reset 3D tracking to center

allanimal said:

By default, Pressling the Center of the d-Pad will recenter the focus box.
otherwise the box can be moved with the joystick or d-pad

this behavior can be changed, and another button can be assigned to recentering if you so deisire.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

You can also lock the AF area to the center if you'd like to. f15 custom control lock, and the 3D will still track the subject.

This is a common complaint on dpr. "my focus box moved itself to the corner!"

Try turning off Touch Controls, by tapping this screen icon:



There are four settings:

Off. this is my normal setting.

Move focus point.

Touch AF. (move and focus with a screen tap.)

Touch shutter and AF. (move, focus, and shoot with a tap.)

On a tripod, the touch AF or touch shutter can be very useful.

The 3D tracking will start at the center of the last used AF box location. If I stop pressing the AF-On button, then press it again, 3D will keep starting from that same location, not including the 3D box movement as it tracks.

I see that the joystick moves the 3D starting location (before I hold AF-On to track), just like moving other AF boxes.

mesija said:

Why does focus square move from center in 3d tracking mode

Click to expand...

Others have answered the second part of your query.

An advantage of 3d tracking is it helps to reframe your intended subject anywhere in the viewfinder.

Depending on what composition you want, the in-focus subject can quickly be moved to be anywhere in the frame area when using 3d tracking

skyrunr said:

You can also lock the AF area to the center if you'd like to. f15 custom control lock, and the 3D will still track the subject.

Click to expand...

That is interesting, thank you kindly. Does that mean that when you let go of the BBF button the AF point will automatically return to center every time?

skyrunr said:

You can also lock the AF area to the center if you'd like to. f15 custom control lock, and the 3D will still track the subject.

Click to expand...

which camera does f15 apply to? is it the same as f4 in the Z8 (fw 3.01)?

thanks!

Ernie Misner said:

skyrunr said:

You can also lock the AF area to the center if you'd like to. f15 custom control lock, and the 3D will still track the subject.

Click to expand...

That is interesting, thank you kindly. Does that mean that when you let go of the BBF button the AF point will automatically return to center every time?

Click to expand...

first choose any position for the AF 3D square, then lock it using the menu/My Menu F4 = ON (Z8, FW 3.01). when the tracking is finished or the BBF is released, the square will go back to the locked position. if you need to change its position, you need to unlock first by going through the menu...

when F4 = OFF the square will go back to the last used position.

I'm sure that someone in these venerable fora may have a better way of doing this, though!

Leonard Shepherd said:

mesija said:

Why does focus square move from center in 3d tracking mode

Click to expand...

Others have answered the second part of your query.

An advantage of 3d tracking is it helps to reframe your intended subject anywhere in the viewfinder.

Depending on what composition you want, the in-focus subject can quickly be moved to be anywhere in the frame area when using 3d tracking

Click to expand...

I understand what's it for - I've used it often.

It works as I expect what I have it mapped to function 1 button.

For U2 setting I had it as default focus mode and I didn't understand why it saves position after releasing back button focus.

Focus square remained obscured in corner even after I switched to video mode and after I turned off the camera.

But you live and you learn...

buildingsights said:

skyrunr said:

You can also lock the AF area to the center if you'd like to. f15 custom control lock, and the 3D will still track the subject.

Click to expand...

which camera does f15 apply to? is it the same as f4 in the Z8 (fw 3.01)?

thanks!

Click to expand...

It's a typo, f5 not f15. Proof read your advice comments, people!

I'll have to consider if this focus point lock is useful to me. I ignored this setting until I read this thread.

In Z5 ii and Z6 iii:

there's a funny interaction with manual focus (like turning the focus ring accidentally) and subject detection in manual focus. subject detection in MF works in a way that the focus point's position will be set to the detected subject. the focus point position doesn't get reset - it stays where it was moved to via subject detect.

when you now accidentally turn the focus ring on your lens the camera switches into MF mode for a while and when the subject detection runs during this time it will change the focus point. when you then go back to AF mode (via shutter release, etc) the focus point (and 3d tracking origin) won't be at the center anymore.

"lock controls" and disabling touch screen wont help with this. only thing that helps is to disable the manual focus override via focus ring (on my ZF it's in the custom button mapping -> focus ring -> do nothing)

this drove me crazy for some time until I realized what happened. I was about to return my ZF

jlsturbo said:

there's a funny interaction with manual focus (like turning the focus ring accidentally) and subject detection in manual focus. subject detection in MF works in a way that the focus point's position will be set to the detected subject. the focus point position doesn't get reset - it stays where it was moved to via subject detect.

when you now accidentally turn the focus ring on your lens the camera switches into MF mode for a while and when the subject detection runs during this time it will change the focus point. when you then go back to AF mode (via shutter release, etc) the focus point (and 3d tracking origin) won't be at the center anymore.

"lock controls" and disabling touch screen wont help with this. only thing that helps is to disable the manual focus override via focus ring (on my ZF it's in the custom button mapping -> focus ring -> do nothing)

this drove me crazy for some time until I realized what happened. I was about to return my ZF

Click to expand...

It didn't move the saved AF box center location when I tried this, at first. I was able to recreate the moved AF box, see AF Box Moved, below.

You are saying that while in autofocus mode, turning the focus ring to override the lens focus and finding a subject detect eye will move the saved AF box location to that point, since it's a version of "manual focus".

This would be annoying, since I regularly use the focus ring override while in Aperture mode, if the subject is tricky to focus.

After reading this comment, I tried the manual eye detect on my Z6 iii. I couldn't get the camera to change the AF box default location via manual mode subject detection. Does the ZF work differently?

My test:

Z6 iii, 50mm f/1.8.

Menu-->Photo shooting menu-->AF/MF subject detection options --> Auto.

Menu-->Photo shooting menu-->MF subject detection area --> All (like Auto area). I tried Wide-L too.

Aperture priority. Wide area Large. Auto subject detect. This AF box is centered.

I displayed some faces on my PC, but I aimed away from the screen, and focused on a nearby object.

I moved the camera to include the face at the top left of the view, and manually focused on it (I see the red Focus Peaking dots). This didn't cause the Z6 iii to grab it's eye. I had to move the camera enough that a part of the person's body was within the Wide Area-large box -- then the eye gets the small AF box, (as usual),even though the person's head is outside the box. I turned the focus slightly and took the photo.

The Wide Area Large is still centered, there was no AF box location override for that eye outside the box. I had the same results with Auto area with the focus ring override. Changing back to Wide Area, the AF box is still centered, no change.

I tried Manual mode with Auto area AF. AF is still centered, no change.

~~~

AF Box Moved!

This method does move the AF box.

Aperture Mode, 3D tracking. AF box is centered on the view.

I switch the lens to M. (I wouldn't normally do this in Aperture -- I just turn the focus ring to override the focus directly. But that focus ring override doesn't change the AF box saved position.)

Now, the 3D is gone, it's displaying a single point AF box, centered. The view data still shows A (aperture), and the 3D changes to MF. With my manual focus settings listed above, it's finding an eye in the view. I take a photo. Now that eye location will be the saved AF box location when I switch the lens back to A from M. But it's not changed every time, though?

I don't normally do this A/M switch, so I haven't seen this action.