61 points of AF is nice but how do you apply it in a practical sense.
For example, on Sunday I plan to go to PA and spectate and photograph the PA Hunt Cup. (An equine event). It is a cross country race based on time for horse and rider with a course set up to roughly simulate the kind of obstacles one might encounter in a fox hunt. With horses galloping, changing direction and jumping I have a difficult time trying to select the best AF points. They won't be going just one direction.
BIF photographers must run into this in its extremes, yet they manage to get the bird's eye in focus. Even photographers shooting F-1 and SCCA races have to deal with this.
I can't see the practicality of cycling through all the different focus settings, and moving focus points around while trying to photograph animals that are active and dynamic in there environment, or shooting cars, motorcycles, planes racing around and continuously changing distance, direction, perspective and speeds.
How do you handle it? What kind of settings do you prefer?
Re AF selection mode, under your circumstances: I'd use either single point AF (manual selection) or the AF point expansion setting that activates four points surrounding the manually selected AF point.
In the AF configuration tool (1st purple menu), I've settled on Case 4 for most action, including BIF and equine steeplechase. I get good results with Case 1, too. Each case is tweak-able, but in my case they're all at their default settings.
Thanks Jon. That is very helpful. Great photo by the way, and what I am looking to accomplish. In your example, are you then just using the 'joy stick' button and moving the point as you reframe and shoot?
My primary glass will be the 70-200 F4 IS USM.
That bay in your photo reminds me of my warmblood. Except the one in the photo isn't bucking
Yes, I'll use the joystick to change the focus point to put more space ahead of a moving subject, for example. But almost always in anticipation: Once I've framed up and have begun shooting, I seldom interrupt the sequence of shots to attempt to re-position the focus point.
I haven't tried any of the automatic focus acquisition settings--either the zone AF or the full 61-point auto selection. They may work just fine, especially if one needs only to acquire and track the closest subject or closest part of a subject.
That is one fast-focusing lens--should suit your game plan very well.
Well I have set up a custom setting with your suggestions. I understand the anticipatory setting up of the af points. Makes sense. I think with a panning shot the 61 point af may work because there isn't a lot of DOF there for a broadside shot of a horse and rider. That way too, as their heads bob up and down, you aren't trying to keep a point on them. I will experiment a little. Definately going to try your suggestion though.
Thanks. I think the f2.8 may have been a better choice, simply because it is faster, but this lens is incredibly sharp, and I really have come to like it very much. Not to likely to part with it.
