nannyg

hi hoggies

anybody have thoughts on best focusing with the sony a7r2? i'm an amateur+ and the focusing piece seems overwhelming with this camera. just leave on auto focus? what focus areas? the pac man dialing for specific manual focus seems a bit tedious. any advice as a to where to start and build from there? thank you and please be kind!

autofocus Loc: North Central Connecticut

I'm not familiar with Sony cameras, but I'm sure selectable single point focus is available on their cameras and that setup is always good for most all photo opportunities. You, the shooter, needs to decide on what your primary subject is, and it is that that should be your point of focus. In human and pet portraiture it should always be on an eye. If you let the camera choose a focus point, it'll probably pick the nose, or something other than an eye. Remember, true focus will only be on one plane (just like our eyes) so it's important that your subject matter be in focus...and not the tree next to it. I would therefore suggest you read your manual so that you can make those in camera adjustments.

nannyg

thank you. appreciate your reply. and reading the manual as well to sort this out. take care, nancy

Neilhunt

First step: choose mode.
Use DMF (direct manual focus) to focus when you half-press the shutter, and then allow manual tweaking.
Use AF-S (auto-single) to focus when you half-press the shutter, and then allow reframing without the focus changing, before you fully press to take the pic. This is my default setting.
Use AF-C (auto-continuous) to focus on moving objects (e.g. birds in flight) when you want the focus to adjust as you track. Note that if you reframe, the focus could shift to whatever sits under the focus points, and not what you were seeking to put in focus. Mostly useful when you have a moving animal without lots of clutter.
Use AF-A (auto-auto) to have the camera guess whether you need AF-S or AF-A. Seems to work pretty well.

Second step, choose which focus targets you want.
Personally, I use one centered small spot for AF-S and carefully put that on the subject, reframe, and shoot.
I use broad area for AF-C for moving animals, runners, cyclists, etc. But sometimes I'll reduce that to a smaller area if there's lots of clutter.

I avoid fiddling with where the single point of focus is - I just leave it in the center, point it at the subject, half-press-focus, reframe, and shoot.

I too am interested in what others have to say on this...

Neilhunt

Two other points:

With some lenses, (e.g. Sony 70-200 f4), there is a manual focus switch, which overrides whatever you have set on the camera.
For me, when I pull the lens out of its sleeve, I often switch to manual without noticing, which is frustrating.
Get in the habit of checking all 4 controls on the lens after mounting (stabilization, stabilization mode, focus, focus range).

With the Sony 90 Macro, you pull the focus ring forward for manual focus, and push it back towards the camera for automatic focus. Again, overrides the camera settings. But seems less vulnerable to accidentally slipping on when pulling out of the sleeve. At least, I haven't had that problem!

nannyg

thank you so much. i've printed out your suggestions and will try them. best to you.

nannyg

also the sony macro lens you mentioned is a beauty. learning to use it and really impressed with the quality of the photos from that lens. mistakes and all.

steveg48

Tru back button focus
https://www.google.com/search?q=back+button+focus+on+sony+a7riii&rlz=1C1AVNE_enUS721US722&oq=back+button+focus+on+sony+a7rii&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57.9064j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6XKyW2yrPY

The sony a7rii has a mode that auto focuses on a person's eye. It works well.

nannyg

thank you!

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

I have had continuous focus problems with my A7 R-II. If I just use autofocus all the images including the are directly under the autofocus point are soft. The only way to get a sharp image is to manually focus peak, somethining I have never had to do with my Nikon or Hassy.

Thus I'm dumping my Sony. And this is after to trips back for calibration.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

There a few settings to consider. I mostly use multi-points, fexible-spot, and continuous settings on my A7RM2's. Also be sure steady shot is on and the lens OSS is on. Also, make sure that the camera and lenses have the currant firmware updated.

I have peaking on also. On the back of the camera the toggle lever set to MF/AF. Pressing the button in the middle of that lever will outline what is in focus with the peaking clor you have choosen.

There are times that using peaking is helpful, but the AF is usually good. With flexible spot you can move the focus around the frame. When have made this choice puching the center button on the main wheel will allow you move these points around using the wheel. When you press the center buttion again, this hold the that focus area that you moved it to. Repeat this to move the focus area.

nannyg, I don't want to overwhelm you with information. It does practice to learn these settings and what they do. PM me if you have more questions.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

"Calibration" on a mirrorless camera?? No such thing. Something else is wrong, probably the way you're using the camera?

bwa

SalvageDiver Loc: Huntington Beach CA

Hi nannyg,

Here are my experiences with this camera. I've been using the a7ii for a couple of years now, since it was first released. I use center-weighted focus about 70-80% of the time. Other times, I'll use spot when I want to focus on something small and specific. I very very seldom use automatic because I'm never sure what it decides to focus on. I had way too many throw aways using automatic focus.

I've moved the focus control from the shutter release button to the AEL button on the back of the camera, i.e. back-button focus. I find this to be much better for me for focus control. Just my preference.

For static scenes, I find that setting focus mode to AF-S is generally more than adequate. I select my subject in the VF, press the back focus button once and shoot away without the camera refocus between each shot. For moving scenes, I set focus mode to AF-C. As I hold the back button down with my thumb, the camera continually refocuses on whatever is in my focusing area, then press the shutter button when I'm ready to shoot.

If I'm on a tripod, then I'll used manual focus to guarantee what the camera is focusing on. The 10x focus assist feature allows me very precise control of my focus point.

To quickly change between focus mode and other routinely used functions, I press the FN button just above the rotary dial on the camera back. It brings up a quick select menu, that allows me to quickly and easily change between shooting modes. It's easy to customize this menu to suit your specific needs and shooting style.

As with any system, photography or not, it takes practice. Eventually it just becomes muscle memory and you no longer even think about it. Everything becomes automatic. Kind of like learning to drive. When I first started, I had to concentrate and think about everything I did. Later, everything became automatic to the point that I would drive back and forth between work, many times not even remember the driving part of the trip.

Hope this helps and good luck with learning your system.

Mike

Logan1949

Auto-focusing Sony's A7R2 is not always swift, especially if the subject is fuzzy with few contrasting edges. In my menus, in the Gear tab, page 3, I have the "Disp. Cont. AF area" On, the "Phase Detect. Area" On, and the "Pre-AF" Off (just my preference).

Sometimes you just have to use Manual focus; for example, when shooting through small branches or chain link fences. I keep the menu, Gear tab, page 1, "MF Assist" set to On, and the "Focus Magnif. Time" set to "No Limit" (since pressing the shutter button halfway down turns the magnification off). This allows me to manually focus in the magnified view. I also set the C1 custom button to "Focus Magnifier"; this is in the Gear tab, screen 7, "Custom Key Settings", page 1. Then I can manually press the C1 button two or three times for a more magnified view for focusing. And, with these menu settings, if I am using Manual focus, just turning the focus ring turns on the first magnification automatically.

When using the FE 2.8/90mm Macro G OSS lens, you should keep the camera menu set to an auto-focus option (AF-S, AF-A, or AF-C), then the focus ring on the lens will, when pushed forward to AF, focus automatically, and when pushed backward to MF, will set the focus to MF. But if you have the camera's menu set to MF, that MF will override the AF from the lens (at least with camera version 1.0 software). There have been a few times that I have failed to autofocus this lens because (while the camera was turned off, being carried, etc.) the focus ring has slipped back into manual focus. And you are right; this lens is astoundingly sharp.

(Download)

nannyg

mike, very helpful. thank you.