Have You Tried This?

[travismcgee]

<p>Hi Gang,</p>

<p>Here's another of my "Do you do this?" questions. There's no right or wrong answer; I'm just curious about what you do.</p>

<p>In an article in the latest issue of "Outdoor Photographer," George Lepp talks about changing how his Canon bodies operate. He deactivates focus on the shutter release button and uses the AF button on the back of the camera to turn autofocus on and off. He also leaves the camera in AI Servo mode all the time. This way, he uses his thumb on the AF button to control how and when the camera autofocuses and the shutter release button to set exposure and fire the shutter. I set my camera up that way last night and I think it might take some time to get used to it, but there might be some real advantages. What do you think?</p>

<p>Cheers,<br />Dave </p>

[mikesc]

<p>I use this option especially for shooting sports. It definitely comes in handy when you track a player coming down the field.<br>

Canon USA has put out an article about this subject in the past.<br>

http://usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2286</p>

[alan_bryant1]

<p>I use the focus option on my 5D most of the time. It's very handy to me to have the focus and shutter controls separated.</p>

<p>I haven't tried AI Servo much. I've read mixed reviews of it. I usually use One Shot.</p>

[geoffs1]

<p>All the time. Love it.<br>

My thumb just automatically hits the AF-ON button...<br>

I also use it with one-shot AF to decouple focus and exposure.<br>

The biggest problem I have is switching between my old 20D (which didn't have the AF-ON button, so I use a CF to set the "*" button for starting AF) and my 40D and 7D.</p>

[charles_blanton1]

<p>Dave, <br>

I read the same article and initially wondered why you would want to separate the functions, then I tried it and quickly liked the setup. A great tool for fast action. <br>

Good luck, <br>

Charles</p>

[paddler4]

<p>I don't use servo, but I always leave AF on the back button. It is essential if you want to make good use of full-time manual focusing. It seemed awkward for a short time--and I actually messed up a few shots because I forgot--but it is completely natural once you have used it for a short time. I would not want to switch back and forth, because then I might not recall in a rush how I had left it set.</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>I keep the camera in AI servo mode when I'm shooting action sports especially Marathon races. Not sure what the advantage is in keeping it on all the time though ?<br>

I had my old Canon EOS-3 set up so that the '*" button on the back of the camera would activate the AF and the shutter button would only activate the AE. I did this because the shutter button on my EOS-3 was super sensitive and I got tired of wasting film by tripping the shutter when I only wanted to capture the AE.<br>

This function does comes in handy regardless of the shutter in many situations especially for strongly back lit subjects when you want to use flash fill. The other day I wanted to capture some subjects infront of a beautiful Ocean view. The Ocean in the background was so bright that my subject would be in shadows if I didn't make adjustments.<br>

So what I did was to set the "*" as the AF, then I metered off the lake using the shutter, while holding the shutter button half-way down, I used my thumb to auto focus on my subjects face. Then used the pop-up flash with and FEC of -2 1/3 as fill. This worked out quite well. </p>

[zml]

<p>The AF button is widely used to divorce the exposure/shutter release and AF functions. Also in many types of shooting keeping the camera in servo all the time can be beneficial. Taking the things further, when using a lens with the AF stop buttons (long teles) I set the body to servo AF and remap the AF stop buttons on the lens to switch instantly from servo to single-shot AF (which is precisely the reason why I don't like the way Canon has implemented spot AF on the 1D4.)</p>

[faysal]

<p>I think the separate button is the way to go, when I discovered it years ago, I fell in love with that feature. Going back to the default setting is like going from a manual car to an automatic, you feel something is missing (the clutch!)</p>

[travismcgee]

<p>Interesting. Thanks, guys. I set my camera up that way the other night and I'm looking forward to trying it out.</p>

<p>FWIW, previously I would half-depress the shutter release to make the lens focus on the subject and then hold it while I re-composed the shot if needed. I also switched the AF button with the * button on the back because the AF button was easier to reach and I could easily lock the exposure with it. That worked pretty well, but I'm willing to try this too. </p>

[JDMvW]

<p>There are lots of other options, too, in the manual for customizing your experience with an EOS camera. For most people it works fine in the default modes, but the operating system allows all kinds of variations on operation. One of the strengths of the system, of course.<br>

I have my own personalized set up, as do many people. Make the camera your own camera, however you want it within the parameters, of course.</p>

[travismcgee]

<p>Just don't hand your camera to someone and say "Take my picture."</p>

[jaydesi]

<p>I switched the AF button to the back, too, away from the shutter. It took some getting used to, but now it's second nature. It's easier for focusing and recomposing, too, because you don't have to keep holding the button while you recompose.</p>

<p>I agree with Dave, though...if you want someone to take your picture, learn how to quickly reset the feature to the shutter button, especially if it's a P&S user. they're already intimidated by the DSLR, and telling them they have to use a different button to focus can be tricky.</p>

[pmind]

<p>Yes, for weddings & sporting events.</p>