johnbhome2 Loc: Wyoming, Michigan

Both my cameras only offer 9 AF points. I mostly just use the center point. Having more points to focus with is nice but not a necessity. With practice and anticipation those 9 AF points are the least of my worries when shooting.

teresajewell Loc: Bloomington, IN

Thanks

teresajewell Loc: Bloomington, IN

Thanks

rfcoakley Loc: Auburn, NH

It surprises me that many comments indicate that center point focus is almost exclusively used by many. A few comments on that:
- if the intent is to get sharp focus over an entire scene, then isn't best approach to (1) select an aperture that provides a large depth of field; and (2) set the focus point near the hyper focal distance (rule of thumb at roughly 2/3rds into the scene)?
- if there a particular subject in the scene that is intended to be sharply focused with background not sharply focused (shallow depth of field), then shouldn't the focus point be precisely set of that subject (for example, on the eyes of a person in a head shot)?
- if the subject is not in the center of the frame, but compositionally positioned elsewhere (e.g., rule of thirds), wouldn't it be preferable to directly focus the way the shot is composed instead of focusing with center point on subject, locking in the focus, and then recomposing (e.g., focus will not take into account any subject movement after recomposing)?
- When using matrix metering, the exposure is determined based on a combination of the point of focus and total scene. Therefore, if exposure is locked with subject at center of frame and then recomposed, wouldn't exposure be incorrect? Conversely, if exposure is not locked, and recomposed scene maintains focal point at center frame (not on subject), wouldn't exposure still be incorrect? (It seems as though spot metering and locking in both exposure and focus would be required when recomposing after focusing with subject in center frame).

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

I rented an a77ii and 70-400g2 for a trip to a week-long aviation convention. The camera is an upgrade (a77) as is the lens. I used mostly the new equipment but exchanged lenses and bodies for experiments. The a77ii has a zillion times more focus points - OK, I exaggerate - but the good capture rate was drastically improved! Both are on my wish list. One of the 5k+ pics I had made into my fist metal print. Even though I went to an aerial photography seminar in which the instructor hinted to use center-point focus, when planes are flying past at Mach .9 (or a bit slower) I find the more focal points the better. Just my 2¢.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

My Nikon D40 has only three. However, I don't recall ever a time I wish it had more. But I suppose it depends on what kind of photography one does. If you have sufficient time to recompose after establishing focus, a single focus point is all that is really needed.

Bear2 Loc: Southeast,, MI

Me too!

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

No, you're only cheating yourself if you spend more than $500 on a camera!!! LoL
SS

teresajewell Loc: Bloomington, IN

Thanks

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

I use the center point and move it around on my Nikon D800e to suit the scene if center isn't appropriate.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Come on rf, you're scaring me, what are you, a REAL photographer?!?! LoL
You're sounding like you actually know photography and its problems. Is there really a differeance between a $5000 camera and a $500 camera, certainly the pricier camera is a waste of money. LoL
I've been in every situation you mention, and yes, the camera's shortcomings can be very glaring when what you mention has to be done, say 10 times in the span of a 1/2 a minute!
My latest camera to me, solves most of those issues.
I can assign the spot metering to follow an individual focus point, no matter where the point is, the camera meters on the spot of focus, so the area of focus is perfectly metered when I press the shutter!!! VERY COOL
SS

BTW, about a year ago, I posted some pics comparing using a corner location focus point vs the center point and recomposing while using a very shallow DoF.
The recomposed shots were ALL visibly soft, while the corner point shots were dead sharp!!!

rfcoakley Loc: Auburn, NH

...Like many here, I've recently been investing in more capable equipment and making an effort to learn more to help get better results. Regarding focus, I recently went through Steve Perry's ebook on Nikon's autofocus system that I found very useful on the subject. His book covers a full spectrum of Nikons - including D3xxx and D5xxx in the less than $500 range. While I still haven't developed high proficiency in dynamic focusing, I still found much of the information in his book to be very useful. One thing to note is, as recommended in the ebook, I very often will focus static scenes via live view. Live view lets me move the focus point where ever I like and, while slower, can be more accurate than focusing through the view finder. This makes it easier to find a point of focus roughly 2/3rds of the way into the scene. Steve also talks about using a laser-based range finder for that, but I haven't yet explored that option.