Pretty sure it's happening to all of us.
Tidbit...after a while, you may likely begin to not even bother with those shots. Too many branches and even if you get a bird in focus, eventually you may decide it's not worth keeping or post processing to remove branches etc. The ones on the ground....same thing. Often it's not worth even taking the shot unless it is some rare bird or part of a The Big Year challenge.

 

[DarkShadow]

I got some wonderful branch shots and and it had a bird on it.LOL

 

[JacaRanda]

I got some wonderful branch shots and and it had a bird on it.LOL

No doubt. I have deleted hundreds and pretty sure I have hundreds saved. I got deleter's cramp and said 'Ah fuggetaboutit'.

 

[coastalconn]

focus tracking with lock on- normal

That is the answer you seek why it stayed locked on the bird even though the focus point wasn't on it.

That option sets a delay of how long the camera will wait before it tries to find a new target.. Turn it off and see what happens...

 

[dannylightning]

Thanks. guys, i tried the 51 point focus on some flying birds today, seemed to work really well when not much else in in the background.. i am gonna see if i can program a button that will let it switch in between single and 51 point. probably cant do that but ill give it a try. would be faster than scrolling thew all the options when ill probably only use the 2 settings.

 

[Dave442]

would be faster than scrolling thew all the options when ill probably only use the 2 settings.

Best option may be to use the U1 and U2 to program the different options.
You can also set the sub-command dial so when the AF-mode button is pressed you turn the dial to select the AF area.

It looks like with the D7200 you can be in Dynamic AF mode with options of 9, 21, or 51 (and 51 with 3D tracking) and then you can activate to select from either 51 or 11 focus points.
The manual recommends 51 point for birds in flight.

 

[dannylightning]

thanks. ill have to look up the User settings and see what that is all about. as of right now i can just push the button on the side of the camera and scrool thew those settings but you got to go thew all the different settings which could be a waist of time if you are in a hurry to change the settings.

 

[BillM]

Even easier than changing setting is just learn to use focus lock, as already mentioned, or use back button focus. You can stay at D9 or even D51 if you like and still take pictures of stationary birds.

 

[dannylightning]

I do not see how any of that is going to help.. imaging trying to get one of these shots with the 51 points using focus lock or back button focus.. please explain to me how back focus button or focus lock is going to get a focus on this subject in 51 point mode?? don't you think the focus would be hunting all over the place in a situation like this. ??

i mean once you get focus on it sure but when trying to get focus on it or is there something i am not understanding that you can do with one of those settings that will help me gain focus quickly on a subject using the 51 point mode ??

i do like back button focus, that way when i am in focus it stays there till i push the AE-L button again, that is great once you already have focus but my main goal is getting focus on something as fast as possible and hoping that the subject is still there after i get focus. in situations like this the only thing that seems to work is using single point.

changing settings in a pinch is also a pain when using my sigma 150-200mm lens, some settings kind of require 2 hands to change the settings, since i hand hold my lens i have to take my hands off the lens and all that weight from the lens on the lens mounts cant be good.

i do not use a tripod because for some shots where the bird is way up in the sky or kind of over your head you got to pick the tripod up to get the shot. i might try out a mono pod here pretty soon. seems like it might be easier than a tripod.

 

[JacaRanda]

I know everyone is different, but this is exactly why I rtfm like crazy. I dig and dig and dig. These gadgets are so complex, and I want to know everything it can do before I get out and get frustrated. I don't remember everything, but I have at least skimmed over most everything to know that the capability is there or not.

Wifey on the otherhand will open the box, charge the batteries, start clicking away, and hope for the best (which leads to frustration).

 

[astroNikon]

Thanks. guys, i tried the 51 point focus on some flying birds today, seemed to work really well when not much else in in the background.. i am gonna see if i can program a button that will let it switch in between single and 51 point. probably cant do that but ill give it a try. would be faster than scrolling thew all the options when ill probably only use the 2 settings.

You don't have to go into the menu to change from D51 to Single.

read the manual pages I mentioned earlier

and learn how to use that one button that your left finger can reach which is just before the lens.
Then a quick snap of the dial to change things.

checking your manual (for you) ...
pull out your manual
page 2, "Camera Body"
button # 12 - AF-mode button
==> learn how to use it in combo with your command dials
you don't even have to take your eyeball off of the viewfinder.

then go to page 83 and read the entire section

On my d600 (and d7000) the front (or rear) dial changed the AFS/AFC/AFA and the rear (or front) dial change from Single, to d9, d11, etc.

You can change your ISO by a button and the dials too, and into and out of Auto-ISO.

 

[wezza13]

If Kristofer ( @coastalconn ) doesn't mind, I'd like to point you to a thread he posted which helped me immensely in bird photography.

Link here : Capturing distinctive bird images | Photography Forum

Take a read, it's great

 

[astroNikon]

I do not see how any of that is going to help.. imaging trying to get one of these shots with the 51 points using focus lock or back button focus.. please explain to me how back focus button or focus lock is going to get a focus on this subject in 51 point mode?? don't you think the focus would be hunting all over the place in a situation like this. ??

i mean once you get focus on it sure but when trying to get focus on it or is there something i am not understanding that you can do with one of those settings that will help me gain focus quickly on a subject using the 51 point mode ??

i do like back button focus, that way when i am in focus it stays there till i push the AE-L button again, that is great once you already have focus but my main goal is getting focus on something as fast as possible and hoping that the subject is still there after i get focus. in situations like this the only thing that seems to work is using single point.

changing settings in a pinch is also a pain when using my sigma 150-200mm lens, some settings kind of require 2 hands to change the settings, since i hand hold my lens i have to take my hands off the lens and all that weight from the lens on the lens mounts cant be good.

i do not use a tripod because for some shots where the bird is way up in the sky or kind of over your head you got to pick the tripod up to get the shot. i might try out a mono pod here pretty soon. seems like it might be easier than a tripod.



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I use mostly AFC-Single for things.
But as mentioned earlier in other threads and here
the AF looks for contrast.
On close up subjects your Single Focus Point can lock onto the subject.
On further away objects (like # 2) the single focus point may lock on the stuff behind it which may have more contrast.

one reason ppl get longer & longer lenses.

I had the Sigma 150-500 for a short time. But the Tamron 150-600 is just better all around in the short time I had to compare the two. Plus a longer reach to help the camera AF module.