What are single autofocus and continuous autofocus?

Single autofocus: the shutter automatically focuses once on time.

Continuous autofocus: regardless of whether the shutter is half pressed or not, the camera always performs focusing operation.

Single autofocus

This is the most basic focusing method. In this mode, the basic steps of our shooting are: framing, composition, half-pressing the shutter, focusing and shooting, thus taking a photo. In digital SLR, it is usually marked as AF-S, and some cameras are also written as S-AF or ONE SHOT.

Please note that the AF-S here should not be confused with the AF-S in Nikon lens. In the camera, the S for single autofocus stands for single autofocus, and the S for Nikon lens stands for mute, which means quiet (AF-S stands for autofocus lens with ultrasonic motor, so it is very quiet when focusing).

Continuous autofocus

If the subject moves (for example, shooting a sports game), then you must release the shutter, press the shutter for half a turn, and focus again, sometimes wasting opportunities. At this time, continuous autofocus can come in handy. It can be seen that this mode is very suitable for shooting sports scenes and themes. The continuous autofocus mark is AF-C or C-AF. C stands for Continuous, which means continuous.

Note: Although continuous autofocus has some advantages in performance, it also comes at the cost of high power consumption. Because the focus module of the camera is always activated, the power consumption in continuous autofocus mode will be greater, and the wear of the focus system will also increase. Generally speaking, a single autofocus is enough for ordinary shooting, such as commemorative photos, macro close-ups, portrait landscape shooting, etc. Photography on stage, sports and other subjects is suitable for continuous autofocus.