Hi All -

I'm sure that I'm just doing something completely stupid but here's the problem I'm having.

I press the shutter release button half-way to focus on my subject. Maintaining the shutter release half-way down, I then reframe my shot for composition purposes but the camera refocuses on wherever the focus point 'lands'. Aggh. How do I make it stop doing this?

I shoot in single point AF mode and the same behavior happens whether I'm in Manual shooting mode or "P" mode.

Please let me know if there are other settings you would need to know in order to properly diagnose what's happening.

TIA,
Rick

Never mind. I finally sorted it out myself. I was in AF-A mode instead of AF-S mode. Curse you, new feature!

Another option...

Set focus mode to AF-C(continuous focus as long as button is pressed) and set AE-L/AF-L button to AF-ON(custom setting menu-f5 controls). This removes focus from the shutter button and locks focus as soon as you release the AE-L/AF-L button. Rather than doing two things with a single press of the shutter button you separate focus and metering which simplifies reframing and metering.

Tom
From Beautiful Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia

Does this also work when focus mode is set to AF-S with single point, or does it only work when focus mode is set to AF-C. I use AF-S most of the time with single point and I set AE-L/AF-L button to AF-ON, and it seems to work. Thanks.

The af-on button does work with AF-S, but it seems redundant.

The combo of (af-on + AF-C) gives you the best of both worlds in one setting. To mimic AF-S, press and release the af-on button. To get continuous focus, press and hold the af-on button.

The one catch is that AF-C will let you take an out-of-focus shot (even while mimicking AF-S) unless you change that setting.

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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

Maybe I'm missing something, but can you explain why setting the AE-L/AF-L button when using focus mode AF-S is redundant? I thought the purpose of using AF-ON was to separate the metering and focusing functions. Thanks.

In AF-S mode, the camera will lock focus and keep it there for as long or short as you hold the af-on button. Hold or release the button, you are still in AF-S mode. You still get the focus separation, but that is all you get.

In AF-C mode, press and hold gets you continuous focus while press and release gets you "AF-S" with no menu changes, all at your control.

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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

The back button focus approach with AF-C works really well with the AF Tracking on the D7000. It dramatically increases the keeper rate with difficult subjects.



Eric Bowles
Nikonians Team
My Gallery
Workshops

Nikonians membership — my most important photographic investment, after the camera

>The back button focus approach with AF-C works really well
>with the AF Tracking on the D7000. It dramatically increases
>the keeper rate with difficult subjects.
>
>
>
>Eric Bowles
>Nikonians Team
>My Gallery
>Workshops
>
>Nikonians membership — my most important photographic
>investment, after the camera


Back button? What is that?
I. Am still trying to learn the terminology

Colin

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

"Back button" is the focus button on the back of the camera. Some bodies have a dedicated af-on button. Some bodies you can choose to have the ae-l button do that duty.

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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

Thanks Joseph.


Colin.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Keep in mind that if you program the AE-L/AF-L button to activate autofocus instead of using the shutter release, vibration reduction does not work when you press the AE-L/AF-L button. To activate the VR when using the AE-L/AF-L button to focus, you have to half-press the shutter release button to wake up the VR.

Regards,
Mike

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

i use the 'back button' as a means of convenience. I keep my focus point in the middle to get the sharpest possible focus and then recompose. Its hardly redundant. if the shutter release the focus trigger, then everytime i remove my finger from that button, the camera is going to want to refocus when I need to press the button again.

its a tiny detail that i think becomes more and more useful as a professional.

JustiNikon
Just a Nikon.