Maintaining focal point

[madplower4]

Shooting youth soccer AV mode wide open for shallow dof, shutter at 1/500 or higher. My question is this; Iam trying to keep the focus on a certain soccer player, and I am using center focal point to stay on the player, but as they move around so much, at full zoom 200 - 300m, I can't always hold the focal point on the player, and grab background focus instead. They jump around so much. Wont' I lose dof by switching to a 4 or 7 focal point setting?

With baseball it is much easier as you can pick a spot and stay on it. But with soccer they are back and forth, accelerating, stopping etc. Keeping that little friggin' red dot on one player is tough at long zoom.

Advice please?!

300D, AV mode wide open, minimum 1/500, long zoom

[Longwatcher]

Are you shooting in AI servo mode or one shot mode?

You need to be in AI servo mode and keep shutter button half way down and the camera should track the subject once you lock them in. The tracking on the 300D (assuming it works like my 10D, since I don't have a 300D) is marginal at best for following someone running down a field. Practice as often as you can.

And if you are in Av mode your DoF should not be changing no matter how many focus points you are using.

The alternative is to use manual focus and again practice following your subject that way.

Just my experience and recommendation.

[Jon, The Elder]

Just a quick comment - the 300D does not have AI servo available as a standard feature. The hack(s) provide it after a little button punching.

Madplower - stay with your center point and change your technique a bit. I shoot my Grandsons, so I know the problems. When I used my 300D and my 100/400L, I was constantly looking like a trombone player. You didn't say what lens exactly, not that it matters.
I found that certain player combinations would end up in a general area of the field. I would 'wait' for them to come into view - and only track from that point on. This reduces the number of shots - but can increase the number of 'keepers'. With no AI servo available except in sport mode - you are somewhat limited in choices for settings.

It does take some getting used to, but that is what photography is all about.

[madplower4]

Thanks for the advice, referring to the focal points versus dof, if I use multiple focal points, and only one is on the player, what keeps it from focusing on the background that the other points are hitting?

The lens is the cheap version of the 75-300m, which is slow I know, but I already had to lie to her about the price of the camera! I am attaching a lousy shot of one of my bursts, to show what I mean. She was dribbling and as I on full zoom was trying to keep the center focal point on her, as you can see the bench is in better focus. And no I'm not that lame, I am attaching this loser of a shot to show my point and get advice. I did manage to get some very good keepers, but had a lot of great captures ruined due to loss of focus.

And regarding ai-servo, I am just going to grin and bear it this summer and make the move to the 20D or whatever comes out at that time. I have tried some of the "tricks" to get it into ai-servo to no avail. I know it will work in sports mode, but then I lose all other control of apperature etc.

Thanks again for the advice!

[robertwgross]

A few suggestions here.

1. Try to line yourself up on the field so that the background has no contrasty detail. That will help the main subjects be visible and better isolated. Depending on how your autofocus system is working, it might try to jump off your main subjects and lock onto the stuff in the background, which is not what you want.
2. Center focus point will get you more consistent results. I use the other points also, but only for stationary subjects.
3. If you are a student of the sport, you will know how to guess which way a player is going to turn, so you can "think ahead of the camera." Sure, you will miss a couple, but you can also get more keepers.
4. If the frame-burst capability of your camera is too slow, then you will have to move up to one that is faster. A 20D is much faster, so you get five or six shots in the bag during the blink of an eye (which means you fill up your memory cards faster).

---Bob Gross---

[madplower4]

A 20D is much faster, so you get five or six shots in the bag during the blink of an eye (which means you fill up your memory cards faster).
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I would love to have one, but not only does it fill up your memory card faster, but it also fills up your credit card faster!!

Thanks for the advice!

[PhotosGuy]

Just a quick comment - the 300D does not have AI servo available as a standard feature. Sorry Jon, but it does have it without the hack. See Cadwells post here:

AI Servo and 300D
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=73309