Canon R5 move focus point without needing AF point button

[hixster]

Hi all,

have searched extensively but can't find an answer, hoping for some help.

I've been on a shoot today and am finding the point selection and the need to click the AF point button to use the joystick a royal PITA. I find it awkward.

I've look at customising the buttons, but am not seeing an option to use the joystick without a click - maybe I'm missing something. - How can I set the camera up so i can use the joystick directly to move the AF points without the need to click a button first (this is what I'm used to from my Nikons)

I don't want to use the touchscreen either as I like to frame using the view finder.

I'm working in a fast-paced commercial environment shooting animals, so don't have time for two clicks or to look away.

Thanks in advance!

 

[David J Carlyon]

Yes, go to Customize Buttons, and find the joystick, and there should be a "Direct AF Point Selection" option. You have to set it separately for Stills/Video.

 

[hixster]

Brilliant, thank you - that solved it. I think I was coming about it the wrong way, I was choosing the AF button and trying to assign the joystick to it.

Thanks once again.

 

[David J Carlyon]

You're welcome! That should be the default, imo.

 

[itsallBb2me]

Hi all,

have searched extensively but can't find an answer, hoping for some help.

I've been on a shoot today and am finding the point selection and the need to click the AF point button to use the joystick a royal PITA. I find it awkward.

I've look at customising the buttons, but am not seeing an option to use the joystick without a click - maybe I'm missing something. - How can I set the camera up so i can use the joystick directly to move the AF points without the need to click a button first (this is what I'm used to from my Nikons)

I don't want to use the touchscreen either as I like to frame using the view finder.

I'm working in a fast-paced commercial environment shooting animals, so don't have time for two clicks or to look away.

Thanks in advance!

I don’t get it. With an R5, why “move the focus point” at all? Why not use center point AF with 1-shot AF, recompose in the VF and shoot? I must be missing some obvious point. What?

 

[itsallBb2me]

Hi all,

have searched extensively but can't find an answer, hoping for some help.

I've been on a shoot today and am finding the point selection and the need to click the AF point button to use the joystick a royal PITA. I find it awkward.

I've look at customising the buttons, but am not seeing an option to use the joystick without a click - maybe I'm missing something. - How can I set the camera up so i can use the joystick directly to move the AF points without the need to click a button first (this is what I'm used to from my Nikons)

I don't want to use the touchscreen either as I like to frame using the view finder.

I'm working in a fast-paced commercial environment shooting animals, so don't have time for two clicks or to look away.

Thanks in advance!

I don’t get it. With an R5, why “move the focus point” at all? Why not use center point AF with 1-shot AF, recompose in the VF and shoot? I must be missing some obvious point. What?

Also, with an R5 in a “fast-moving commercial environment shooting animals”, have you at least tried Animal Detect with Tracking and Servo AF? I may be wrong, but I think that’s what the camera was developed to do, and does admirably.

 

[Otaraka]

I don’t get it. With an R5, why “move the focus point” at all? Why not use center point AF with 1-shot AF, recompose in the VF and shoot? I must be missing some obvious point. What?

Different people liking different methods?

Recompose can add delay for multiple shots.

Small changes in focal plane from recomposing can cause focus error.

Recompose wont work for video as you generally need to keep the camera still.

Wont work for constant AF.

Im sure there are various others, this isnt exactly a new topic. There are generally advantages and disadvantages to each method.

Agreed on the fast moving animals and using Animal Detect part above though - its pretty good!

 

[Abbott Schindler]

You can also set the LCD to act like a touchpad. I’ve set mine’s right half to do that, as well as the joystick. I find that each has its advantages.

Also, as mentioned earlier, be sure to set both still and video controls. I didn’t do that initially and it really screwed up my video focusing.

 

[Zeee]

Hi all,

have searched extensively but can't find an answer, hoping for some help.

I've been on a shoot today and am finding the point selection and the need to click the AF point button to use the joystick a royal PITA. I find it awkward.

I've look at customising the buttons, but am not seeing an option to use the joystick without a click - maybe I'm missing something. - How can I set the camera up so i can use the joystick directly to move the AF points without the need to click a button first (this is what I'm used to from my Nikons)

I don't want to use the touchscreen either as I like to frame using the view finder.

I'm working in a fast-paced commercial environment shooting animals, so don't have time for two clicks or to look away.

Thanks in advance!

I don’t get it. With an R5, why “move the focus point” at all? Why not use center point AF with 1-shot AF, recompose in the VF and shoot? I must be missing some obvious point. What?

Since going ML a few years ago I have disabled both the joystick and LCD to move the AF point around. Too slow for me. I start with eye or subject detect. If I want a particular subject in focus I press a BBF that puts the AF to single point, physically move the camera so that AF point lands somewhere on the subject, release the BBF and the eye or subject snaps in. I then recompose. I'm in eye detect 90% of the time and I still ony put the AF point anywhere on the subject. Once the subject is in focus it is the cameras job to find the eye.

This may not work for everyone but I prefer it.

 

[PicPocket]

I don’t get it. With an R5, why “move the focus point” at all? Why not use center point AF with 1-shot AF, recompose in the VF and shoot? I must be missing some obvious point. What?

You are asking why have customization options at all. I haven't used recompose since I moved to ML cameras with R5, so I would rather ask why bother with recompose at all now that there are so many other better ways

 

[Abbott Schindler]

Since going ML a few years ago I have disabled both the joystick and LCD to move the AF point around. Too slow for me. I start with eye or subject detect. If I want a particular subject in focus I press a BBF that puts the AF to single point, physically move the camera so that AF point lands somewhere on the subject, release the BBF and the eye or subject snaps in. I then recompose. I'm in eye detect 90% of the time and I still ony put the AF point anywhere on the subject. Once the subject is in focus it is the cameras job to find the eye.

Here's an example of why I want to be able to control AF, even when using Animal AF (which is what was used in this image):





On my R5, Eye AF picked each owlet out about the same number of times. Because they were so close (15-20' away, RF 100-500 @223mm FL), DoF was so shallow that I had to focus first on one and then the other owlet. It helped to tell the camera which one to get started on.

Side note: It's awfully nice to have "little babies" like this perched just outside the window when you wake up!

 

[Zeee]

Since going ML a few years ago I have disabled both the joystick and LCD to move the AF point around. Too slow for me. I start with eye or subject detect. If I want a particular subject in focus I press a BBF that puts the AF to single point, physically move the camera so that AF point lands somewhere on the subject, release the BBF and the eye or subject snaps in. I then recompose. I'm in eye detect 90% of the time and I still ony put the AF point anywhere on the subject. Once the subject is in focus it is the cameras job to find the eye.

I was testing in this situation. Two birds on different posts. I was in eye detect and if I wanted the bird on the left I pressed AF-ON which overrides eye detect with single point AF, moved the camera so the AF landed on left bird. When the bird was in focus I released the AF-ON and the eye snapped in. If wanted the bird on the right I repeated the process.

I could do that all day. I would even put the single AF point on the post the bird was sitting on. Didn't matter. As long as the bird was in focus. I even used zone AF for that purpose and it was flawless.

I can see the desire to get the AF point on specific subject by moving the AF point using the joystick, LCD or another method but that is too slow for me. This also really comes in handy for BIF as I just press AF-ON on and off as many times as I need as I'm tracking. Keeping the process the same for stills makes the transition between both much easier for me.

Both examples are in eye detect.



There was no visible eye so the camera found the head which is just as good. When the bird turned it's head a bit and there was some contrast it honed in on the eye.

Here's an example of why I want to be able to control AF, even when using Animal AF (which is what was used in this image):



On my R5, Eye AF picked each owlet out about the same number of times. Because they were so close (15-20' away, RF 100-500 @223mm FL), DoF was so shallow that I had to focus first on one and then the other owlet. It helped to tell the camera which one to get started on.

Side note: It's awfully nice to have "little babies" like this perched just outside the window when you wake up!

--
Don't Look Up.

 

[itsallBb2me]

itsallBb2me wrote:

I don’t get it. With an R5, why “move the focus point” at all? Why not use center point AF with 1-shot AF, recompose in the VF and shoot? I must be missing some obvious point. What?

Different people liking different methods?

True

Recompose can add delay for multiple shots.

so can moving refocus point physically.

Small changes in focal plane from recomposing can cause focus error.

Not with one shot AF and half shutter press release

Recompose wont work for video as you generally need to keep the camera still.

Wasn’t talking about video.

Wont work for constant AF.

See the above: one shot AF

Im sure there are various others, this isnt exactly a new topic. There are generally advantages and disadvantages to each method.

i’m still struggling to see real advantages to moving the focus point physically.

Agreed on the fast moving animals and using Animal Detect part above though - its pretty good!

 

[David J Carlyon]

itsallBb2me wrote:

I don’t get it. With an R5, why “move the focus point” at all? Why not use center point AF with 1-shot AF, recompose in the VF and shoot? I must be missing some obvious point. What?

Different people liking different methods?

True

Recompose can add delay for multiple shots.

so can moving refocus point physically.

Small changes in focal plane from recomposing can cause focus error.

Not with one shot AF and half shutter press release

I have one back button set for face/animal detect, and the other button for one-shot. When doing real-estate or other stationary subjects, I might be locked down on a tripod, and moving the focus point around is less disruptive than loosening the tripod head to use your method, if I understand it correctly (and I'm not sure I do).

Recompose wont work for video as you generally need to keep the camera still.

Wasn’t talking about video.

Wont work for constant AF.

See the above: one shot AF

Im sure there are various others, this isnt exactly a new topic. There are generally advantages and disadvantages to each method.

i’m still struggling to see real advantages to moving the focus point physically.

Agreed on the fast moving animals and using Animal Detect part above though - its pretty good!

Even when face or animal detect, sometimes the camera has trouble finding the subject if it's off-center, and I don't want to disrupt the composition to get the focus, so it's often easier for me to flick the joystick with my thumb to help the camera know where to focus.

 

[itsallBb2me]

itsallBb2me wrote:

I don’t get it. With an R5, why “move the focus point” at all? Why not use center point AF with 1-shot AF, recompose in the VF and shoot? I must be missing some obvious point. What?

Different people liking different methods?

True

Recompose can add delay for multiple shots.

so can moving refocus point physically.

Small changes in focal plane from recomposing can cause focus error.

Not with one shot AF and half shutter press release

I have one back button set for face/animal detect, and the other button for one-shot. When doing real-estate or other stationary subjects, I might be locked down on a tripod, and moving the focus point around is less disruptive than loosening the tripod head to use your method, if I understand it correctly (and I'm not sure I do).

The OP was specifically asking about “working in a fast-paced commercial environment shooting animals”, not real-estate “locked down on a tripod”. Hard to imagine 2 more totally different use categories.

Recompose wont work for video as you generally need to keep the camera still.

Wasn’t talking about video.

Wont work for constant AF.

See the above: one shot AF

Im sure there are various others, this isnt exactly a new topic. There are generally advantages and disadvantages to each method.

i’m still struggling to see real advantages to moving the focus point physically.

Agreed on the fast moving animals and using Animal Detect part above though - its pretty good!

Even when face or animal detect, sometimes the camera has trouble finding the subject if it's off-center, and I don't want to disrupt the composition to get the focus, so it's often easier for me to flick the joystick with my thumb to help the camera know where to focus.

 

[David J Carlyon]

itsallBb2me wrote:

I don’t get it. With an R5, why “move the focus point” at all? Why not use center point AF with 1-shot AF, recompose in the VF and shoot? I must be missing some obvious point. What?

Different people liking different methods?

True

Recompose can add delay for multiple shots.

so can moving refocus point physically.

Small changes in focal plane from recomposing can cause focus error.

Not with one shot AF and half shutter press release

I have one back button set for face/animal detect, and the other button for one-shot. When doing real-estate or other stationary subjects, I might be locked down on a tripod, and moving the focus point around is less disruptive than loosening the tripod head to use your method, if I understand it correctly (and I'm not sure I do).

The OP was specifically asking about “working in a fast-paced commercial environment shooting animals”, not real-estate “locked down on a tripod”. Hard to imagine 2 more totally different use categories.

Regardless, whether I'm shooting portraits, sports, real estate, or animals, the dual-button system works well for me, and I don't have to change settings for different scenarios - I just have to change which button I'm using, or in some instances, switch between People/Animals in the quick-menu. Sometimes a subject doesn't stand out well enough from the background to track reliably, so I just use the other back button, and a flick or two of the thumb puts the focus point exactly where I want it. The only drawback to my system for me is that Canon doesn't provide an easy way to switch between multiple faces with BBF (they should add that function to the DOF-preview), so moving the point with the joystick helps with that situation too.

Some people hate BBF so much that they don't want anybody else to use it either, which I don't get.

 

[itsallBb2me]

itsallBb2me wrote:

I don’t get it. With an R5, why “move the focus point” at all? Why not use center point AF with 1-shot AF, recompose in the VF and shoot? I must be missing some obvious point. What?

Different people liking different methods?

True

Recompose can add delay for multiple shots.

so can moving refocus point physically.

Small changes in focal plane from recomposing can cause focus error.

Not with one shot AF and half shutter press release

I have one back button set for face/animal detect, and the other button for one-shot. When doing real-estate or other stationary subjects, I might be locked down on a tripod, and moving the focus point around is less disruptive than loosening the tripod head to use your method, if I understand it correctly (and I'm not sure I do).

The OP was specifically asking about “working in a fast-paced commercial environment shooting animals”, not real-estate “locked down on a tripod”. Hard to imagine 2 more totally different use categories.

Regardless, whether I'm shooting portraits, sports, real estate, or animals, the dual-button system works well for me, and I don't have to change settings for different scenarios - I just have to change which button I'm using, or in some instances, switch between People/Animals in the quick-menu. Sometimes a subject doesn't stand out well enough from the background to track reliably, so I just use the other back button, and a flick or two of the thumb puts the focus point exactly where I want it. The only drawback to my system for me is that Canon doesn't provide an easy way to switch between multiple faces with BBF (they should add that function to the DOF-preview), so moving the point with the joystick helps with that situation too.

Some people hate BBF so much that they don't want anybody else to use it either, which I don't get.

Was that supposed to refer to me? Questioning, the utility of an operation does not amount to “hating” it.

 

[David J Carlyon]

Some people hate BBF so much that they don't want anybody else to use it either, which I don't get.

Was that supposed to refer to me? Questioning, the utility of an operation does not amount to “hating” it.

Not necessarily, but there are definitely people who seem to.

At any rate, I don't see why Canon has the default setting that the joystick is inert until you push another button first.

 

[itsallBb2me]

Some people hate BBF so much that they don't want anybody else to use it either, which I don't get.

Was that supposed to refer to me? Questioning, the utility of an operation does not amount to “hating” it.

Not necessarily, but there are definitely people who seem to.

Anybody in particular?

Does anyone reading this “hate” BBF” so much that you don’t want anybody else to use it?

At any rate, I don't see why Canon has the default setting that the joystick is inert until you push another button first.

 

[Otaraka]

Small changes in focal plane from recomposing can cause focus error.

Not with one shot AF and half shutter press release""

Are you talking where you're relying on the camera to identify the focus point and stick to it when moving?

Because if so I agree its pretty good, as long as the focus point is clearly identifiable by the camera. Ive found in some situations thats not the case, particularly with a moving subject. But you could probably say that of eye-AF as well.