Focusing, need help - not satisfied.

[Peter Ryan]

Thanks Colin, I had a student at the worshop last Sunday with a Canon 7D and he mentioned something about having Manual Focus Single Shot but I thought it should be something like single Servo. I did not have time to fully read his manual.

[inkista]

Just to further clarify:

Canon One Shot is like the Nikon AF-S (single, assumes the subject isn't moving)
Canon AI Auto is like Nikon AF-A (automatically switches between single and tracking/continuous modes)
Canon AI Servo is like Nikon AF-C (tracking continuous, for moving subjects)

BTW, here's a PDF quickguide to the 7D's AF functions.

[Colin Southern]

Thanks Colin, I had a student at the worshop last Sunday with a Canon 7D and he mentioned something about having Manual Focus Single Shot but I thought it should be something like single Servo. I did not have time to fully read his manual.

Hi Peter,

Not sure what he's referring to. One other thing is FTM (Full Time Manual) which basically means you can let the camera focus and then over-ride it by moving the focusing ring manually (many lenses have it).

[Peter Ryan]

Thank you Kathy that will help a lot. I assume it is reasonable current for most Canon model. I can at least talk with the Canonites about it now.

[Peter Ryan]

Hi Colin and Kathy,

Reading the material Kathy gave me the student was talking about the first column on Page 2 - Manual AF Point Selection.

[inkista]

Thank you Kathy that will help a lot. I assume it is reasonable current for most Canon model....

Actually. Sorry. The 7D probably has the most sophisticated AF system outside the pro 1D cameras on the Canon side.

The AF-point selection and three modes are across all the Canon models, but the zone stuff, iirc, is specific to the 7D and the 1Ds Mark IV. And the 7D's controls are super-configurable. A lot of extra options the other cameras don't have (like setting the DoF preview button to lock focus). A quick perusal of CFn.IV-1 menu, as listed on dpreview will give you a fair idea of how it's back-button AF gone mad.

If your student hasn't figured it out yet, let him know he can configure the joystick on the back to do the AF point selection. It's faster and more convenient than cycling through the choices with the back thumbwheel.

On the Canon-centric POTN board, a lot of experienced Canon shooters who have moved from the xxD to the 7D said that it still took them a while to master the AF system, because of all the extra new options. Hence Canon putting together a quick guide to the 7D's AF system as a PDF.

[Colin Southern]

The AF-point selection and three modes are across all the Canon models

The 1D3 / 1Ds3 doesn't do AI Servo (just one shot and servo), but there are a zillion ways to configure the AF on the 1 series anyway (and most of them mis-understood too I might add!).