Auto focus
Nov 10, 2017 13:00:53 #
When taking sunset pictures my autofocus zooms in and out and does not stop to fix on some thing. I am shooting with a Nikon D810. Thoughts to resolve?
Nov 10, 2017 13:03:01 #
rbmitch123 wrote:
When taking sunset pictures my autofocus zooms in and out and does not stop to fix on some thing. I am shooting with a Nikon D810. Thoughts to resolve?
It's almost impossible for auto focus to work on the sky. Manual focus would be better.
Nov 10, 2017 13:31:05 #
rbmitch123 wrote:
When taking sunset pictures my autofocus zooms in and out and does not stop to fix on some thing. I am shooting with a Nikon D810. Thoughts to resolve?
There is nothing for your camera to focus on in the air (sky). Use the depth of field scale on your lens to reach a very high depth out to but not exactly at infinity. Practice, practice, practice and you’ll begin to see sharper results.
Nov 10, 2017 13:32:49 #
Move shot to the right or left of Sun, focus on something nearer (a tree?) but still at infinity, keep shutter half depressed to lock focus point, reframe and depress shutter.
Nov 10, 2017 13:59:03 #
rbmitch123 wrote:
When taking sunset pictures my autofocus zooms in and out and does not stop to fix on some thing. I am shooting with a Nikon D810. Thoughts to resolve?
RB, welcome to the Hog!
Assuming your sunset also incoporates a bit of horizon, assign the focus to a point that coincides with a piece of the horizon. It's ALL gonna be at infinity so it won't matter WHAT the focus locks onto, the sunset will be in sharp focus.
The LAST thing you should do if you're not real experienced is switch to manual anything. It will be too easy to screw up the shot. Let the camera lock the focus for you.
If you only feel comfy using the central focus point, again point it at the horizon and press the shutter 1/2 way to lock the focus then recompose and take your shot! Good luck
SS
Nov 10, 2017 14:25:48 #
rbmitch123 wrote:
When taking sunset pictures my autofocus zooms in and out and does not stop to fix on some thing. I am shooting with a Nikon D810. Thoughts to resolve?
Welcome to the Hog, rbmitch123.
Nov 11, 2017 09:02:59 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
kpsk_sony wrote:
Move shot to the right or left of Sun, focus on something nearer (a tree?) but still at infinity, keep shutter half depressed to lock focus point, reframe and depress shutter.
Nov 11, 2017 09:14:34 #
gvarner
Loc: Central Oregon Coast
rbmitch123 wrote:
When taking sunset pictures my autofocus zooms in and out and does not stop to fix on some thing. I am shooting with a Nikon D810. Thoughts to resolve?
Use back button focusing on a distant far away object. It will stay locked there for the rest of your shots until you refocus on something else. Auto focus is programmed to focus on the nearest subject so I always use a single focus point in the center of the field. With BBF you can then recompose at will without affecting subsequent shots until you refocus again on something else. BBF with Continuous focus mode is also great for subjects moving to or away from you.
Nov 11, 2017 09:37:44 #
Nov 11, 2017 20:00:57 #
The problem with this is that it also locks the exposure. The solution is to find something within the scene you wish to photograph and focus on that, then compose and take the photo. Just make sure that the item on which you focus is within the scene you are photographing.
--Bob
--Bob
kpsk_sony wrote:
Move shot to the right or left of Sun, focus on something nearer (a tree?) but still at infinity, keep shutter half depressed to lock focus point, reframe and depress shutter.
Nov 13, 2017 09:49:52 #
rbmitch123 wrote:
When taking sunset pictures my autofocus zooms in and out and does not stop to fix on some thing. I am shooting with a Nikon D810. Thoughts to resolve?
I have a D810 and have shot many sunsets with no problem focusing. I pick a mountain range in the distance and focus on that. My images are very sharp.
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