A good image from subject surrounded by focusing distractions?

[Flycaster]

I do a lot of nature shooting with my FZ1000. Many of the subjects are in the trees and are surrounded by distracting branches, or the subject is just surrounded by distractions. Under these conditions, I will adjust the focus area box (which is always in the center of the frame) to cover the subject as best I can. So, this means that the image outcome will always have the subject in the center, and I will crop to place the subject where I want it.

1. Is there any real difference(s) in the final image between moving the focus box in order to arrive at a composed image, or center shooting the subject and cropping (as I do) to arrive at a final image?

2. Not moving the focus box from center of frame, and given a bird in a tree with distracting branches--not allowing all of the bird to be clearly visible, I assume that I should size the focus box to only match that part of the bird that is clear of distracting branches?

3. But, what if the distractions are so bad that there is only a very small part of the bird that can clearly be covered by the box, is it worth it to go for the shot? Or, should I just cover the bird with a larger box and shoot?

4. Will using pin-point instead of single area focus allow for sharper focusing as compared to 1 and 2 above?

Thanks.

 

[sherman_levine]

I've not used the FZ1000 in a while, but my strong recollection is that pinpoint focus is excellent, keeping in mind that the FZ1000 autofocus is axis-dependent https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4606801

I've always found it simplest to just focus on the subject, half-press, and then move the camera to reframe before full-press. Much faster than manipulating a focus box.

--

Sherm
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[Jon_T]

As posted in the past for these types of questions about an image you need to post some OOC JPG to "SEE" what you're trying explain about the images.

This is a perfect example of the old saying "A picture worth a thousand words". ;-)

 

[Flycaster]

I've always found it simplest to just focus on the subject, half-press, and then move the camera to reframe before full-press. Much faster than manipulating a focus box.

Would this be BBF, or the equivalent?

 

[sherman_levine]

I've always found it simplest to just focus on the subject, half-press, and then move the camera to reframe before full-press. Much faster than manipulating a focus box.

Would this be BBF, or the equivalent?

I'm not sure what exactly BBF is on the FZ1000. Half-press the shutter button with Single-AF will lock focus and exposure until you full-press the shutter button.

--

Sherm

Sherms flickr page

P950 album

P900 album RX10iv album
OM1.2 150-600 album

 

[Flycaster]

I've always found it simplest to just focus on the subject, half-press, and then move the camera to reframe before full-press. Much faster than manipulating a focus box.

Would this be BBF, or the equivalent?

I'm not sure what exactly BBF is on the FZ1000. Half-press the shutter button with Single-AF will lock focus and exposure until you full-press the shutter button.

Always thought BBF=Back Button Focus. Could be wrong, though.

 

[Flycaster]

As posted in the past for these types of questions about an image you need to post some OOC JPG to "SEE" what you're trying explain about the images.

This is a perfect example of the old saying "A picture worth a thousand words". ;-)

Agreed, but I'm being a bit lazy at the moment. I guess I should have been more concise: Given: Subject deep in tree, distracting (in front, behind, some on same or near same plane as subject) branches, best way to get the subject into reasonably sharp focus using the FZ1000?

 

[sherman_levine]

I've always found it simplest to just focus on the subject, half-press, and then move the camera to reframe before full-press. Much faster than manipulating a focus box.

Would this be BBF, or the equivalent?

I'm not sure what exactly BBF is on the FZ1000. Half-press the shutter button with Single-AF will lock focus and exposure until you full-press the shutter button.

Always thought BBF=Back Button Focus. Could be wrong, though.

Yes - I know what it means, but I'm not sure how it's best implemented on the FZ1000. I know it can be done using a combination of manual focus/ setting the AEH/AFH button function to AF_On / tapping the button, but I don't think you can choose the AF field (large/small/pinpoint) when you do that.

In any case, the only button you need to use here is the shutter button, with single (not continuous) autofocus.

--

Sherm

Sherms flickr page

P950 album

P900 album RX10iv album
OM1.2 150-600 album

 

[Dak on cam]

I do a lot of nature shooting with my FZ1000. Many of the subjects are in the trees and are surrounded by distracting branches, or the subject is just surrounded by distractions. Under these conditions, I will adjust the focus area box (which is always in the center of the frame) to cover the subject as best I can. So, this means that the image outcome will always have the subject in the center, and I will crop to place the subject where I want it.

1. Is there any real difference(s) in the final image between moving the focus box in order to arrive at a composed image, or center shooting the subject and cropping (as I do) to arrive at a final image?

Center tends to be sharpest with most lenses, and with least lateral chromatic aberrations and other distractions. So this tends to put the best image quality with the subject.

2. Not moving the focus box from center of frame, and given a bird in a tree with distracting branches--not allowing all of the bird to be clearly visible, I assume that I should size the focus box to only match that part of the bird that is clear of distracting branches?

3. But, what if the distractions are so bad that there is only a very small part of the bird that can clearly be covered by the box, is it worth it to go for the shot? Or, should I just cover the bird with a larger box and shoot?

There is also manual focusing. I don't know the FZ1000 to guess how well that works in practice.

4. Will using pin-point instead of single area focus allow for sharper focusing as compared to 1 and 2 above?

You want good light, or noise may affect focus accuracy more than with a larger area.

--
Dak

 

[alcelc]

You can actually do it by either using the focus-recompose style of shooting or through Touch AF.

The following was a shot by using focus-recompose (mostly like your style of operation but after focus pre-locking, I shall keep the focus lock, move the camera for a new composition then take the shot):




Focus Point

I can achieve SOOC.

--
Albert
** Please forgive my typo error.
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[kkardster]

As others have noted here, I use the half-press to focus, recompose, then full-press to capture the image. This does require that your camera’s shutter has been set up to support it - though I suspect that this is the default configuration.

My FZ200 has a FOCUS button that provides a one-shot auto-focus when using manual focus mode. Being in MF mode, it will lock the focus there even if you release the shutter - useful for those times when you can’t just sit there with the shutter half-pressed. I don’t know is your FZ1000 has this capability.

 

[Jon_T]

As posted in the past for these types of questions about an image you need to post some OOC JPG to "SEE" what you're trying explain about the images.

This is a perfect example of the old saying "A picture worth a thousand words". ;-)

Agreed, but I'm being a bit lazy at the moment. ...

When asking for help, you should make it easier for those to help you.

From your OP it read as if you were making things more difficult for yourself; hence if you posted pic with your OP most likely would have omitted the miscommunication posts between yourself and Sherman, and your following post trying to further explain what a picture would have easily shown.

When shooting longer focal lengths with the EVF, I use the same method Sherman noted in his post:

"... I've always found it simplest to just focus on the subject, half-press, and then move the camera to reframe before full-press. Much faster than manipulating a focus box. ..."

Method I've used for over 45 years with my SLR's and DSLR's. The SLR's had simple focus aid in the center of the prism frame. So focusing on the subject then re-framing was the simplest/ quickest way to focus.

Some simple/ quick samples using the single center AF box via aforementioned focusing method. (If needed resize the AF frame so the entire AF frame is on the subject without any of the foreground items in the AF frame.



Focus on the rose in the background, half-press, and then move the camera to re-frame before full-press.



Focus on the crow's beak/ eye in the background through a fence opening, half-press, and then move the camera to re-frame before full-press.

I try to follow the KISS principle when doing things.

 

[Dak on cam]

As others have noted here, I use the half-press to focus, recompose, then full-press to capture the image. This does require that your camera’s shutter has been set up to support it - though I suspect that this is the default configuration.

If you do that (with center focusing, then move the subject to the corner and shoot) you'll end up backfocused on wider angle shots.

The reason is that in the center of the image, the focus plane distance and the subject distance are the same, but in the corner the focus plane distance is closed than the subject distance.

With tele shots this error is mostly negligible, with wide angle shots you may get saved by comparatively low overall blurring (and high DoF) of wide angle, particularly on crop sensors.

But it's worth keeping in mind that recomposing does have systemic inaccuracies.

 

[bluzman]

As others have noted here, I use the half-press to focus, recompose, then full-press to capture the image. This does require that your camera’s shutter has been set up to support it - though I suspect that this is the default configuration.

One of the reasons I bought several FZ cameras (FZ1000/FZ1000ii/FZ300) was that I could set them up for Back Button Focus (BBF). I set the AE-L/AF-L button to AF On and disabled focus on the shutter button. Then I always shot in AF-C mode. Focus and recompose was simple: focus using BBF button, take your thumb off the BBF button (locks focus), and recompose the image to suit.

This technique basically allows shooting in AF-S or AF-C mode without changing anything.