When you start getting into advanced photography, you mostly worry about things like composition and camera settings. Most of us don't pay attention to the focus modes on our cameras. But, as you progress in your photography, you will realize that focus is one of the critical things that will determine the success of your photos.
So, it is time to know the different focus modes in your camera and learn the best scenarios to use each.
Regardless of your camera's brand, usually, there is a manual mode and three autofocus modes. They can be under different names on different camera brands, but the underlying concept is the same.
Manual Focus (M) Mode
Autofocus is a relatively new technology introduced in the 1980s, before which photographers had to rely only on manual focus. It gives you complete control and is the choice of many professional photographers even today.
Never used manual focus before? Then, you should try it sometime. You may have seen the M buttons on your camera and lens. Here's how the manual mode works:
- Switch to M mode.
- Adjust the lens ring to determine your focus distance.
- Take the shot when your subject is in focus.
It should be your go-to mode for shooting macro subjects and product photos where you want to pinpoint the focus. Also, if you're planning to focus stack a set of images, it is better to focus manually to ensure every bit of your image is in focus.
Manual focus is best when shooting at night or for capturing beautiful astrophotos. Unfortunately, your camera's autofocus mechanism may not work as expected in low-light conditions.
You may be familiar with the whirring sound your camera makes when it cannot find focus. It happens when your scene has a low level of contrast. In such cases, your best bet is to use manual focus to capture your subject successfully.
In addition, autofocus modes can sometimes cause focus shift, where the camera fails to focus correctly when stopping down from a wide-open aperture. You can avoid this by using manual focus mode.
Autofocus (AF) Modes
When you switch to AF mode, your camera uses complex algorithms to control the lens motor to focus. Manual focus is excellent for still subjects, but it can be limiting when your subject is not stationary. The autofocus mechanism on the latest cameras is handy for nailing focus on different types of subjects like fast-moving wildlife, playing kids, and sports photography.
Depending on your subject, you can choose one of the three modes: single, continuous, and hybrid.
Autofocus Single
Autofocus single is the simplest of the autofocus modes and is meant for still subjects. You point your camera at the subject and half-press the shutter button. Your camera will focus on it automatically. When you fully press your shutter button, your camera will take a picture.
This mode is intelligent enough for photographing landscapes, portraits, and still-lifes like food and products. But, if you have a moving subject, autofocus single will not be of much help. It will not track your subject to refocus. So, you have to point at your subject again and refocus.
Autofocus single mode is called AF-S in Nikon and One-Shot AF in Canon. It can be under a different name on your camera, so check your manual to know for sure.
Autofocus Continuous
This mode is meant for moving subjects. When your subject moves, your camera will continuously track it and refocus. You must keep half-pressing your camera's shutter button to track the subject.
Although this seems like a perfect solution for moving subjects, the continuous focusing mode doesn't always get the focus right. It can make capturing fast-moving subjects like birds or race cars easier, but you still have to rely on camera settings like burst mode or use post-production software to fix blurry images.
When using autofocus continuous mode, your camera constantly tries to focus and refocus, which can drain the battery quickly. You can try using the back button focus to avoid this issue.
You can find this mode as AF-C in Nikon and AI Servo AF in Canon cameras.
Autofocus Hybrid
Autofocus hybrid brings the best of both worlds, where your camera automatically chooses the single mode for still subjects and continuous for moving subjects.
This is also the default mode on your camera. It will save you from missing shots as you don't have to shuffle to change focus modes during your shoot.
The hybrid mode should be your preferred mode if you're a wildlife or child photographer. You can capture all the unpredictable movements of your subjects.
The hybrid mode can be found as AF-A mode in Nikon and AI Focus AF in Canon cameras.
Autofocus Area Selection Modes
Before you go ahead and try different autofocus modes, you should know about area selection modes. Area selection, in photographic terms, means the area in your viewfinder where the focus points are located.
For your autofocus modes to work seamlessly, your camera should know the exact focus points to focus on. So, you should choose the correct focus points for different autofocus modes to get the desired results.
Here are the four common types of area selection modes:
- Single Point allows you to choose a specific focus point in your frame.
- Dynamic Area allows you to choose a focus point in your scene, but the camera can adjust and refocus when your subject moves.
- Auto Area lets the camera find the subject and choose a focus point in your frame.
- 3D Tracking is an advanced mode where your camera can focus on the subject even if you recompose your scene.
You can choose single point area selection with autofocus single for stationary subjects and dynamic area selection with autofocus continuous mode for best results.
How to Change Focus Modes
You can refer to the user's manual to find the exact steps to change the focus modes in your camera. Usually, in beginner models, you will have to go to the menu and navigate from there. However, you can find dedicated knobs or buttons to change the modes in advanced cameras.
Master Your Camera's Focus Modes to Take Charge of Your Photography
It is easy and convenient to put your camera in autofocus mode and let it do all the work for you. But knowing different types of focus modes can be handy for shooting in different situations.
Experiment with different focus modes and understand them. Knowing your camera in and out will make you a better photographer in the long run.