Anyone else notice that if you have the D700 set for release priority in custom setting a2, that the camera will automatically refocus, even if you return to the half-press position? Pretty irritating - do all Nikons work like that?
Well, I hadn't fully thought through your concerns here. With my D300, using the options you want, the camera works as you would want it to, but the shutter button is sensitive and if you take your finger off of it even slightly the camera will attempt to reacquire focus; also, focus has to be 100% acquired before refocusing or the camera will continue to hunt when you recompose.
Yeah, I'm sure that I'm 100% focused. I'll have to try out at D300 sometime and see if this is an inconsistency between the two cameras. This makes even slight focus-and-recomposing essentially impossible for multiple shots.
My preferred approach is to simply have it work as it does with a2 set to focus priority. I don't understand what the rationale would be to have the behavior differ between settings.
Does release priority work in AF-S mode? I thought it was designed for AF-C so your shutter would fire even if the AF isn't locked onto the subject. Is the AF switch next to the mount set to S or C?
Sam Bennett wrote:
My preferred approach is to simply have it work as it does with a2 set to focus priority. I don't understand what the rationale would be to have the behavior differ between settings.
I'm not sure I understand what your concern is. You can use the AF-ON button to acquire focus and then take your thumb off of it and with the shutter button AF turned off you can push it however many times you like at whatever you like in AF-S mode or AF-C mode if you have it set to "Release" priority.
tdawg wrote:
Does release priority work in AF-S mode? I thought it was designed for AF-C so your shutter would fire even if the AF isn't locked onto the subject. Is the AF switch next to the mount set to S or C?
Both AF-S and AF-C can be adjusted to Focus or Release priority, additionally AF-C has a hybrid selection of Release + Focus priority.
Needless to say, the AF-ON "solution" doesn't make sense to people who aren't accustomed to using it. Again, I don't see any rationale for the implementation on the D700, there's an apparent indication it doesn't work the same way with the D300, so I'll assume it's a bug. Using AF-ON would make sense with AF-C, but not AF-S. There's no reason for it to refocus in this situation.
Sam Bennett wrote:
Needless to say, the AF-ON "solution" doesn't make sense to people who aren't accustomed to using it.
It doesn't take long to become familiar with it, and it has several advantages. You can use the shutter button to lock exposure as you recompose and keep that separate from the AF without messing with the AE-L/AF-L button, you can avoid triggering VR on your lenses when you are focusing, you can leave your camera in AF-C mode and track or focus and recompose without fiddling with the setting on the front of the camera.
Sam Bennett wrote:
Anyone else notice that if you have the D700 set for release priority in custom setting a2, that the camera will automatically refocus, even if you return to the half-press position? Pretty irritating - do all Nikons work like that?
Sam, my D700 does not behave that way. I've set release priority in a2, AF-S mode, S shooting mode. I focus and then whether or not I shoot, if I re-aim without fully releasing the shutter then the focus stays where it was set.
However, if I have the camera in AF-C mode and S shooting mode then the focus will adjust whenever I re-aim, just as the Canon do.
The believe the cameras are functioning correctly.
Lifting the finger from the shutter button and then repressing it will refocus the camera. Otherwise, let's say I've focused on an object and then changed my mind and wanted to refocus on something else, how would I do it?
However, if lock focus is required they need to press the AF-L button. This can be assigned to your preference using option f6.
Antonio Tiki wrote:
Lifting the finger from the shutter button and then repressing it will refocus the camera. Otherwise, let's say I've focused on an object and then changed my mind and wanted to refocus on something else, how would I do it?
I'm not lifting my finger all the way off. I'm just returning to half-press. Again, with Focus Priority selected the behavior is "correct", with Release Priority, it's not.
Alan321 wrote:
Sam, my D700 does not behave that way. I've set release priority in a2, AF-S mode, S shooting mode. I focus and then whether or not I shoot, if I re-aim without fully releasing the shutter then the focus stays where it was set.
Very odd. Both of my D700's do it. Maybe there's another Custom Setting coming into play here. I'll try resetting one of the cameras and see if I can figure it out. Thanks for checking it out...
Alan -
I think the reason you're not seeing it is because you're in Single Frame release mode, where the behavior is indeed correct. Trying using either of the Continuous (Low Speed or High Speed) release modes, and you should see the problem.
My D300 did this intermittently when I was shooting (baseball) a burst of frames in Cl or Ch using AF-S and shutter release focus - not AF-On. The subject in the first frame would but sharp but sometimes not in subsequent frames.
I tried various permutations of AF-C, AF-S, Dynamic, focus priority, etc and I still couldn't figure out the problem and assumed there was a problem with my camera. I then read online about using AF-On and disabling shutter release focus. I tried it and no more problem.
I think the AF gets confused by the mirror flipping up and down and tries to refocus between shots even though (or because) your finger is still holding down the shutter release. I guess the burst rate is too fast for acurate focusing.
