[dagaetch]

Could I program all of this into a User Selection? I would like to be able to easily (and quickly) move back and forth to continuous autofocus with 1/2 shutter for shooting birds.

Many thanks,

Don

Yes, I have a user mode for 'guest' that disables it so the reverse should be possible. I think you can program anything that isn't a physical switch.

[lightbox]

I learned something here and will definitely experiment with this technique. Thanks!

[hajr12]

Recognise from PDL's post that it's not a new subject, but the technique is new to me and I love it, having employed it over the past two or three weeks in a number of scenarios. Interested that it's also ergonomically possible with the K3 in view of the different position of the K3 AF button (I have a K5).

[dcBear78]

Could I program all of this into a User Selection? I would like to be able to easily (and quickly) move back and forth to continuous autofocus with 1/2 shutter for shooting birds.

Many thanks,

Don

Isn't it already in continuous auto focus if using g this technique?

---

Last edited by dcBear78; 04-13-2015 at 06:32 AM.

[bobell69]

So you have calibrated your lenses for front and back focus, however your are still getting shots that appear out of focus. You go back and spend hours re-calibrating every one of your lenses, maybe even send them off to Pentax to calibrate, but you still end up with the shots that are front or back focused.

Well I'm here to help with a little trick on how to configure your K5/K7 to get more of your shots in focus more often.

The problem here is not that your lenses are not calibrated correctly. The problem here would not be fixed by going to a Canon 5D mkiii, D800, OMD EM1, or whatever else may be crossing your mind. The problem here is that from the time you lock focus to the time your press the shutter either you or your subject may have moved. Even when you fully depress that shutter you may have moved the camera just enough to loose focus. This is obviously more important for when precision focusing can make or break the shot. This also assumes that you are not experiencing camera shake, but true focus issues. There is a way to over come this!

First off, we are going to go into your cameras shooting menu and scroll over to page 5 where "Button Customization" lives




next, select AF Button and set it to "Enable AF" this is on by default.









Then go back to the button customization menu and go down to "shutter button half press", we are going to change this to off








almost done. go to the side of your camera and flick the switch over to "C".







Finally, we are going to set your "AF" mode switch to SEL.



So what does this accomplish?

First off by being in SEL mode for autofocus you can now choose which auto focus point you are using in the view finder. Your going to select this with the 4 way pad on the back to keep your AF point right over whatever you want to be in sharpest focus.

Second, by having the camera in constant AF mode, your camera will do whatever it can to keep whatever is under that AF point in focus. So the AF motor will constantly be hunting, you will notice you only need to move a fraction of an inch for the camera's AF to start working. But your target is still sharp as a button.

I guess a skipped a step, you need to also keep your thumb held down on that AF button on the back. the second you release that button, AF stops!

The other bonus of this method is that if your shooting on a tripod, you can set your focus, hit the AF button to lock, then you can adjust your exposure and do whatever without fear that by pressing the shutter your camera may freak out and change focus on you.

This is invaluable not only for moving targets but for stationary ones too, because even though that lime on your desk isn't moving, you are when your holding your camera. So let the camera do the work and keep that focus locked!



Quotes from other pages regarding this method:

"Doing so allows you to set the camera to continuous-servo AF (AF-C) mode permanently, while still being able to get the benefit of focus-lock like you do in single-servo (AF-S) mode. This means that at any time, you can switch between a focus/recompose/shoot style of photography (portraits and landscapes) and continuous subject tracking (sports & wildlife) without having to change camera switches or menu settings."

"To emulate single-servo mode (focus/recompose/shoot)

Place the active AF point on your subject
Press the AF-On button to acquire focus
Release the AF-On button to lock focus
Recompose and shoot
To focus continuously on a moving subject

Place the active AF point on the subject
Press the AF-On button
Keep the AF-On button pressed to track focus while simultaneously pressing the shutter release"


K3 Setup for AF button focusing!

you've asked for it! Now you got it. It's incredibly easy!

Go into your shooting menu, page 4.
Select Button Customization
AF Button - AF2

Then, hold down the "AF Mode" button on the side of your camera, use the front dial to select "AF.C, use the rear dial to select "SEL-1". Thats it your done!

For bonus points, use the different SEL settings to allow the focus to track across the frame. Very handy in sport situations. ie: SEL-3 will lock onto where your focus point is entered, then track it as it moves. Very useful.

Thanks for this. I have always used the AF button exclusively on my K5 for focus, but your argument re using AFC as opposed to AFS and using SEL switch is different and intriguing. I'll give it a go on my next outing. Thanks for this.

[Pentaxians]

Bookmarked for reference.

[Flugelbinder]

Just a heads-up, but in AFC, if one uses the focus-recompose technique, the camera will not stay with the previous focus point (say the eyes) like other brands; it will instead, follow the focus point and try to focus again where the focus point will stop (most likely the background)...

[romeck]

zakładka / bookmark

I use like (almost) that AF button since 5 years, but in af-s mode. I need to try in af-c...

[fwcetus]

Just a heads-up, but in AFC, if one uses the focus-recompose technique, the camera will not stay with the previous focus point (say the eyes) like other brands; it will instead, follow the focus point and try to focus again where the focus point will stop (most likely the background)...

??? That's not my experience. Assuming that you hold your finger on the AF button to set the focus, but then let up on the AF button just before recomposing the photo, the focus will remain where it was, even if the focus point might then be over something in a totally different plane of focus (either closer or farther away). In other words, the focus-recompose technique works just fine using Wired's suggested technique. No?

[Flugelbinder]

??? That's not my experience. Assuming that you hold your finger on the AF button to set the focus, but then let up on the AF button just before recomposing the photo, the focus will remain where it was, even if the focus point might then be over something in a totally different plane of focus (either closer or farther away). In other words, the focus-recompose technique works just fine using Wired's suggested technique. No?

So, what's the point on using AF-C? Why not just AF-S?

[fwcetus]

So, what's the point on using AF-C? Why not just AF-S?

Well, with Wired's suggested technique, you set the camera body to AFC, and you can then either take one shot or several (depending on how long you keep your finger pressing the shutter button), whether tracking or setting a fixed focus.

If you are tracking a moving target, you would keep the AF button pressed down before and during the time period (for several shots) that you are activating the shutter, or before and at the moment you were to take a single shot.

If you are shooting a stationary target, and the target is where the body's focus point is located, you would hold the AF button down and shoot (once), or (I suppose, if you were careful not to change the camera-to-target distance) you could press the AF button down briefly, let up on it, and then shoot afterward.

If you are shooting a stationary target, and the target is to end up elsewhere in the frame (i.e., not under the focus point), you would first set the focus (by briefly pressing the AF button while placing the target behind the focus point), then re-frame the image, and shoot (once).

Of course, for the latter situation, you could have changed over from AFC to AFS beforehand, if you wished -- maybe that's what you'd prefer to do.

But, you said, "in AFC, if one uses the focus-recompose technique, the camera will not stay with the previous focus point (say the eyes) like other brands; it will instead, follow the focus point and try to focus again where the focus point will stop (most likely the background)". Well, my experience is that that will NOT happen -- once you let up on the AF button, even if you are still pressing the shutter button (which no longer activates the AF function, right?), you could keep pressing the shutter button until the buffer fills up (or "till the cows come home"), and the focus plane still will not have changed after the AF button was let up (although I am not sure why you would want to do that anyway).

[dcBear78]

But one of the points to Wired's initial method was to use selective focus points along with AF-C so as to ALWAYS have the focus point over the desired area to focus on. So if you lock focus with the centre point, let go of the AF button and recompose, you are kinda missing out on half of the benefits of this technique (IMO). Keeping your thumb on the focus button you are allowing for any minor movements between the camera or the subject. For me, this has been the one true revelation to where I can now shoot a wedding, which is a frantic affair, and still come out at the end of the day with virtually 100% of photos in focus.

This technique has been made even easier now I am using a D810 with 51 focus points and 3D focus. Now I use the centre point, lock focus and recompose whilst holding the AF button and my AF point stays where I locked it. I truly hope Pentax include something as good with their FF as this is now the one thing that I can't do without.

[shiner]

Bookmarking this thread...

[bossa]

But one of the points to Wired's initial method was to use selective focus points along with AF-C so as to ALWAYS have the focus point over the desired area to focus on. So if you lock focus with the centre point, let go of the AF button and recompose, you are kinda missing out on half of the benefits of this technique (IMO). Keeping your thumb on the focus button you are allowing for any minor movements between the camera or the subject. For me, this has been the one true revelation to where I can now shoot a wedding, which is a frantic affair, and still come out at the end of the day with virtually 100% of photos in focus.

This technique has been made even easier now I am using a D810 with 51 focus points and 3D focus. Now I use the centre point, lock focus and recompose whilst holding the AF button and my AF point stays where I locked it. I truly hope Pentax include something as good with their FF as this is now the one thing that I can't do without.

The Continuous Servo focus tracking is even better in Live View on the D810.

[slip]

If you have been using half-press of the shutter to lock focus, then you probably missed the mark more often than not.

Don't you need the button pushed half way down for a fraction of a second to engage the SR?

Thanks

Randy