Focusing skills of novice photographers

Strictly speaking, it is much more difficult to take clear photos than most beginners think. In order to shoot successfully, we must find out all kinds of focusing skills. The following are the focusing skills that I shared with new photographers. Let's have a look.

Understand the focusing system of digital monocular camera

The framing system and focusing system of digital monocular camera are integrated together. In autofocus mode, the photographer can choose the focus point independently, and the focus sensor in the camera will automatically generate the focus area to focus on the subject. In the manual focus mode, the photographer can still choose the focus independently, but the autofocus system will only play an auxiliary role and will not perform autofocus.

▲ The focus sensor is the device that really ensures accurate focus in the whole camera focusing system.

▲ The focus on the autofocus system is convenient for the photographer to focus on the subject.

Half-press shutter, autofocus

When we use a digital monocular camera, we will find that the camera can focus automatically after half pressing the shutter button, that is, the image can focus from blurred to clear. Before pressing the shutter button, the picture may be blurred, and the photographer can only see the currently set value in the viewfinder window. However, after the photographer presses the shutter button for half a minute, in addition to displaying the numerical value in the viewfinder, the focus will turn red and remain. At this point, the focus indicator lights up and the picture becomes clear, that is, focusing is completed.

▲ After the photographer half presses the shutter button, the picture in the viewfinder changes.

Flexible change of focus

At present, the autofocus system used by digital monocular cameras often has 9 points, 1 1 point,1point or more. Photographers can take pictures according to different subjects in the picture, and select multiple different autofocus points to focus. Although there are many focus points in the framing window, there will still be a phenomenon that the subject is not covered by the focus points during the framing process. At this time, the photographer can select an in-focus point, and then keep the shutter button half pressed after focusing to lock the in-focus point, so as to move the camera to re-compose the picture without changing the distance from the subject.

▲ If the photographer's usual central focus does not cover the subject, he can also use other focus points to shoot according to the actual situation.

Difference between single autofocus mode and continuous autofocus mode

Single autofocus mode and continuous autofocus mode are often used in daily shooting. Single autofocus mode means that when the photographer presses the shutter button, the camera will focus once, which is suitable for shooting still subjects, such as "ONE SHOT" focusing mode in Canon camera and "AF-S" focusing mode in Nikon camera.

Continuous autofocus mode means that as long as the photographer keeps the shutter half pressed, the camera will focus on the subject continuously, which is more suitable for shooting moving subjects, such as "AI servo" focusing mode of Canon camera and "AF-C" focusing mode of Nikon camera.

▲ The static building is a picture effect that can be easily obtained after using the single autofocus mode.

▲ In continuous autofocus mode, the photo also clearly shows the moving kitten.

Artificial intelligence autofocus mode to meet more shooting needs.

Artificial intelligence autofocus can automatically switch between single autofocus mode and continuous autofocus mode, especially when the subject moves from a static state, the camera will automatically switch the focus mode from single autofocus to continuous autofocus. In this way, the photographer can save the setting time in a complex shooting environment, avoid missing important pictures, and easily complete shooting. In the artificial intelligence autofocus mode, the photographer can easily focus on the still flowers in the picture. However, when a butterfly flies and stops on a flower, the camera will automatically focus on the moving butterfly and keep the continuous autofocus mode to get a clear picture.

Prefocusing

This focusing method is often aimed at moving subjects, especially in sports competitions. Usually, it is difficult for photographers to focus on subjects that are too fast, and the method of "waiting for the rabbit" can be adopted. After understanding the motion law of the subject, we need to find out where it often appears, focus in advance and keep the shutter or focus locked until the subject appears in the viewfinder window, and then press the shutter button quickly to complete the shooting. For example, after the photographer knows the rules of the game and the track of the car, he focuses in advance, so when the car appears in the pre-focus place, he presses the shutter again, or uses the continuous shooting mode of the camera to find his most satisfactory picture from a group of photos.

Multi-point autofocus

Multi-point autofocus is called dynamic area autofocus or 3D tracking autofocus on Nikon digital monocular camera, and it must be used in conjunction with AF-C/AF-A focusing mode. In this mode, the photographer must manually select the focus first, and once the subject temporarily deviates from the selected focus, the camera will track and focus according to the surrounding focus information. The setting in Canon digital monocular camera is more convenient, so you can use this function as long as you use AI servo /AI FOCUS mode. In continuous shooting mode, the car body needs to be focused with the central autofocus point first. Because the subject is always in motion, the photographer needs to move the camera to follow the subject, but at the same time, the camera will re-select the autofocus point according to the previous focus area.