Please, Can You Focus?

The subject is out of focus. DELETE. Gone forever (history is created the moment the shutter button is pressed). When I am in the midst of shooting pictures and suddenly I am consumed (and confused) with my camera's focus mode, I'm screwed. Cameras are not equal when it comes to focus technology. I do not begin to understand the technology - focus based on contrast, etc. My camera is not rated the BEST in focus, but I want to maximize its capabilities. And so, I must understand...FOCUS: Auto Focus Single (AFS) - Subject is still; Auto Focus Flexible (AFF) - Movement cannot be predicted; Auto Focus Continuous (AFC) - Subject is moving. Then there is Face/Eye Detection, Trackting, 49-Area, Custom Multi, 1-Area, Pinpoint. I KNOW! I can read the camera manual (over and over), and review the camera settings (over and over). But I am in the midst of taking pictures! Please share your thoughts.

 

This is going to hurt:

David, because of my funky vision (despite my glasses), I use autofocus whenever possible. In certain situations when necessary, I use multi-point manual focus.

If your camera has a focus indicator light train yourself to keep an eye on it. Choose an F stop that gives greater depth of focus. If / when using manual focus, look for a detail with a sharp edge to use as a focus guide. Preset your camera for hyperfocal distance and adjust minimally on the fly as needed. I have found the various types of autofocus to be good, though unusual backgrounds and contrast ranges can be problematic.

The tried-and-true method is "focus and re-compose." This worked for rangefinders (the only option), SLRs, most early DSLRs, and still works today, if your subject is relatively static. It is the best method for landscapes, and second-best for portraits.

 

Designate a center spot focusing area, and single-servo focusing (AF-S). Place the spot on the part of the subject you want in focus, half-press the shutter release, then point the camera to finish the composition and shoot.

 

If you need more flexibility, use a wider or expandable focusing area. The nearest object in that area will be in focus (even if it's a hand or piece of furniture, not the face).

 

For portraits, AF with face-recognition or eye-focus is probably the best, with a flexible or moveable focusing spot.

 

For action (including toddlers), continuous-servo (AF-C) is the best choice, with a wide-area or flexible focusing spot. If your camera has tracking and/or face recognition, you can use a smaller spot, and the camera will track the selected subject throughout the frame. You can use it for a pseudo-focus-and-recompose strategy, but it's not as reliable as the old-fashioned method.

 

For landscapes and static subjects, I often use a hybrid method, called DMF by Sony. After AF locks on the subject, manual focus is enabled. You can re-focus to taste at that point. That said, for many subjects, including action, I use a manual focus lens. I made my bones with a Leica from the 60's until the late 90's, and old habits die hard. AF is about 3x quicker, and not to be ignored.

Given the complexities and capabilities of modern AF cameras, I think it would make sense to post this question in the equipment forum that matches the brand camera that you are using and specify the model (and lense) plus the types of subjects that you typically shoot or have been having trouble getting reliable focus. My specific experience with Canon EOS and Olympus M43 may not be particularly helpful to you.

Autofocus is a tool. Tools require learning how to use them, even when they are "automatic".

 

In this case, knowledge of how the AF actually works physically may not be all that important, but here is a summary of the early AF systems:

Almost all surviving AF systems use a Honeywell variant.

But I am in the midst of taking pictures!

:)

 

Everyone who engages in a craft, from Cartier Bresson to Arthur Rubinstein, practices. Great advice already provided here and your manuals will be helpful, too. Set yourself some practice time when you’re not concerned with getting a good shot and more concerned with learning what you can. Chances are you will learn a bunch and I wouldn’t be surprised if you came away with some good shots even from a practice session.

The tried-and-true method is "focus and re-compose." This worked for rangefinders (the only option), SLRs, most early DSLRs, and still works today, if your subject is relatively static. It is the best method for landscapes, and second-best for portraits.

 

Designate a center spot focusing area, and single-servo focusing (AF-S). Place the spot on the part of the subject you want in focus, half-press the shutter release, then point the camera to finish the composition and shoot.

 

If you need more flexibility, use a wider or expandable focusing area. The nearest object in that area will be in focus (even if it's a hand or piece of furniture, not the face).

 

For portraits, AF with face-recognition or eye-focus is probably the best, with a flexible or moveable focusing spot.

 

For action (including toddlers), continuous-servo (AF-C) is the best choice, with a wide-area or flexible focusing spot. If your camera has tracking and/or face recognition, you can use a smaller spot, and the camera will track the selected subject throughout the frame. You can use it for a pseudo-focus-and-recompose strategy, but it's not as reliable as the old-fashioned method.

 

For landscapes and static subjects, I often use a hybrid method, called DMF by Sony. After AF locks on the subject, manual focus is enabled. You can re-focus to taste at that point. That said, for many subjects, including action, I use a manual focus lens. I made my bones with a Leica from the 60's until the late 90's, and old habits die hard. AF is about 3x quicker, and not to be ignored.

Focus and re-compose - I keep forgetting to do that. Thanks for the reminder.

Basically, I don't trust my camera to make decisions for me. So I pretty much always use 'point focus'. As @Ed_Ingold says, you can recompose your shot with the same focus point. Your Aperture will determine your DOF. With 'automatic' focus modes, it's just possible that your camera is still 'searching' for an optimal focus point when you take the shot. It's also possible that in some focus modes your camera can't decide on an 'optimal focus point' and just keeps refocusing on different points when you're taking the shot. I have have no real understanding of this, just guessing. In any case, if you really want to take personal control over your focus points, I would advise against using your camera's 'automatic focus' modes (except for maybe group shots). Your lens AF is different. Yes, you can manually focus but a lens with AF is usually much faster and easier to work with.

 

As a last point, I wouldn't personally delete your photo. Not all photos need to be sharply focused. It looks OK to me. There are even PP techniques (like a high-pass filter) that can add some sharpness where you want it.

"Basically, I don't trust my camera to make decisions for me" Mike.

 

Zone focus, manual focus, when it is important. How many times do we miss when auto focus, autofocuses, on something and nothing?

The two main mechanisms of auto focus are phase difference and contrast. The former is a stereoscopic method which determines both the distance and direction of the correct focal plane. The second looks for edge contrast, and seeks to maximize it. The first is directional and determinant, the second is basically trial and error. For the STEM inclined, it is the difference between Newtonian and binary search methods. Phase difference is ineffective at relative apertures smaller than f/5.6. Contrast is generally effective, but slower and tends to hunt, especially at small apertures and low light. Most systems are hybrid, where phase difference will move the focus to a calculated position in milliseconds, then fine tune the results with contrast detection. Neither method works where there is little or no visible detail.

 

The Sony A9 is arguably the most sophisticated focusing machine on the market. It is blindingly fast if set up properly, and a head-banger if not. Every camera and system is different, and some lenses work better than others. You have to know your tools before you start building cabinets.

 

Sometimes it's back to basics. I use focus-and-compose at least 80% of the time because it always works (tangent effect notwithstanding). The next stage is to move the focusing bracket off-center, so I don't have to continually move the camera. Every other technique is on an as-needed basis. I'm still learning (after only 60 years), and open to suggestions.

Well, we do not take photographs to become astronauts. A camera getting in one's shooting in such a way is a real pain and nothing can soothe the anxiety inside the digital sector. A rangefinder or a split-image screen would help, but that's another story.

I have always relied on manual focus. When AF came out 30 years ago and I realized how many errors it made, I gave up on the idea. My attitude was "what is the sense in focusing and then re-composing, I thought this was supposed to be AF." I do have one AF lens and after reading this I may actually give it a shot. I also want absolute certainty that the camera is not going to shift focus after I recompose.

 

 

Not all out-of-focus photos are focused incorrectly. They may be subject to camera movement as well. If IS/VR is available then you can use this to attempt to overcome the problem. I use a tripod as much as I possibly can when sharpness is critical. When handholding your camera try to set the shutter speed at 1/focal length of the lens you are using, or faster. So, if you are using a 70-200mm zoom lens set at 100mm focal length use a shutter speed of 1/90 to 1/125 or faster like 1/250. Even VR/IS will only get you down to the 1/15 to 1/30 range, in this example. Then at 1/15 is the worst speed for introducing mirror slap vibration. So many cameras offer mirror lock up which is really only useful when using a tripod.

 

 

My impression is that not only is your photo out of focus but that there is camera movement there too.

Well, we do not take photographs to become astronauts. A camera getting in one's shooting in such a way is a real pain and nothing can soothe the anxiety inside the digital sector. A rangefinder or a split-image screen would help, but that's another story.

You don't think stopping to manually focus a camera "gets in the way"?

 

Modern photography is 90% craft and 10% art. Once learned, the first becomes subconscious, so you can concentrate on the latter.

This overview article on automatic focus modes and performance in Photography Life is perhaps worth reading. It's not too technical and, I think, more easily readable than most camera manuals. It explains in different words some of the topics that @Ed_Ingold's and @JDMvW have already mentioned.

 

@davidrosen, I don't mean this to be in any way condescending (or insulting!) to your photography skills, but I've found that pretty much all of my own out-of-focus shots are down to me and not the AF mode. Occasionally, I forget to check which mode AFS/AFC I'm in. But by far the biggest cause of my out-of-focus shots is that - in the 'midst of taking pictures' - I see something and too quickly 'point and click' without giving the AF system enough time to re-focus (given the lighing/contrast conditions). Slowing down a fraction (making sure I first half-depress the shutter or use a back-button, see a sharply focused image in the viewerfinder and only then fully depress the shutter) has reduced the number of my out-of-focus shots, especially in poor lighting conditions.

 

Understanding and choosing the right AF mode/area is necessary. I personally only use a couple of basic AF modes. It took me a while to learn from experience (sport/action/event shots) that I didn't always give my AF - in whatever mode - enough time to work (re-focus). Maybe this has no relevance for you, but it's worth considering.

I still use the focus and recompose method from the old days of shooting SLR's. I have to be careful about exposure though as it could change. SO then I have to set the exposure first. I also use the changing exposure as I move around my camera to get the exposure setting rather than offsetting the exposure using a dial. Quicker that way.

Can I put in a plug for "back button focus"? If one does not already use it, then there are a lot of good articles describing the how's and why's. It has become my go-to mode, combined with single point focus, for absolute control over what my camera is using its high-tech to accomplish. Depending on the camera system this provides a number of advantages. For my Nikon system, I have continuous focus for as long as I keep the "focus on" button pressed, but the focus locks immediately I release the button. By using the single focus point I know precisely where the camera is focused (for slow and static subjects). And, by disconnecting the AF system from the shutter release the camera does not try to re-focus every time I make an image, thus avoiding the potential errors/variations/delays which occur with every re-focus operation. It takes some work to develop the muscle memory, but I feel it is more than worth it.

Looking on the picture, it's hard to tell if it's out of focus or motion blur. Usually autofocus error, it's when camera choosing to focus on wrong place, but everything out of focus on the posted picture.

I am 60 years old, so my eyesight is not as good as it ounce was, but......what IS in focus in that picture.?

You don't think stopping to manually focus a camera "gets in the way"?

 

What's wrong with stopping in order to take a picture?

The image's EXIF data says that it was shot at 1/40 second, at f22, with a 150mm lens. I think it looks more like camera shake, which is hardly surprising with those settings.

 

Open the aperture up (it says you were in aperture priority mode), there's not much sense going beyond f8 on micro 4/3 unless you really need the depth of field.

 

If need be, raise the ISO.

 

You really need to get the shutter speed up into the 1/200 range for that photo, get rid of the camera shake, the focus might be fine.

 

 

99% manual focus myself, only autofocus lens I have is the kit zoom, I just find it gets in the way, then again, I treat my digital cameras the same as my classic film cameras, full manual or aperture priority, adjust the ISO to suit the conditions and that's it.

The image's EXIF data says that it was shot at 1/40 second, at f22, with a 150mm lens. I think it looks more like camera shake, which is hardly surprising with those settings.

 

Open the aperture up (it says you were in aperture priority mode), there's not much sense going beyond f8 on micro 4/3 unless you really need the depth of field.

 

If need be, raise the ISO.

 

You really need to get the shutter speed up into the 1/200 range for that photo, get rid of the camera shake, the focus might be fine.

 

 

99% manual focus myself, only autofocus lens I have is the kit zoom, I just find it gets in the way, then again, I treat my digital cameras the same as my classic film cameras, full manual or aperture priority, adjust the ISO to suit the conditions and that's it.

It is very likely I was not patient and failed to recognize the settings. I blame the bird. I saw birds flittering about in the backyard and hurried outside to see what I could get. At that shutter speed it must have men motion blur as several have pointed out. So much for in camera and lens image stabilization.

@denny_rane : Maybe a part of the green leaf in front of & below the bird pointing at it?

@davidrosen Please name the camera you are using, so others can contribute their (hopefully helpful) experience with that specific model. - I am probably shooting something else.

Focus & recompose is an option but no cure all. I do it with my RFs since that's all I have at hand, but if your subject is only slightly moving and DOF absent, I recommend to keep the focusing spot on it and recompose by cropping the image later. With other cameras focus & recompose might be necessarry if only the central AF spot is either a cross sensor or (more) low light capable and that way superior than the others. (I have an old Canon lens that doesn't let me use any other spots.)

The rest gets very camera dependent. I don't get the feeling that continuous AF on Pentax / Samsung DSLRs is something to write home about. If you want to use it, figure out if your camera is able to do #back button focusing; i.e. you activate the continuous AF via a rear button and the shutter release gets operated independently. - That's the key to being able to focus & recompose with AFC switched on all the time. <- Warning!: This takes drill, to hopefully get into muscle memory some day. Plan a fortnight of "focusing through your living room" everyday, before you are ready to deploy that technique in the field. (Says a pessimist in his late 40s who hasn't mastered it yet.)

Eye detection AF? - Very camera specific and AFAIK only working with humanoid eyed subjects so far, one Sony aside.

AF clusters vs single spots: You take a lot of time to select the right spot, while your camera needs way less to pick a maybe entirely wrong one...

AF speed? - Marketed by everybody but sold by few for big$$s... Very camera and lens specific.

 

In another post you mentioned that you don't need many dials and control buttons. All I can say: On my elderly DSLRs I am happy to have a dial around the AF spot selecting arrow buttons to switch from auto to manual selection and a lever to switch from continuous to single AF. - Diving into sub menus to do these things takes ages and costs missed shots.

The more DOF you have due to stopping down or picking wider lenses the more likely I'd be to use auto AF spot selection.

The less processing power the camera provides for its AF the more likely reducing the cluster of active focusing points might speed focusing up.

For critical shots like your bird stacked behind foliage or wide open portraiture, I'd use single AF spots on my DSLRs.

 

Overly automated cameras do indeed cause problems of a special kind. In the old days I used hand held meters and knew my light before I pulled a camera out. While walking around looking for subjects I metered once in a while to keep my apertures and shutter speeds set properly and be ready.

With somewhat automated cameras I try to prepare them according to experience and guess work. Example: The Leica Ms on auto everything will drop shutter speed to 1/125sec before they crank up ISO. With a longer than 50mm lens I know I'll generate too much camera shake and dial in 1/250 sec or 1/500 manually. With DSLRs I have auto aperture ISO and shutter speed at hand and once again try to set something according to my needs; i.e. I might limit the auto ISO range and dial in a hopefully suitable shutter speed.

 

OIS and IBIS are great features and nice to have but I wouldn't rely on them to perform miracles in each and every shot. Maybe try to do some testing how reliable they are at which focal length and become environment (i.e. "exposure") aware enough to know your chances before you grab the camera.

Setting a shutter speed already whenever you change lenses makes sense. (Assuming you have a wide besides your birding glass. Or is it an endless zoom? - If the latter is the case maybe drill yourself to increase shutter speed while zooming in?)

Maybe your camera offers presets slots like C1, C2 etc.? Could it make sense to prepare those for your typical use cases? Or are there subject specific modes? - Some of my cameras offer these, but I am too lazy to figure them out. With a single camera it might be worth asking around which of these modes get used by others and work for them.

The image's EXIF data says that it was shot at 1/40 second, at f22, with a 150mm lens. I think it looks more like camera shake, which is hardly surprising with those settings.

 

Open the aperture up (it says you were in aperture priority mode), there's not much sense going beyond f8 on micro 4/3 unless you really need the depth of field.

 

If need be, raise the ISO.

 

You really need to get the shutter speed up into the 1/200 range for that photo, get rid of the camera shake, the focus might be fine.

 

 

99% manual focus myself, only autofocus lens I have is the kit zoom, I just find it gets in the way, then again, I treat my digital cameras the same as my classic film cameras, full manual or aperture priority, adjust the ISO to suit the conditions and that's it.

 

Exactly. When I saw this image, the first thing I saw was camera shake because you can see nothing is in focus. Dead give away. Glad you got the EXIF data to provide insight, Steve.

 

Probably the first education a photographer needs to get is the exposure triangle - aperture, shutter speed, ISO. A full understanding of this isn't an option, it's required, if a photographer truly wants a full enjoyment of photography even as a hobbyist. And let's face it: we all started there.

 

With the advent of automatic cameras, it's really easy to fall into the auto modes, which is shortly thereafter followed by disappointment and puzzlement why they aren't working. Couple that with the brain-twisting camera manuals and lack of basic photographic training and people trying to just have some fun shooting end up frustrated when things don't work.

 

There's a guy on Creative Live - John Greengo - who is just an awesome educator. If I get a new camera, I go straight there and sign on for the Quick Start class on the camera, even though I've been actively shooting since 1969. Greengo very patiently goes through all the controls and explains how to set up the camera so one can confidently start using it successfully.

 

On that same site, there are terrific beginner photography classes. All beginning photographers or self-taught photographers will benefit from either learning things right from the start or filling in some gaps in their knowledge. There's absolutely 100% benefit from viewing oneself as a perpetual student also. There's always new stuff to learn, which is what makes photography fun and challenging. I don't work for or have an affiliation with Creative Live so this isn't a sales pitch. I'm just a happy customer of theirs - the classes are reasonably priced and always helpful in some big or small way.

I prefer - in most instances for what I shoot - back button focus. There are instances where shutter release/focus would probably work better (tracking a bird in the sky where there are no other obstacles to throw off the focus) but for ultimate non-manual focus control, back button works. It's an acquired taste.

 

As for IBIS or IS/VR, it's only good for camera shake. It doesn't control subject movement.