How to Choose the Right AF Mode Every Time

Confused by underwater pictures autofocus? Alex Mustard explains how to decide on the suitable AF modes for sharper, extra constant outcomes.

Underwater pictures recommendation is usually pleasingly black and white. The challenges of taking images by a murky, colour-absorbing medium means merely that the proper method is rewarded with sharp, clear and vibrant footage. And for those who wander from the righteous path, they shortly see the error of their methods with uninteresting, blotchy and hazy footage.

As a trainer I move on my dos and don’ts for all of the several types of underwater footage and see college students rewarded with prompt enhancements. This methodology will make your pictures higher, it will enhance your keeper-rate, it will keep away from that downside, and so forth. But issues get extra sophisticated on the earth of autofocus.

Why Underwater Photography Autofocus Is More Complicated

All cameras have autofocus, however importantly, autofocus shouldn’t be one entity. AF, to make use of the abbreviation, works in several methods and with completely different talents throughout completely different fashions of digital camera. In addition, most cameras don’t have only one focusing mode, however many choices of focus areas, focus monitoring, focusing types and focus activation. The cause that cameras have so many choices is that completely different topics/ pictures can require completely different choices and in addition completely different photographers have their favorite modes that work completely with the way in which they shoot. Oh, and to make issues much more complicated, the digital camera corporations all have their very own names for the completely different AF choices they provide! This signifies that AF recommendation is each digital camera particular and photographer particular! Remember AF was invented to make pictures simpler, to free you to concentrate on extra creative issues like composition or lighting. If the mode you employ works for you then it’s the proper mode, even when others don’t use it. But should you battle with AF, or end up distracted by it, or that you’re overthinking AF, then perhaps it’s time to strive one thing new. And regardless of the specificity of recommendation, there are many rules which might be fairly common.

Understanding AF-S vs AF-C for Underwater Shooting

The greatest method to share my AF ideas is to let you know what I do and why, so you’ll be able to determined what to repeat and what to not. I’ll cowl each my present Sony mirrorless digital camera and my earlier Nikon SLR digital camera, so you’ll be able to see the similarities regardless of the completely different tech and hopefully apply them to your personal system. The Nikon D850 is broadly thought to be the very best SLR digital camera ever, combining a improbable picture sensor with a top-tier AF system. Before we get into particulars there are a few over-arching AF choices to make. The first selection is AF mode, selecting between the choices AF-S and AF-C, that are single-servo and continuous-servo, AF respectively. The distinction is the primary focuses as soon as, then stops, letting you shoot solely when focus is confirmed, whereas the latter retains focusing on a regular basis, letting you shoot at any level. I at all times use AF-C as a result of as an underwater photographer floating within the movement of the ocean I do know that neither the topic or me can be completely nonetheless and it’s higher to at all times have the AF working.

Back Button Autofocus: When It Helps, and When It Doesn’t

The subsequent choice is the right way to activate the AF. Many underwater photographers swear by again button AF, which is the place we disable AF from the shutter launch and the AF solely comes on after we press the AF ON button on the again of the digital camera (that is set through customized setting a8 on the D850). I do use again button AF, however just for particular forms of shoots, equivalent to break up ranges, darkish caves or supermacro – all occasions when the D850 AF will battle. Personally, I choose to do all my focusing the traditional method by simply half urgent the shutter launch – arguing why press two buttons once I simply must press one. I ought to point out shortly that my strategy on my Sony is sort of equivalent, however the superior AF efficiency means I hardly ever use again button for supermacro, however do use it with tailored lenses as they could be a bit hunty.

Autofocus Settings for Underwater Photography

Wide Angle

Back to the Nikon D850, I exploit completely different AF-area modes for vast angle and macro. The space modes are the alternatives between which AF sensors are lively. AF ought to at all times deal simply with vast angle scenes and I set the AF-area to AUTO, which principally activates the entire AF sensor and the digital camera focuses on closest most important function within the body, which 999 occasions out of 1,000 is strictly you need. This makes vast angle point-and-shoot easy. On the uncommon events it struggles, I don’t change AF-area however swap to again button AF after which set it and shoot.

Macro and Supermacro

For macro I exploit AF-area mode 3D Tracking, which prioritises only a single AF level, which you’ll transfer round. But on this dynamic mode, as soon as the digital camera has grabbed the topic, the AF level will observe it across the body if it strikes. This is helpful underwater the place each the topic (or the digital camera/diver) may transfer barely, however this mode can be precious whenever you resolve to recompose, because the AF level will proceed to trace the important thing function (equivalent to the attention) as you modify composition. Finally, if I’m taking pictures very static macro topics, equivalent to when muck diving, I would swap to utilizing Single Point AF, which is analogous to 3D-Tracking however with out the dynamic motion, so it doesn’t leap round.

DSLR vs Mirrorless Autofocus Underwater

My present squeeze is the Sony A1 Mirrorless digital camera. The top-line mirrorless cameras of the final couple of years are the primary era of mirrorless cameras that considerably exceed the AF efficiency of the very best SLRs. They are notably spectacular in monitoring topics and still have clever topic recognition AF, which means the digital camera is aware of what it’s taking pictures and might focus in precisely the suitable place. Although presently no digital camera has but been programmed to particularly recognise underwater topics. I shoot vast angle with the Sony utilizing WIDE focus space, though if there’s a state of affairs the place the digital camera is struggling, I’ll swap to ZONE, which is analogous, however smaller. For macro I exploit a number of. If the themes are straightforward to detect, equivalent to a fish swimming towards open water, I’ll stick with WIDE and let the digital camera choose the topic.

Otherwise, I’ll go to Tracking and use both SMALL SPOT or EXPAND SPOT modes. These are related, however extra superior than the D850’s 3D Tracking, with the identical benefits. I discover topic recognition works about half the time, so I typically use it, however have a fast lever to deactivate it, if it begins to choose the unsuitable a part of the topic, just like the eye-spot on a butterflyfish or the nostrils of a moray, each of which it may confuse with the true eyes.

Final Thoughts: Finding the Autofocus Mode That Works for You

Despite the completely different expertise and Nikon’s and Sony’s completely different naming, I hope you see there loads of similarities you could undertake together with your digital camera, however solely make a change if you’re sad with how your AF is presently performing.

Frequently Asked Questions