Focus Settings to Ensure In-Focus Pictures

^{Note: This tip comes from page 6 in Tobie Schalkwyk’s free eBook - Bird Photography: Staying Sharp and Focused}

USE THESE FOCUS SETTINGS TO ENSURE IN-FOCUS SHOTS

Set Your Auto Focus Mode to AF-C

All DSLRs have AF-S (‘Single Area’ for Nikon or ‘One Shot’ for Canon) and AF-C (‘Continuous’ for Nikon or ‘AI Servo’ for Canon) autofocus modes. Some have one or more hybrid versions of this, such as AF-A (Nikon) or ‘AI Focus’ (Canon) AF modes.

Since we know we are working with moving subjects, I recommend selecting AF-C auto-focus mode. That will ensure that your camera keeps on re-focusing as your subject moves around, as long as you keep the shutter pressed down halfway (or while you’re pressing the back button if you are using the back button focusing technique).

You may want to switch back to AF-S only in the event of bad lighting conditions to prevent the focus mechanism from consistently hunting for high contrast points.

Note: In most cameras, the switching between AF modes is not as straightforward as for other settings. Make sure that you know where and how to change yours if needed. On my Nikon D600, one has to push down a round button inside the AF/M focus switch. After pushing the info button or on the top LCD screen, you then check the current AF mode selection on the back LCD screen while rotating the main settings dial. As you can see, it takes several maneuvers to make the change.

Use The Back Button Focus Setup

In the standard focusing mode, your camera focuses for the last time just before you press your shutter release button to go beyond the halfway mark. With back button focus, it keeps on re-focusing regardless of what is happening with the shutter release button.

At first, back button focusing feels a bit strange (and you might even ‘forget’ to hold it down the first few times), but once you’re used to it, you will never go back to standard focusing mode.

Check your camera manual or use Google to find out exactly how to set the back button to focus on your particular camera.

Tell Your Camera to Only Release the Shutter If a Subject is in Focus

Did you know that most digital cameras have a setting that releases the shutter only on the condition that your subject is in focus? It would simply refuse to take the shot if it is not in focus, implicitly letting you know that you must try again. Your default camera settings might already reflect this, but checking to ensure the camera is set for this function is worthwhile, especially for newer bird photographers.

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