What is your Best Focusing Methods 20D?

WolfOnDigital · April 27, 2009

Ok, new topic.
What is your best way to use Focusing with a Canon 20D? Auto?
Manual? You let the camera chose the focus point or you tell the camera which focus point and lock and recompose?

Jeff

dlplumer · April 27, 2009

WolfOnDigital wrote:

Ok, new topic.
What is your best way to use Focusing with a Canon 20D? Auto?
Manual? You let the camera chose the focus point or you tell the camera which focus point and lock and recompose?

Jeff

Hi Jeff. I mostly use AF center point then lock and recompose.

Dan

WolfOnDigital · April 27, 2009

Dan

dlplumer wrote:

Hi Jeff. I mostly use AF center point then lock and recompose.

Dan

So just aim and use auto focus and use center point. Lock it in and shift the composition of the frame.

Thanks

Jeff

pathfinder · April 27, 2009

Jeff,

There have been numerous discussions of focusing techniques with Canon and Nikon cameras here on dgrin.

Here is one of the first - http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=5642

Here is another

http://digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=11863

Here is one - http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=950429&postcount=17

I did a search on focus recompose pathfinder here on dgrin and found the following

http://www.dgrin.com/search.php?searchid=53430

The short answer is that the photographer must actively choose one and only one AF point, and the shooter should not recompose once an AF point has been selected.

Shooting with good technique, stable camera on a tripod, Mirror Lock UP if needed, proper focusing, and then proper post shooting editing in RAW, with correction of chromatic aberration and proper capture sharpening in Adobe RAW converter can create amazing images. But each step is important, beginning with being in sharp focus to start with.

Great glass can really help, but I have some very sharp images shot with various lenses from Canon, Tamron, Sigma and others so I think most lenses can do well if used with good technique.

I have been shooting with a 40D recently, with a Tamron 28-300 XRDi VC lens - a "travel zoom" as they are disparagingly called - Not Canon L glass at all.

But look at this image, shot handheld at f8 1/200th ISO 400, back in the shade, of an old tom cat

I never let the camera choose my AF point - it will choose wrong most of the time.

I will use all nine AF points for some fast shooting - motor sports, athletic events, etc, but I prefer not it if I can avoid it. A properly selected single AF point is the best way, unless it is so dark that the peripheral AF points will not work. Then I will use the center AF and recompose for shots > 12-15 feet away. Or I will add a speedlite or an ST-E2 and use their focus assist lights.

WolfOnDigital · April 28, 2009

I think...
I never let the camera choose my AF point - it will choose wrong most of the time.

I think that is my problem. I am used to having the camera select instead of me picking one focus point. I have great glass as my main lens:
Canon 24-70 2.8 L

I need to grasp how the Canon focuses and that will be the next step up im improving my quality if the image.
Again, I am not worried about creativity or even composition. Can do that in my sleep. The technical part of using digital has held me back. Too many buttons and capabilities with my camera!

I'll get it eventually.

The first step was switching to AV mode
Next step was shooting in RAW
Using exposure compenstation with the AV mode
Next was adding evaluative mode or 9% mode

With these changes my next model shoot shoould be wonderful.

Thanks to everyone here who have posted.

Jeff

What is your Best Focusing Methods 20D?

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