7D question for sports shooters - vertical vs horizontal

I'm going to attempt an accurate explanation of what I'm experiencing with my 7D while shooting basketball. If I can make sense of this, please respond with assistance if you can.

I'm shooting basketball with a 7D. I have the focus mode set to AI Servo and SPOT AF, which looks like this: [o] (black dot, of course) in the view finder. This shows up when the camera is in landscape (horizontal) mode.

When I turn the camera to vertical, the SPOT AF is no longer available. What I see in the viewfinder is [] WITHOUT the black spot in the middle.

What I'm experiencing is focus can be easily nailed on moving targets shooting horizontally and SPOT AF, but when the camera is vertical, the camera focus is SINGLE POINT and not SPOT AF. This leads to a wider focus area and missed focus regularly due to a wider focus are with SINGLE POINT vs SPOT AF focus mode.

If this makes any sense, is there a cf# function that allows SPOT AF to be on all the time regardless of camera orientation? This is what I'd LIKE to happen--SPOT AF on all the time.

Thanks in advance for the help!

dave

My 7D works in AI servo with spot both ways. Check your C.Fn III/12. You may have it registering a different AF type based on orientation.

Yes, that's indeed what happens if you have orientation dependent AF point selection enabled. Not only does it remember which point you last used in each orientation, but also which AF point selection method.

So whilst holding the camera vertically, select spot AF there too, and you'll be all set. Or disable the orientation dependent AF point selection, and the mode you select will be the one used, regardless of the orientation. But then you can't have the point in different spots for different orientations automatically.

If you register a different home point (HP) in the different orientations, it will remember that too.

Guys,

thank you. I poked around the camera's C.fn section today with the book and still couldn't stumble across the right 'fix.' Staszek, thanks ... I'll look at C.fn III/12 for the answer.

apersson850 - spot on advice. The location of physical focus point stays where I want it regardless of camera orientation and does recall different focus point locations perfectly. It was just the SPOT AF versus Single Point that threw me the curveball.

Thanks again to both of you. I'll have it squared away before next game shoot.

dave