focus selection selection? What is yours?

davidweaver · October 20, 2008

This seems like a reasonable palce for posting event photo questions too.

How do you have your focus selection set up? Once upon a time there was one focus selection in the center of the frame. Now there are various focusing methods and technologies available to us.

What is your focusing point(s) setting for the majority of your wedding (event) work?

A second question, do you shoot Continuous Auto or Single Auto?

i'm really curious about this.

Thanks,
David

Scott_Quier · October 20, 2008

The short answer, as always is, "It depends!"

davidweaver wrote:

This seems like a reasonable palce for posting event photo questions too.

How do you have your focus selection set up? Once upon a time there was one focus selection in the center of the frame. Now there are various focusing methods and technologies available to us.

What is your focusing point(s) setting for the majority of your wedding (event) work?

For the majority of the time at a wedding/reception, I'm on center point only - doing a bit of focus-and-recompose. Usually, it's not an issue as I'm usually not right on top of the subject.

When doing the portraits/formals, I use the appropriate focus point as I have more time to let the camera/lens hunt a bit if it needs to.

davidweaver wrote:

A second question, do you shoot Continuous Auto or Single Auto?

During the processional/recessional I shoot Single shot AI Servo. At all other times, it's single shot. I've never used the continious, not even for the bouquet/garter toss.

davidweaver wrote:

i'm really curious about this.

Thanks,
David

HTH

cj99si · October 20, 2008

Pretty much the same thing here:

I'm always on center point for everything

I'm almost always on single shot (sometimes I switch to AI servo for the recessional because their moving a little bit faster)

What kind of events are you talking about, just formal stuff? Or sports too, in that case continuous frames and AI servo are your friend.

mmmatt · October 20, 2008

I use the multi controller (canon custom function #?) and almost never center focus. I have gotten away from the focus and recompose style because I have been burned so many times on DOF when shooting fast glass. If things are happening quick I throw it into 9 pt auto (one click of the -|- focus select buton when using the muti controler cf), or if things are happening really quick I try to pick a spot on the floor and manual focus to that, then fire when the subject hits the spot. I usually use one shot focus for posed or servo for moving subjects, but shot a wedding last weekend using the ai focus (automatically predicts when the subject is moving) and that worked OK, though my slower lens (f4) seemed to hunt more than normal.

The multi controler slows things up a bit at first, but once you get used to it, it becomes 2nd nature and things speed up again. It works well for me anyway.

Matt

Swartzy · October 21, 2008

I'm a big proponent of using the selective spot focus based on the composition I desire. Quite often I think you can achieve a better comp with less cropping "IF" you do it right. It takes some getting used to and getting fast with changing it but I've had great results...now it's second nature. I even do it with fast paced events (not people) such as wildlife in AI Servo and have super results. Again, it takes practice. Often times if left on center focal point, the crops wane IMHO.

picturegirl · October 27, 2008

I used to always use center AF point but I too have been finding alot of my photos out of focus. I just started this thread last week about the out of focus problems I was having and I got some pretty good response. Learned a lot that I had no clue about, I think you will find this very usefull as I had never heard of some of the things talked about. I used some of the techniques recommended and noticed a big difference.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=109429&page=2

Nikolai · October 27, 2008

I almost never use central point, unless it's a group shot or something large and flat. Since vast majority of my recent material are people and I shoot with a rather shallow DOF (rarely above f/4), I find it important to focus on the eyes, and they are almost never in a center of my frame. Considering the typical distances I'm shooting at, the fabled "focus and reframe" approach leads to too many OOF frames to be used IRL. It worked well in the past with the cheap focus-free cameras and rangefinders (and shooting at f/11 or slower), but in today's precise portrait photography it really doesn't hold the water.

That, btw, is one of the primary reasons I don't want to switch to a split screen focusing system, since it would only support one central focus point. Great for wildlife/sport shooters and their super long telephoto, not so good for shooting people wide open in tight quarters.

zoomer · October 27, 2008

I always use spot focus and focus on the subjects far eye.
I adjust the center point for whether it is landscape or vertical so I don't have to crop the photo when the action is happening to fast to focus and reframe (if I didn't do this it would cost me hours of cropping in photoshop to fix the compositions). If things are moving slow I normally just use the center point the recompose.

I shoot single unless the subjects are moving in any way then I shoot continuous.

I imagine you will end up using what works best for you..

bham · October 29, 2008

I primarily use center point, but I am so familiar with my cams that it takes about 1 second to dial to any focus point without even dropping my eye from the viewfinder. I would say that 25-30% of my shots from a wedding aren't on center point. But I start there and may go to another spot, then back to center.

I only find that I need continuous focus mode for football and basketball (college), I use single for all else.

davidjay · October 29, 2008

Hey David,

Great name by the way!

I still prefer the center focusing and then I shoot in single shot mode so once I lock it in I bounce around for composition. I've seen some friends dial around and use more of the other focusing points and a lot of people are now using the back button for focusing which gives some more control but I never really liked that.

Rock on,
DJ

david_h · October 30, 2008

For me (using Nikon D3's) it's probably centre focus point 50% of the time, the rest of the time being shared by the other possible points.

I mainly use continuous focus mode - this seems to give more consistent results with the Nikon system, in fact it is remarkably good. If it is really dark, I'll use the single focus mode because that lets me use the focus assist light on my SB800s.

For actual use, I probably use the AF buttons on the camera 50% and the half press of the shutter button 50%.

So I'm all over the place, depending on the actual situation.

It's funny, when I upgraded to the D3 from the D2 series, I hated the new AF - took me ages to get to grips with it. Once I had gotten my head around the whole thing, I really like it. If I take 2,000 shots at a wedding, I bet no more than 4 or 5 are dumped due to poor focusing.

Of course, lots are deleted for just being crap, but I can't blame the cameras for that

jhelms · October 31, 2008

mmmatt wrote:

I use the multi controller (canon custom function #?) and almost never center focus. I have gotten away from the focus and recompose style because I have been burned so many times on DOF when shooting fast glass.

The multi controler slows things up a bit at first, but once you get used to it, it becomes 2nd nature and things speed up again. It works well for me anyway.

Matt

I do the same thing - but with Nikon using the rear control button. After a few times it's like second nature.

focus selection selection? What is yours?

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