Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

FM Forum Rules
Wedding Resource List
  

FM Forums | Wedding Photographer | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       end
  

Archive 2013 · Your approach to focus?

  
 
dougfatheruk
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Your approach to focus?


Hi all,

I'm really interested to learn how others approach focus at weddings.

Do I need to be heading down the focus and recompose route or go manual?

I'm finding autofocus inconsistent for anything other than the formals and single point too time consuming.

Thanks in advance.



Jun 11, 2013 at 06:32 PM
amonline
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Your approach to focus?


I suck at recomping, so I use the dot that makes the comp. AF 100% of the time.


Jun 11, 2013 at 06:41 PM
Ziffl3
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Your approach to focus?


use various forms of spot AF with one shot mode.
move spot around. push button to release shutter.

pow .... we have picture.

I could focus and recompose ... but have camera with good outer spot AF.



Jun 11, 2013 at 06:45 PM
tobicus
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Your approach to focus?


AF 100% of the time. Used to exclusively use AF-C and moving the focus point, but in the last wedding, I mostly used AF-S and focus-recompose to mix things up, only switching back to AF-C and focus pointing for the ceremony. The advantage of focus-recompose is that it takes less time than moving the focus point, but it comes at the expense of focus accuracy.


Jun 11, 2013 at 07:32 PM
NathanHamler
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Your approach to focus?


AF-C and move the point around for everything but the reception....

At the reception, it's AF-S, Center point only, focus and recompose, OR, just shoot a little wider than what i need and crop later....you have to shoot AF-S, Center point b/c you gotta have AF assist from the flash (well, I do at least, and i know a lot of other photogs that subscribe to the same theory.....)

The action happens so fast at a reception, and shooting people dancing or stuff happening in terrible light, with a 35 f/2 or an 85 f/1.8, you cant focus and recompose fast enough on a moving subject.....so center point where i wanna focus, and just shoot...crop later for composition....



Jun 11, 2013 at 08:02 PM
Tim Wild
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Your approach to focus?


Centre point focus 95% of the time, off centre point 5%. Never MF. Single shot for everything except processional, then I use continuous.

What camera and lenses do you use? I have massive problems with Canon, but my D700's are awesome.



Jun 11, 2013 at 08:14 PM
paparazzinick
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Your approach to focus?


if your AF is that bad you should send your gear in for a checkup.


Jun 11, 2013 at 08:17 PM
form
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Your approach to focus?


I use live view for formals a lot because focus is not really reliable enough for me to guarantee in-focus shots each time. Also any time I have extra time to take photos more carefully I use live view...but always autofocus the rest of the time. Focus recompose for 5d2's...


Jun 11, 2013 at 08:24 PM
Tony Hoffer
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Your approach to focus?


If you want to learn composition, focus and recompose is the best way to go. It forces you to 'recompose' every time, which is priceless.


Jun 11, 2013 at 09:27 PM
Ziffl3
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Your approach to focus?


Tony Hoffer wrote:
If you want to learn composition, focus and recompose is the best way to go. It forces you to 'recompose' every time, which is priceless.


don't agree ... it is one style or method. granted it is popular.

The other thought is shooters will get lazy and not really recompose ... or the moment is gone.



Jun 11, 2013 at 11:18 PM
TRReichman
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Your approach to focus?


Why doesn't your AF work? Modern AF systems have gotten pretty good so I would suspect there is something fundamentally wrong with either the equipment or the technique?

Focus and recompose was popular for a years particularly amongst Canon shooters because the outer points weren't really reliable. That may not be the situation that you're operating in - what camera(s) are you using?

- trr



Jun 11, 2013 at 11:36 PM
SloPhoto
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Your approach to focus?


TRReichman wrote:
Why doesn't your AF work? Modern AF systems have gotten pretty good so I would suspect there is something fundamentally wrong with either the equipment or the technique?

Focus and recompose was popular for a years particularly amongst Canon shooters because the outer points weren't really reliable. That may not be the situation that you're operating in - what camera(s) are you using?

- trr


I think the OP is letting the camera choose the AF point instead of selecting one AF point.

Tony Hoffer wrote:
If you want to learn composition, focus and recompose is the best way to go. It forces you to 'recompose' every time, which is priceless.


That is a really interesting thought. Now that I think about it, I do somewhat lock in on one composition.




Jun 11, 2013 at 11:49 PM
D. Diggler
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Your approach to focus?


SloPhoto wrote:
I think the OP is letting the camera choose the AF point instead of selecting one AF point.


He wasn't real clear but that's the way it sounds: letting the camera choose the focus point.



Jun 12, 2013 at 12:13 AM
MalachiConstant
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Your approach to focus?


One point AF all the time, and I choose the point nearest to my desired focal point then recompose. With 5DIII focusing has effectively become a non-issue, as it's safe to assume it DID in fact hit focus.


Jun 12, 2013 at 06:45 AM
Mitch W
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Your approach to focus?


Tony Hoffer wrote:
If you want to learn composition, focus and recompose is the best way to go. It forces you to 'recompose' every time, which is priceless.

Just use caution if you do this with a 50L at 1.2.



Jun 12, 2013 at 07:49 AM
sboerup
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Your approach to focus?


I still do focus and recompose, but not as much now that the 5D3 has a lot of useful AF points. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

In the reception it's so hard to see (and remember) which focus point you were/are using, so I just set it to center and recompose most of the night when its dark.



Jun 12, 2013 at 12:07 PM
D. Diggler
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Your approach to focus?


Mitch W wrote:
Just use caution if you do this with a 50L at 1.2.


I've run into a number of problems using focus and recompose when shooting at 1.4 or 1.6 when the subject is less than ten feet away.



Jun 12, 2013 at 01:47 PM
silentwings
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Your approach to focus?


If time allowed for me to tweek the focus point and the camera does have enough outer focus points to choose from, I will definitely choose the right focus point to make the shot, especially with my D3s.

But when the moment took place right in front of you and you didn't have time to change your focus point, then center focus point and recompose.

But for 5DII, I almost always focus and recompose with center one, which I believe lots of users did the same thing for years.



Jun 12, 2013 at 02:19 PM
JR Magat
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Your approach to focus?


i got so used to center focus point & recompose with the 5D II that I still do the same thing with the III. I rarely shoot wide open, so the room for error isn't as big. I usually shot f/2 to f/2.8


Jun 12, 2013 at 02:37 PM
hardlyboring
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Your approach to focus?


I use servo 100% of the time on my D3. I move the points around a little. For stuff moving you hold the button down..for stuff now moving you focus once and then just fire away without pressing the af-on button. Works like a charm 100% of the time.

FWIW I much prefer manual focusing with my M9 for most things. If something is moving erratically then you need AF but for the majority of stuff I find the rangefinder superior to all else. It just works. If something is not in focus it is because I did something wrong.



Jun 12, 2013 at 02:37 PM
1
       2       end




FM Forums | Wedding Photographer | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.