Auto Focus Points

Trapshooter

Ok, I am an idiot and new at these fancey cameras. First let me say I am not blaming anybody but I need some help.

The other day I let my daughter take some pictures and I do not know if she(or I) changed a setting but the AF points no longer flash red when focusing. The display shows that all focus points are being used but I remember that the one AF point that was used to focus would flash red in the view finder. I have looked through the manual but cannot figure out how to "turn" them on so to say.

If anyone could help me turn my "idiot" lights back on I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,
Trapshooter

Richard

Hi Trapshooter and welcome to Dgrin . I moved your post to the Camera forum. If you could tell us the make and model of the camera that would be a big help.

billythek

I'm guessing that you might be in AI Servo now. Change it back to one-shot. Look in the manual (either online pdf or paper) for more details.

Trapshooter

Talk about a bunch of helpful people!

Richard,

Thanks for putting my post in the right place. I promise to learn the site, at least until you change something.

I should have include the following information:
Canon EOS40D with a Tamron 28-70mm f/2.8 lense.

BillytheK is right, my setting is on AI Servo.

However, I have alway had the camera in AI Servo since I am shooting action/sport shots. I switch the camera to AI Focus and the points now flash. Do the AF points not flash when set in AI Servo?

One last question where is my photography for Dummies book?

Thanks for you help.

ThatCanonGuy

The AF point that's selected will flash when you first push the shutter button down halfway to start focusing. After that it doesn't light up anymore. That's AI Servo.

In one-shot focusing, the focus point will light when it achieves focus.

AI Focus is a mix between the two.

So you use AI Servo regularly?

Trapshooter

ThatCanonGuy,

Yes, I use AI Servo. Should I be using AI Focus for sports? The only things I have taken pictures of have been soccer and basketball. However, my neighbor asked me to come take some pictures of his son playing hockey (he gets to involved in the game). This spring will be soccer, softball, and baseball. At this point I will take pictures of any type of youth sporting events just to get the practice.

Thanks to all.

ThatCanonGuy

Trapshooter wrote: »

ThatCanonGuy,

Yes, I use AI Servo. Should I be using AI Focus for sports? The only things I have taken pictures of have been soccer and basketball. However, my neighbor asked me to come take some pictures of his son playing hockey (he gets to involved in the game). This spring will be soccer, softball, and baseball. At this point I will take pictures of any type of youth sporting events just to get the practice.

Thanks to all.

Nope, AI Servo is good. AI Focus operates just like One-Shot mode, and then when it senses that the subject has moved, it switches to AI Servo. So AI Servo is what you should use.

Back to the problem, it looks like it has to do with Custom Functions. Go to your camera's menu and select Custom Functions (probably at or near the bottom of the list). Scroll through the various ones until you get to "AF Point Illumination." That's what it's called on my 1DII, it should be something like that. It's Custiom Function #10 on mine.

I have mine set to "on." The point I have selected always stays on, so I know which one I have selected. There are other options, too. Yours probably got set to "off"

Does this help?