Does anyone use AF-S anymore?

Feugi · Oct 25, 2022

Hey guys,

Over the years, my camera workflow has evolved. At this point in time, I'm wondering if anyone has a good use case for AF-S on their Fuji bodies. Starting with the XT3, AF performance has improved drastically and we have our entire sensor covered with AF points. If you configured back button focus (BBF) and used that when in manual mode, what use case do you have to ever be in AF-S?

In my current setup, I live in AF-C and switch over to Manual focus mode when AF-C is having issues (birds with tons of branches around). If I need to quickly rely on autofocus, I press the back button I configured for autofocus and I'm on my merry way.

What use case am I missing here to ever use AF-S again?

yardcoyote · Oct 25, 2022

I don't know if I have a "case", but I use AF-S exclusively. And the center focus point, too.

John Gellings · Oct 25, 2022

I use it exclusively. It’s just habit and it works for me. I guess it’s similar to using a rangefinder for me i.e. focus in the middle and recompose. It’s old school but I just can do it so quickly.

ddtan · Oct 25, 2022

Another almost exclusive AF-S user. Maybe behind the times, but it’s a control issue. More personal control over my focus point.

Oregon Dawg · Oct 25, 2022

yardcoyote said:
I don't know if I have a "case", but I use AF-S exclusively. And the center focus point, too.

Same.

Erik Baumgartner · Oct 25, 2022

Fuegi said:
Hey guys,

Over the years, my camera workflow has evolved. At this point in time, I'm wondering if anyone has a good use case for AF-S on their Fuji bodies. Starting with the XT3, AF performance has improved drastically and we have our entire sensor covered with AF points. If you configured back button focus (BBF) and used that when in manual mode, what use case do you have to ever be in AF-S?

In my current setup, I live in AF-C and switch over to Manual focus mode when AF-C is having issues (birds with tons of branches around). If I need to quickly rely on autofocus, I press the back button I configured for autofocus and I'm on my merry way.

What use case am I missing here to ever use AF-S again?

To my way of thinking, it’s more like …Why would anyone want to primarily use anything but AF-S?

I occasionally use manual focus with magnification for critical focusing on a single detail, or with peaking for optimizing focus for landscapes, but otherwise I use AF-S for almost everything.

I find AF-S (on the shutter button) to deliver far snappier and more accurate results than AF-C for just about anything I shoot (including moving subjects). I haven't shot with the very newest cameras yet (which seem to have some very effective focus tracking options), but I'm not missing focus much now with good old X-T2, X-T20, and X100V.

I do use AF-C occasionally, but far less often than AF-S or M.

Except for in M mode (which I use quite often), i find BBF to be especially poorly implemented on Fuji cameras and never use it.

Peter Jonas · Oct 25, 2022

I am another AF-S user, nearly all the time. Use the halfway press of the shutter button. Occasionally moving the focus point, but mosty the centre AF point, and decompose.

I find it's much faster that way., and it works well for me. Mind you, not too many dogs or bike riders to worry about with my photography.

Barbarus · Oct 25, 2022

John Gellings said:
I use it exclusively. It’s just habit and it works for me. I guess it’s similar to using a rangefinder for me i.e. focus in the middle and recompose. It’s old school but I just can do it so quickly.

I've usually done the same on every camera I've ever owned except the X-H2... It's AF-C is so tenacious! It also "helps" that they've made switiching MCS such a PITA too, I guess... ;-)

Rightsaidfred · Oct 25, 2022

AF-S almost exclusively, different focus box sizes, always moving the focus box to the point that should be sharp. Usually half pressing the shutter button first.

X-T4 and X-T20 user speaking.

For not super fast moving subjects (like walking people, concert shooting), I just fully press through. Not so much a shooter of fast moving subjects.

Only rarely using AF-C and tracking.

Habit to check every photo for sharpness after the shot with the viewfinder magnification, if possible. Of course, it is not always possible. In most cases, the photo is sharp. Only very few AF misses with both cameras.

Using manual lenses with AF-S, too, using the viewfinder magnification while focusing. I have a thread on this topic

Very happy.

Regards,

Martin

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BillCPA · Oct 25, 2022

Member said:
Barbarus wrote:

John Gellings said:

I use it exclusively. It’s just habit and it works for me. I guess it’s similar to using a rangefinder for me i.e. focus in the middle and recompose. It’s old school but I just can do it so quickly.

Click to expand...

I've usually done the same on every camera I've ever owned except the X-H2... It's AF-C is so tenacious! It also "helps" that they've made switiching MCS such a PITA too, I guess... ;-)

I think switching MCS on the x-h2 is fast via the buttom on front of camera. I agree AF-C is great.....focusing is fast and face/eye detect is very fast and accurate

jhorse · Oct 25, 2022

ddtan said:
Another almost exclusive AF-S user. Maybe behind the times, but it’s a control issue. More personal control over my focus point.

And that is my view and method too for static subjects. Like others, I use AF-S for moving subjects and MF for times when a static subject is amongst ‘clutter’ that may confuse AF.

32oz · Oct 25, 2022

I keep my camera in manual using front button focus (Fn.2), unless I need continuous.

Alan Hewitt Photo · Oct 25, 2022

Putting a camera into AF-C is pretty much the first thing I do on a new camera or loan body and it's very rare that it changes. I work on the basis that if it can move, it will move and does move.

That said, there are plenty of reasons to have a single shot style of AF and as this thread demonstrates, it's well used across genres and for personal choice.

Flying Fijian · Oct 25, 2022

Alan Hewitt Photo said:
Putting a camera into AF-C is pretty much the first thing I do on a new camera or loan body and it's very rare that it changes. I work on the basis that if it can move, it will move and does move.
That said, there are plenty of reasons to have a single shot style of AF and as this thread demonstrates, it's well used across genres and for personal choice.

Yep same I mostly use AF-C and occasionally M...

Nazpharoz · Oct 25, 2022

Using af-s with manual override on my x-pro2. I haven’t tried out the af-c in long long time, maybe because it wasn’t good on the x-t1 I had before…

maybe should try af-c again.

sagischwarz · Oct 25, 2022

I don't have a use case for AF-C, my subjects are almost never moving. It just does not feel right to me to leave it up to the camera to change the focus point on a whim. I also don't like the feeling that the camera is "still working" after I have half pressed the shutter button.

What I do like is moving the focus point a lot with the joystick or the touch screen and changing the size of the focus area during the composition.

As you can see, all of this is purely based on how taking a photo and using the camera feels to me and I don't have any objective arguments for doing it this way. Maybe it's not the best and a very old school way, but I'm not that old and only started with photography about ten years ago. Maybe I'm missing out.

biza43 · Oct 25, 2022

Me. Most of my subjects are static.

Greybeard2017 · Oct 25, 2022

Fuegi said:
Hey guys,

Over the years, my camera workflow has evolved. At this point in time, I'm wondering if anyone has a good use case for AF-S on their Fuji bodies. Starting with the XT3, AF performance has improved drastically and we have our entire sensor covered with AF points. If you configured back button focus (BBF) and used that when in manual mode, what use case do you have to ever be in AF-S?

In my current setup, I live in AF-C and switch over to Manual focus mode when AF-C is having issues (birds with tons of branches around). If I need to quickly rely on autofocus, I press the back button I configured for autofocus and I'm on my merry way.

What use case am I missing here to ever use AF-S again?

I can't remember the last time I used AF-S with X-S10 or X-H2S

Alan Hewitt Photo · Oct 25, 2022

sagischwarz said:
I don't have a use case for AF-C, my subjects are almost never moving. It just does not feel right to me to leave it up to the camera to change the focus point on a whim. I also don't like the feeling that the camera is "still working" after I have half pressed the shutter button.

You can still use single point and focus wherever you want it to focus in AF-C. The camera won't change this.

sagischwarz · Oct 26, 2022

Alan Hewitt Photo said:
sagischwarz said:

I don't have a use case for AF-C, my subjects are almost never moving. It just does not feel right to me to leave it up to the camera to change the focus point on a whim. I also don't like the feeling that the camera is "still working" after I have half pressed the shutter button.

Click to expand...

You can still use single point and focus wherever you want it to focus in AF-C. The camera won't change this.

Sorry, you are of course right. It does not change where the focus point is, I used a wrong wording. What I meant is that the camera is continuously re-evaluating and possibly changing the focus level (focus plane?). English is not my first language.

Does anyone use AF-S anymore?

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