When to use the different focusing points/groups?

So far I have only been using single point af for everything I do. In the past my cameras didn't even have that much of a choice (5dii 50d) now with my 80d and its 348 points I am thinking perhaps I should branch out especially with my upcoming travels to South Africa in a few days.

So when do you use multiple points over single?

Portraits? I assume that single to the eye is still the best bet?

BIF?

stationary birds?

Large mammals?

Landscapes?


Thanks in advance.

@Dangeladventures
@danknafophoto

Thanks kjonnn I appreciate the input.

What would you use in these situations?

kjonnnn wrote in post #18123327
In a large group of animals, you can focus one third in from the front of the group and let hyperfocal take over. Unless you're going for shallow DOF and shooting wide open, a smaller aperture would take care of DOF issues. But again, every situation is different.

uh-oh, ye olde DOF Myth about 1/3 2/3 split

I find my best results in all types of situations (BIF and portraits) is sticking with one single point AF, and I use the smallest dot available on the 7D2. Aim small, miss small. Put the focus point on your subject's eye or head. Move the focus point off center as necessary to capture your entire subject, or use back button focus and recompose. I prefer to move the single point focus point than the camera.

Don't let the camera choose your focus point, or it might focus on ripples on the water or a moving leaf, etc.

For birds in flight I use the largest focus group that will work. Usually 4 or 8 expansion points but sometimes the whole center group.

Sports is the same as birds in flight except large groups seldom work so 4 or 8 point expansion.

Stationary objects are usually single point or single precision point.

domat wrote in post #18123266
So far I have only been using single point af for everything I do. In the past my cameras didn't even have that much of a choice (5dii 50d) now with my 80d and its 348 points I am thinking perhaps I should branch out especially with my upcoming travels to South Africa in a few days.

So when do you use multiple points over single?

Portraits? I assume that single to the eye is still the best bet?

BIF?

stationary birds?

Large mammals?

Landscapes?


Thanks in advance.

@Dangeladventures
@danknafophoto

Depends on how you shoot.

Some will use all points and just let the camera decide what's important to focus on.

Some will tell the system to use specific groups of points to have a small area that will latch onto something in an area.

Some will stick to single point precision.

I do both, but I never use all the points. Sometimes I do single point, but I tell the camera which point I want to use. Sometimes I use a group of points, like zones (center, left, right, up, down) with expanded points around a cross point in that zone, when I'm chasing something but can't keep a precise lock, I left the extra points help keep a lock or good odds to keep a lock, this is useful for fast moving things at close range I find. I more often however end up back on using a single point, and I simply lower AI servo's sensitivity and to me, this gives me the best results for BIF.

For landscape, I focus on the closest feature I know I want focus on, if I know the depth of field will take me to the horizon (assuming I want everything in focus). I don't focus on the horizon and then stop down. The focus point pretty much doesn't matter in this case since I'm generally focusing once and composing afterwards from there.

I have many cameras and only one of them has an advanced AF system with zones, expansion, groups, etc, and I learned to use all those zones and liked it, but I found for precise BIF, I still go back to single point with low AI servo sensitivity, and sometimes I will simply move that single point that I use for spot focus where I think I want it to be to compose for my subject (center is not always ideal on something close range that is filling the frame for example, so I may shift the point left or right to track the head of the bird and keep the whole body in the frame for composition.

I could live with single point AF though, even if it was center, as I use that for almost everything anyways. I recompose as needed. Old habit, but it doesn't hold me back or cause errors, so I've yet to move to something else.

Very best,

"348 focus points"? Slight exaggeration, the 80D has 45 points.