ah crap, how do I fix this?

So I was screwing around with my 30D this morning and I pressed the directional button to the right of my viewfinder, or just under it I should say. Now my camera meter's and focuses to the very centre AF point, how do I fix this?

You want the camera to focus using only the center AF point - this is the generally accepted preferred setting. It sounds like you have stumbled upon better settings to me.

well I don't want my subject only focussed in the middle of the frame, that makes for a boring composition.

I take it you want ALL the focus points active ?

If you do then all you got to do is press that button again then either turn the control dial on the top of the cam or press in the directional dial on the back of the cam to light up all the points.

If this is not what you want to do then please give some more info.

that fixed it, thanks Alan.

Ah you want just one lit up, but not the centre.

What i do "in the field" for quickness when shooting a subject.Is press that button, then use the directional control on the back to choose which point i want.Using the dial on the top takes to long.But you have to use the dial if you take a portait shot with the cam on its side using a battery grip.

I'm changing the focus point all the time.

HTH

circa wrote in post #4121078
well I don't want my subject only focussed in the middle of the frame, that makes for a boring composition.

I was not implying that you wanted boringing-composed center framed shots - but when you let he camera decide what the subject of the photo is by having all the points active - you run the very real risk that something other than your desired subject will be in the crispest focus. I prefer to tell the camera what my subject is.

circa wrote in post #4121078
well I don't want my subject only focussed in the middle of the frame, that makes for a boring composition.

The idea is to focus using the center point and then, while maintaining that focus by keeping the shutter release half-pressed (or by having set C Fn 4 to 1 and using the * button), to recompose your shot. As well as you controlling the point choice there is also the added advantage that the center point is more accurate than the others.

Off course, when shooting wide open and recomposing a lot, this can be cause for focus errors. Also, if you manually select an AF point, (evaluative)light metering will be biased to that point... (at least it is on the 1D series)

tzalman wrote in post #4121545
The idea is to focus using the center point and then, while maintaining that focus by keeping the shutter release half-pressed (or by having set C Fn 4 to 1 and using the * button), to recompose your shot. As well as you controlling the point choice there is also the added advantage that the center point is more accurate than the others.

Exactly - well said.