5D Mark III Focus Points

I have a shooting situation I would like to get some advise on.

I am trying to photograph 4 dogs playing in backyard. My question is, what AF point would you use and would you use any of the AF Configuration Tools (Case 1-6)

I have been trying to play with these settings, but its hard for me to tell if the camera is focusing as the yard is pretty small and the dogs are moving very quickly. I got a lot of out of focus shots when viewing.

Thanks for any tips or suggetions

I regularly photograph my dog and its very hit and miss no matter what settings you use.
The problem is, its not just the speed of the dog its also trying to lock a focus on the head as most the time its a part of the body that it locks on.
Usually you are fairly close and also zoomed in full, so to get a good shutter speed you need an open aperture which reduces the DOF quite a bit too.

What lens are you using for the dog shots?
Check to see what group your lens is in (starts on pg 79 of the manual).

Focus:
In manual selection try AF point expansion.

or

In auto try Case five. Be sure to set tracking sensitivity, Accel/decel and auto switching.

[QUOTE=Denny G;16413274]What lens are you using for the dog shots?
Check to see what group your lens is in (starts on pg 79 of the manual).

Im using the 24-105mm Lens.

Understanding depth of field issues when photographing a group is always a challenge. Shooting wide open, even at f4 on the 24-105, can produce a DOF of less than a foot if the subject(s) is 10' away and you're using a crop-sensor camera. Unless you have 4 Yorkies perfectly lined up, they won't all be in focus at 10 feet away! Even a single golden retriever won't all be in focus when the DOF is 12".

Try playing with the online DOF calculator below to get an idea of what kind of DOF sizes you are dealing with.http://www.dofmaster.c​om/dofjs.html

Add in the dogs are anything but stationary, trying to get them all looking towards you and all be in focus can be a real challenge! How bwhip got 5 goldens to all face front must have been a feat of a lifetime!

https://photography-on-the.net …read.php?t=4549​90&page=43

edit: don't forget to be in AI Servo mode!

For dogs playing in the yard(meaning they're running around in random directions) use center point and case 5(but you might want to turn down tracking sensitivity so it does try to lock on one of the other dogs if they run across the path of the one you're focusing on).

If they playing fetch then pick the AF point that covers eye/head that gives desired framing, same case should still best overall.

Also, you may want to set your shutter/focus priorities to focus.

As mentioned DOF as well as shutter speed may have played a role.

stop down if possible. dogs are fast.

that's what I do when I chase my chicks around their coop. shooting at very close distances, fast moving = stopped down