Perpendicular Focusing Prob, Pros advice
>> Sunday, June 15, 2008
For days I was seeking for solution to this problem about capturing fast moving subjects. The photos above were taken with my DSLR in hi-speed shooting mode- and that is 6 pictures are taken in a single click.
Settings: 1/1024, f6.4, ISO400, 63mm
I was shooting a motorcycle race where the subject is speeding perpendicular to my spot.
The first 3 frames were good but notice the motorcycle gets blurred starting at the 4th frame, the question is: considering my shooting spot and direction of moving subject, it is possible to capture the six pictures perfectly focused using Auto Focus mode in a single burst?
Let me share you a brilliant advice given to me by Chris Roberts of "The DSLR-Guide" where I bought some of my DSLR learning stuffs.
Settings: 1/1024, f6.4, ISO400, 63mm
I was shooting a motorcycle race where the subject is speeding perpendicular to my spot.
The first 3 frames were good but notice the motorcycle gets blurred starting at the 4th frame, the question is: considering my shooting spot and direction of moving subject, it is possible to capture the six pictures perfectly focused using Auto Focus mode in a single burst?
Let me share you a brilliant advice given to me by Chris Roberts of "The DSLR-Guide" where I bought some of my DSLR learning stuffs.
Here it goes:
Hi Glendon,
What you're describing is one of the most difficult types of focusing scenarios for any digital SLR camera. Modern autofocus systems are quite good at tracking subjects moving perpendicular to the camera, but when the subject is speeding right at you, it's a lot harder for the AF to keep up.
There are two ways to capture clear photos in this instance and you cancertainly try both and see what works best for you.The first thing to do is to change the setting on your 40D so that ONLY the center autofocus point is being used. When you manually select the AF point, the camera doesn't have to be "smart" about which point to use which can lead to better AF performance and might help the AF in servo mode track a moving subject more accurately.
A second thing to do is to pre-focus the camera on a specific spot before your subject comes into view, then you fire off a burst of shots when your subject comes within focus range.
This strategy is used by a lot of pros who take pictures of car and motorcycle races. The only drawbacks to this technique are A) it takes LOTS of practice to get right and B) you're only getting about 3 usable frames per burst (since your subject will move beyond the spot where you've set the focus).
Hope this helps!
What you're describing is one of the most difficult types of focusing scenarios for any digital SLR camera. Modern autofocus systems are quite good at tracking subjects moving perpendicular to the camera, but when the subject is speeding right at you, it's a lot harder for the AF to keep up.
There are two ways to capture clear photos in this instance and you cancertainly try both and see what works best for you.The first thing to do is to change the setting on your 40D so that ONLY the center autofocus point is being used. When you manually select the AF point, the camera doesn't have to be "smart" about which point to use which can lead to better AF performance and might help the AF in servo mode track a moving subject more accurately.
A second thing to do is to pre-focus the camera on a specific spot before your subject comes into view, then you fire off a burst of shots when your subject comes within focus range.
This strategy is used by a lot of pros who take pictures of car and motorcycle races. The only drawbacks to this technique are A) it takes LOTS of practice to get right and B) you're only getting about 3 usable frames per burst (since your subject will move beyond the spot where you've set the focus).
Hope this helps!
--
Chris Roberts
The Digital SLR Guide
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