shaun_carter Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 when using a tripod with an off center subject, does it make sense to establish focus first and then set the camera on the tripod? i've been finding it kinda clumsy trying to focus off center on a subject's face with the camera on the tripod. just wondering what's the right to do it. thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Does the camera you're using provide for selection of an off-center focus point? Are you focusing manually? Need a little more to go on, here! Most newer DSLRs have a provision for expressly choosing a sensor other than the dead-center one... so, let us know what you're using. Focusing with the camera off-tripod, and then mounting it, seems pretty clumsy, and is also likely to introduce focusing errors. Better to use the camera's selectable focus areas if you have them, or to just loosen the tripod head long enough to get your camera focused, recompose, and then lock it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovcom_photo Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Depends on how fat the depth-of-field is. For shooting close and with a wide open or near wide open aperture, then picking and choosing an off-center focus point is the way to go. Otherwise you risk softening the focus when you recompose, and if you're using evaluative metering, doing the Lock-Focus-Recompose dance could introduce metering errors. For fairly fat DOF, recomposing is much less a problem. Canon's EOS White Paper says to use off center FP's as required, instead of recomposing. How fat is your DOF, in the shot you wrote of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark u Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 http://visual-vacations.com/Photography/focus-recompose_sucks.htm Trying to focus before you put the camera on the tripod will only make matters worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot_n Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 It's best to use manual focus when shooting portraits on a tripod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun_carter Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 Thanks for the replies. My DOF is normally very shallow, maybe 2.8. I use a 20D and 30D and sounds like switching focusing points is the way to go. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_hardy1 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 It may be easier to manual focus depending on the lens. Using focus points you might get the nose in focus but eyes OOF using a shallow DOF. With manual you can watch as critical focus is achieved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovcom_photo Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Thomas, not if she places an FP on the eye, yea? And unless she has great eyes, the view finders on the 20D & 30D are horrible for manual focusing, at least to my 47 year old eyes. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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