Focus Points !

[Marshy]

With the 300D there are two choices , : 1 camera does what it wants ie auto , : 2 single focus point . Ideally i would prefer choices of focus points in between the two options . I know the 20D
has 9 points but is it the same as 300 in choice ?

[GeForceFX]

what do you mean?
you want to select 2 points yourself?

[tim]

In single focus point mode you get to choose which focus point you want to use. The 20d has 9 points, the 300D has 5 or 7, I forget which, but you can choose which you want to use. I usually use the centre point, though when i'm using a small aperture I use a different focus point rather than focus-recompose, as focus/recompose can stuff the focus up.

[Jesper]

What exactly do you mean - do you want to be able to choose multiple focus points manually? That can't be done with the 300D, 350D, 10D and 20D.

The 10D (and probably the other cameras also) has an A-DEP mode (Automatic Depth of Field). When you set the camera to this mode, it chooses an aperture so that everything covered by the AF points will be sharp. Look it up in the manual.

My EOS 30 (Elan 7E in the USA) doesn't have A-DEP, but DEP mode. In that mode you first focus on one subject, then on the other, and the camera chooses an aperture so that both subjects are sharp (inside the depth of field). I've never used it a lot, but DEP mode is probably more useful than A-DEP, since you can choose two points to focus on yourself.

[Marshy]

What exactly do you mean - do you want to be able to choose multiple focus points manually? That can't be done with the 300D, 350D, 10D and 20D.

The 10D (and probably the other cameras also) has an A-DEP mode (Automatic Depth of Field). When you set the camera to this mode, it chooses an aperture so that everything covered by the AF points will be sharp. Look it up in the manual.

My EOS 30 (Elan 7E in the USA) doesn't have A-DEP, but DEP mode. In that mode you first focus on one subject, then on the other, and the camera chooses an aperture so that both subjects are sharp (inside the depth of field). I've never used it a lot, but DEP mode is probably more useful than A-DEP, since you can choose two points to focus on yourself.
It would be wonderful if two focus points could be selected instead of one or all . I normally use the centre point but yesterday at my daughters party i wanted a natural pic not posed of two girls who weren,t exactly side by side , small gap in between them and like you rightly suggest A-DEP sounded the ideal choice . Girl on left great focus ( nearest girl ) , girl on right blurred . Checked in Breezebrowser and focus was mainly showing on girl on right doesn,t make sense . Love the 300D but focussing is hit and miss sometimes especially with two objects not side by side . Pics were taken with 50mm 1.8 , 1/60 and F22 .

[Hellashot]

Please post the image.

[Marshy]

Please post the image.
My left and rights were wrong way round !

[thomasrhee]

If you want 2 objects in focus which are not on the same plane, you need to increase your DOF by selecting a higher aperture depending on how far apart those 2 objects are.

If you're using A-DEP mode, you need to check whether the focus points have latched onto whatever you want to be in focus. I never use this mode since it's more trouble than it's worth and sometimes a hit or miss if you're not careful. IMO, better to use Av mode and select the right aperture setting for the amount of DOF you want.

[PacAce]

My left and rights were wrong way round !
Are you sure you were using f/22? The DOF sure seems very shallow for an aperture of f/22. With a 50mm lens at f/22, if you were at least 10 feet away from the subjects, you should have been able to get everybody in focus. Were you closer than 10 feet away?

[Marvinspu36]

Must be a stuttering finger, cause it looks more like f2 at 10 feet for a 50mm. That gives you a little over a foot of DOF, which would be enough to keep the one girl mostly in focus, and everything else out of focus.

[Skip Souza]

Are you sure you were using f/22? The DOF sure seems very shallow for an aperture of f/22. With a 50mm lens at f/22, if you were at least 10 feet away from the subjects, you should have been able to get everybody in focus. Were you closer than 10 feet away?

The same pic was posted in another thread and the f stop given was f/2.2 which seems more like it.