So I took a whole lot of pictures of my kid on a swing, trying to keep the kid in focus, while the background blurred. I have a Nikon d5200, it was a sunny day, ISO 100. Is this exceptionally difficult to do, or am I missing something? I was trying 1/5, 1/6. 1/8 seconds, holding the camera and following the kid with the camera. Advice please? All I got was a blurry mess, and not in a that's cool it's motion way. Plus, I'd really like to get the kid in focus.
P.S. I'm not actually sure what "Focus Mode" the camera was in because I think it may reset when it's turned off and then on again? AF-C (Continuous Servo AF) is an option, I was probably shooting in AF-A.
need to up your shutter speed...you will most likely need to play around until you get your child in focus but the background blurry. Do you shoot in Manual mode?
A sunny day? I think your shutter is way too slow for ISO 100. Bright sun has a light value of about 14-15 LV, This is where the so-called Sunny 16 rule comes from, f/16 and a shutter speed of 1/(focal length). I won't bore you with the arithmetic that shows that such expose settings get you to 14-15 LV (or EV if you like "exposure value" rather than "light value").
Are you following the kid via panning or are you allowing the camera to do the work? Either way, if you want "tracking autofocus" use AF-C. AF mode AF-A is a dumb mistake (or compromise if you want to be nicer about it) Nikon made many years ago. And with AF-C,, use 3-D tracking. (AF Area Mode), it's better than any of the "dynamic area" modes I find. I hope you are using a decent lens that will transmit distance information to the AF system. Modern Nikkor lenses will be fine.
You want to make sure that the subject is always covered by one of 39 focus points, because if not, of course the AF will not be able to track. The D5200 will do an OK job of following along, not great, but OK, better than almost every other of its peers from other manufacturers. You have to move up the line to the D7200 or the full-frame cameras to have 3-D tracking really shine.
My general advice, shoot AF-S (with single focus area, the center one, being the only choice, and use the focus, 1/2 shutter press and recompose technique, don't try any of the more remote points) or AF-C with 3-D tracking. Forget about AF-A, the camera will have a case of "split personality" and can be extra sluggish on refocusing...
@frankhymus Do you know why it is that sometimes the only Focus Modes that are options for me are AF-S, AF-F, and MF. The AF-C was there when I turned on my camera, and I even chose it. Then I changed nothing at all, but when I hit the info screen, I was back in AF-S and AF-C is not an option. In fact, it's often not an option. I am shooting in either aperture or shutter priority modes. Is it dependent on some other setting? Thanks!
@tracys AF-F is an option with Live View, as is AF-S and AF-M. With the viewfinder, you get AF-C, AF-A (don't use this, ever), AF-S and of course AF-M..
There are two completely different Auto Focus systems with a DSLR, one in Live View where the evaluations are done directly from data on the main image sensor by the general image processor and the second when through the viewfinder with a secondary dedicated so-called "RGB Sensor" usually with its own processor, completely separate from the image sensor and main processor. For DSLRs, the "through the viewfinder" AF system is almost always (I was going to say always, but someone might take exception to that) more accurate and more versatile, especially "tracking" and in the Nikon world, "3-D tracking."
The camera is smart enough to know if Live View is active or not, and it remembers what you set previously when you toggle Live View in and out.
@tracys AF-C for the AF Mode, and 3D Tracking for the AF Area Mode. You have to set both. The situation you describe needs accurate evaluation of "distance" data supplied by the lens to the camera, and Nikon DSLRs are known to do this very well. The area mode is right below the AF mode on the info screen.
People can find the two concepts confusing. This might help. The AF Mode tells the camera WHEN to evaluate focus, AF-S (Do it once only), AF-C (Do it continually). The AF Area Mode tells the camera WHAT to focus on.
One last possibly stupid question. With my camera set to AF-C and 3D tracking, when looking through the viewfinder, the little focus point doesn't turn green?
@tracys Not stupid at all! That's right.. To make sure that the camera has locked on to the subject at the active focus area (with the half press of the shutter by default), you have to check the bottom left in the viewfinder for the focus status, a solid white circle if it's locked on.
Then as the subject moves, or you move the camera, the focus point will shift to "track" that acquired subject. Of course, it will only track within the area marked in the viewfinder for the 39 points. Try the experiment of locking and then moving the camera if you haven't seen this movement, so you will know what to expect. Magic! Well, it's the same magic as is in facial recognition security software you read about all the time...
Now in "live view" and AF-F, you are not limited to keeping the locked subject in a fixed area, so that is an advantage, but the tracking of AF-F is nowhere as quick or as accurate as AF-C/3-D tracking.
One of the huge selling points of the new D500 is that the focus points are spread over the full width of the viewfinder and over about 2/3 of its height.
And to point out that one of the (current) drawbacks of most full-frame DSLRs is that this area covers significantly less of the frame. Like in the D750, one of the very few "problems" with this wonderful camera. One of the selling points of "mirrorless" system cameras is that the focus points typically spread much wider across the frame, and there are often many more. The new Sony a6300 for instance has 425(!) points spread across almost all of the frame.
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Are you following the kid via panning or are you allowing the camera to do the work? Either way, if you want "tracking autofocus" use AF-C. AF mode AF-A is a dumb mistake (or compromise if you want to be nicer about it) Nikon made many years ago. And with AF-C,, use 3-D tracking. (AF Area Mode), it's better than any of the "dynamic area" modes I find. I hope you are using a decent lens that will transmit distance information to the AF system. Modern Nikkor lenses will be fine.
You want to make sure that the subject is always covered by one of 39 focus points, because if not, of course the AF will not be able to track. The D5200 will do an OK job of following along, not great, but OK, better than almost every other of its peers from other manufacturers. You have to move up the line to the D7200 or the full-frame cameras to have 3-D tracking really shine.
My general advice, shoot AF-S (with single focus area, the center one, being the only choice, and use the focus, 1/2 shutter press and recompose technique, don't try any of the more remote points) or AF-C with 3-D tracking. Forget about AF-A, the camera will have a case of "split personality" and can be extra sluggish on refocusing...
Good luck.
There are two completely different Auto Focus systems with a DSLR, one in Live View where the evaluations are done directly from data on the main image sensor by the general image processor and the second when through the viewfinder with a secondary dedicated so-called "RGB Sensor" usually with its own processor, completely separate from the image sensor and main processor. For DSLRs, the "through the viewfinder" AF system is almost always (I was going to say always, but someone might take exception to that) more accurate and more versatile, especially "tracking" and in the Nikon world, "3-D tracking."
The camera is smart enough to know if Live View is active or not, and it remembers what you set previously when you toggle Live View in and out.
It's going to stress me out a whole lot to shoot from the viewfinder, which I haven't done since I had a film camera. Yikes!
Do you think the AF-C is effective for a subject coming quickly towards the camera, for instance a dog?
People can find the two concepts confusing. This might help. The AF Mode tells the camera WHEN to evaluate focus, AF-S (Do it once only), AF-C (Do it continually). The AF Area Mode tells the camera WHAT to focus on.
Then as the subject moves, or you move the camera, the focus point will shift to "track" that acquired subject. Of course, it will only track within the area marked in the viewfinder for the 39 points. Try the experiment of locking and then moving the camera if you haven't seen this movement, so you will know what to expect. Magic! Well, it's the same magic as is in facial recognition security software you read about all the time...
Now in "live view" and AF-F, you are not limited to keeping the locked subject in a fixed area, so that is an advantage, but the tracking of AF-F is nowhere as quick or as accurate as AF-C/3-D tracking.
One of the huge selling points of the new D500 is that the focus points are spread over the full width of the viewfinder and over about 2/3 of its height.
And to point out that one of the (current) drawbacks of most full-frame DSLRs is that this area covers significantly less of the frame. Like in the D750, one of the very few "problems" with this wonderful camera. One of the selling points of "mirrorless" system cameras is that the focus points typically spread much wider across the frame, and there are often many more. The new Sony a6300 for instance has 425(!) points spread across almost all of the frame.