Does anybody know the settings for focus trap on a D7000?

Best
bride

Set the camera to focus-priority release, Custom Settings a1 and a2.

Remove the focus control from the shutter button, either by using manual focus or ae-L button focus (Custom Setting f5).

Prefocus on the desired spot, press and hold the shutter release, wait for something to become in focus.

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Joseph K
Seattle, WA, USA

D700, D200, D70S, 24-70mm f/2.8, VR 70-200mm f/2.8 II, 50mm f/1.4 D,
17-55mm f/2.8 DX, 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR, 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 DX

No one comes back to an old post unless they're researching a topic.

In case you are, I tried this procedure today and would like to add one step to Joseph's marvelously succinct description.

That additional step is, as explained here

http://forum.mflenses.com/focus-trapping-on-nikon-d7000-t46772.html

"Swerve lens away from object, keep shutter fully pressed and aim lens back at prefocused object - snap"

Of course you have to move to a portion of the scene that's out-of-focus to fully depress the shutter. Then you move back to the prefocused area when the target you're waiting for comes into view. Snap...

David

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

I would add a few steps to this that work well for unattended setups.

Set the camera to continuous shooting (CL).
Use a remote switch (such as this one: http://bhpho.to/URQIQm) to lock the shutter.

When the subject enters the focus area, the camera will start firing, and will stop when the subject leaves the focus area. When the subject re-enters the focus area, the camera will automatically start firing again.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

That is very cool... auto firing with remote shutter release...

Yes, we need to change to 'Focus Priority Release', then make sure you choose the focus mode correctly.

For example, if you choose AF-C for focus priority in a1, make sure you use AF-C mode, not AF-S mode if your AF-S mode is set to release regardless of the subject is in focus or not.

Otherwise, your camera could then be taking pictures all the time.

I now understood how to 'lock the shutter':
On the MC-DC2 equivalent of corded remote control, push the button down, then move the slider to keep the push-button in depressed position.

I have just ordered a third party MC-DC2 equivalent for my D7000 from Amazon, it is the cheapest Neewer release, cost £2.44 from the UK site.

Another aid in successful trap shooting is to stop the aperture down a bit so is the subject is not a flat plane parallel to the focal plane. That increases the field depth so if the desired focus point comes into range after a leading edge at another focal plane is locked onto. For example if it was a person walking parallel to the focal plane and is swinging their arms in a natural gate, their far arm would trigger the shutter before the face or body closer to the camera would in focus. So calculate the Dof needed to assure the whole subject would be in focus if any part was able to trigger the shutter.
Stan
St Petersburg Russia

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I tried today after receiving my Neewer labelled 'Shoot' MC-DC2 remote switch from Amazon U. K. (£2.44) and like it very much. I pushed it to lock position after the 'pre-focus' and 'swerve lens away' procedures.

In addition, you must assign the AE-L / AF-L button to AF-ON, disabling the shutter release buttons (including remote MC-DC2) to initiate auto focus (AF).

Next, to let your D7000 work 'auto-firing', you must use AF-C, and set it to release on 'Focus' rather than 'Release', on page 208 of the D7000 English Instruction Manual (a1: AF-C Priority Selection).

If you use AF-S, it will fire regardless of your object is in focus or not, because the camera will only consider for once, the object appear in focusing point (tiny square), seen in the viewfinder is in focus or not.

Whereas in AF-C, the camera will continually considering your object appearing in the tiny square (focusing point) is in focus or not. As a result, when your object is not in focus, it will stop firing. D7000 will auto-fire again when object is in focus.

The D7000 manual does not give you this instructions, but fellow Nikonians help each other to figure out this trick.

My D7000 does NOT stop auto firing once the object (bird) left the scene. Any idea?

Note that Nikon changed the AF behavior with the D800 and D4 so that trap focusing is not possible. I don't know if this change extends to later cameras such as the D7100 and D600.

Gary in SE Michigan, USA. Co-organizer of the Southern Michigan Chapter
Nikonians membership - My most important photographic investment, after the camera.
D4, D800e, D300, D90, F6, FM3a (black), FM2n (chrome)
YashicaMat 124, Graflex Speed Graphic 4x5
My Nikonians Gallery & Our Chapter Gallery

The edited question needs an edited answer, which I don't have...

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Joseph K
Seattle, WA, USA

D700, D200, D70S, 24-70mm f/2.8, VR 70-200mm f/2.8 II,
50mm f/1.4 D, 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR, 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 DX