Canon EOS 5D Mark IV - Focus Points Explained?

So on the Mark II and the Mark IV there are of course several AF-Area and AF-Points avaible to select.

Could someone educate me a little?

"Single Point Spot AF" and "Single Point AF" is simple.
(Exept that I dont really get the idea of why it should not be more precise all the time? Does it become slower?)


But "AF Point Expansion" vs "AF Point Expansion surrounding points".

Anyone care to explain the difference?

"Zone AF" compaired to the above "AF Point Expansions"? Feels kind of the same, but here it only uses one of the points (that i selects by it self by taking what is closest to camera?)

"Large Zone AF" vs "Automatic selection AF" works in the same way as the Zone AF but in bigger areas?


Wich one do you use, and for what purposes?

/Jocce

Spot covers a smaller area than normal single point. Thus spot is better if you are trying to focus on something that's close to something else, like between bars in a fence.

When not, standard single point uses the full AF sensor line, and thus has potential to do the job better when the contrast is difficult to find.

Single point with expansion means you select a point, with which the camera always will try to focus. If it doesn't work, it will try to use the surrounding points. There can be more or fewer such assist points, depending on the mode. Fewer points implies focus closer to the initial point plus faster execution, but less probability that the camera will find a point that works.

Zone and larger zone are the same, just covering different areas. The camera will pick a point with good contrast within the zone.

Using all points is similar, but you can select a starting point. Then you can move around more, of course. I don't know about the 5D Mark IV, but earlier EOS cameras have often lost cross type point capability when using all points.

I use single point or single for stills and single & 4 point expansion for more precise tracking while shooting moving targets. If a target like I bird is alone in the sky I'll use 65 point zone.

However I have been trying out the zone mode instead of single/4 point expansion for precise tracking. I have never used large zoom very often as I don't care for it. I hate the way Canon describes it. Zone, large zone and 65 point. They should have called that first one small zone instead of just zone. Easier to talk about.

I shot the whole day on small zone.

A youtube video that describes the focusing modes....