FOCUSING

The autofocus modes

ONE-SHOT

The best ways to focus for sharp shots

to set zones of AF points. This works well when shooting a moving target in a wid er scene, such as a bird in flight, as the bigg er area increases your chances of focu sing accurately on the subject.

TIP OF THE HOUR Some Canon D-SLRs enable you

Many photographers stick to One Shot autofocus (AF) mode, whereas it should only be used for static subjects, such as landscapes or portraits. To change your AF mode, press the AF button on the back (or top) of your D-SLR and use the arrow keys (or top dial) to switch modes.

AI SERVO
The AI Servo AF mode is brilliant for continually moving subjects, such as any vehicles or transport, sports or wildlife photos, when the focussing distance is changing. As with all AF modes, half-press the shutter button for your chosen AF point to achieve focus although in AI Servo the beep will not sound nor will the focus confirmation light appear in the viewfinder.

AI FOCUS
Its not just subjects moving at speed that will require (constant) refocusing. Unpredictable subjects, such as children or wildlife, only need to move slightly for you to have to refocus. Use the AI Focus AF mode and your Canon D-SLR will switch automatically between One Shot (focusing once) and AI Servo (continually focusing) if your static subject then starts moving.

AF NEAR

Autofocus points

our EOS D-SLR is set to Auto AF Point Selection by default. This is fine if you always want to focus on whatevers closest in the frame, but it becomes a problem when you want to take control and focus on something deeper in the scene for a more creative result. Switch to Manual AF Point Selection and then you decide on which subject, near or far, to focus on. Experiment with AF points and shallow depth of field to creatively blurred foregrounds or backgrounds.

AF FAR

AF MIDDLE

ZOOM IN x5

Live View focusing

our Canon D-SLR has a large LCD display on the back, so take advantage of it and shoot scenes using Live View! As well as offering a stress-free way to compose and properly expose your images before youve taken a shot, Live View is also a brilliant way to focus closely to ensure your images are super-sharp. Fire up Live View, compose your shot and focus using autofocus; then use the zoom button to view at x5 and x10 magnication, switch to manual focus on your lens, and turn the focus ring to ne-tune your focusing. Make sure you use a tripod so you can shoot hands-free, and so its easier to make small adjustment to your composition by zooming in or out, or tweaking your shooting angle. Use the self-timer mode or a remote control for ring the shutter and to take perfectly sharp shots.

ZOOM IN x10

FULL SCREEN VIEW