Understanding Autofocus Modes – Which Should You Use?

One of the questions that I get asked the most often is – how can I get sharper photos? Unfortunately, it’s a tough question to give a specific answer because there can be a handful of reasons why you may not be getting as sharp of photos as you’d like, but I can tell you that many times it simply can be a result of not using the correct autofocus mode.
Understanding the differences between different autofocus modes might not be at the top of your list when you first get your camera but you certainly need to have an understanding of what the different modes are and more importantly – when to use the different autofocus modes.
So lets get you right up to speed so you can have the confidence of knowing all about choosing autofocus modes.
Single vs Continuous Autofocus – What it is & When to use
- Single Area AF (Nikon: AF-S / Canon: One Shot AF)
- In single area autofocus, once you lock focus on your subject the camera will not retain focus if your subject moves.
- When to Use – Stationary objects and/or in low-light conditions.
- Continuous AF (Nikon: Continuous AF-C / Canon: AI Servo)
- Unlike single area autofocus, once you lock focus on a moving subject the camera will do its best to follow your subject keeping them in focus.
- When to Use – Use for sports, birds in flight or pets and people when moving.
How the Photographer/Camera Chooses Autofocus Points
- Single Point AF Area Mode
- Dynamic AF Area Mode
- Dynamic AF area mode you are still able to be in control and choose the focus point however the camera uses a larger area to retain focus if your subject moves.
- This mode only works when in continuous AF mode.
- Auto Area AF – Using Auto Area AF mode, the camera is analyzing the scene and choosing which subject to focus on. The ease of not having to manually select a specific focus point can be often at the detriment of the camera mistakenly choosing the wrong subject or thing to focus on.
- The only time it makes sense to use this mode is if you can’t look through the viewfinder to accurately pick the focus point or if you just want to be able to point and shoot.
Auto Area Autofocus was used on this photo since we were holding the camera out aimed back at us for a quick self portrait and couldn’t look through viewfinder.
- The only time it makes sense to use this mode is if you can’t look through the viewfinder to accurately pick the focus point or if you just want to be able to point and shoot.
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Why is it Necessary to Manually Choose the AF Point?
Today’s cameras are pretty “smart” but they still are unable to know exactly where you want to focus. Autofocus modules today use contrast or phase detection to guess where to focus and when you have numerous objects in the frame, there is a good chance that your camera will by mistake, choose to focus on something other than your intended subject. If you are using fast prime lenses and shooting at wide apertures like f/1.8 any missed focus of the camera will be easily to see and the shot will be unusable. The key is simply to always choose the autofocus point and take control and tell the camera exactly what you want in focus. If you are taking a portrait – focus on the eyes.
Top Photo: This is NOT the autofocus mode you’d want to use for a portrait – the camera can focus on the shirt, a hand, the chin, anywhere it chooses, unless you specifically choose to focus on the eye as shown in the bottom photo.
Key Takeaway – Autofocus Modes
It is always a best practice to take control of your camera and always use Single-Point or Dynamic AF Area mode and use the thumb pad to manually select which specific autofocus point to use to ensure properly focused photos. Use Single-Area for portraits and still objects and use Continuous AF for moving objects. Only use auto area focus in very specific exceptions that require it.
As always, I hope this quick read has been helpful to you! If you want more photography technical tips, head over to the “behind the lens” section right here.
Chat soon!
Cole
Wow- once again you’ve posted a crackin’, helpful article. Thank you so much for spending time to help us!
Thank YOU for taking the time to read it…that’s what makes it worth it for me 🙂
Great Info! Easy to understand and the diagrams were on point.
Thanks a ton Jason!
Wow! this is so helpful. Thanx once again for the info!
Bongi – South Africa
Absolutely 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it and thank YOU for commenting!
Hi Cole,
What would you recommend the settings be when shooting a group or family portrait? Multiple eyes to focus on and the families I shot are usually staggered in their pose.
Hey Erin – the most important thing in that scenario is having enough depth of focus to ensure all are in focus….you’ll need to use a higher f/stop # (narrower aperture) for the larger the groups and/or more staggering you have setup 🙂
So would you use Single point or Dynamic Cole?
Hi Cole! I came across your site after researching focus issues. You have a lot of great info! I’m having some serious focusing issues when I take photos. I have a Nikon d3200 and 50mm 1.4 lens. I take full body portraits for for fashion. So I want the subject to be super sharp and the background blurred, however, the subject’s face always seems to have a hazy blur over it. It’s not that noticeable, but I want it to be totally sharp. I’m starting to think I can’t achieve this with the body/lens I have? Thanks for your help!
Emily
Hey! No it shouldn’t be a camera/lens issue….BUT I’d encourage you to make darn sure you are manually selecting your AF point and not letting the camera pick, have a fast enough shutter speed to make sure it’s sharp and lastly, shoot that lens at f/2 or a higher f/stop number to give yourself more room for error and sharpness than you’d have at 1.4
[…] choose depending on what specifically you are shooting. If you want to read the full tutorial, go here. Don’t feel like reading the entire post about auto-focus settings? Here is the gist of […]
I’m a first time reader .barely just subscribed. this is my first article and I love it can’t wait to learn more. Even though I’ve been shooting that way it makes much more sense I feel more in control can’t wait to start experiementing thanks a bunch
Thank YOU Jessica – so glad to have ya here 🙂
So many great tips on the site, thanks for doing them.
When it comes to using AI servo (I shoot Canon), is it best to use that when you’re the one doing the moving as opposed to the subject? Lots of times my wife wants to shoot out the car window and I assume the AI Servo setting would be the correct choice opposed to one shot.
Cole, firstly thank you for all your great tips to achieve better images… Secondly, I have a question for you…. If I’m taking a photo of my two great grand sons who are sitting next to each other (they are 2 and 3 yrs old btw) where do I point my focus square…. If I focus on one child’s eye, will the other child also be in focus, and should I up the aperture to around f5.6 or isn’t that high enough?
It really ALL DEPENDS on the focus plane, in other words, if each boy is the same distance away from the camera (like sitting next to each other) you can be perfectly ok with a wider aperture, IF they are spaced out and one is much further in front of the other, that’s where you’ll have issues with one being in focus or not. How narrow of an aperture to use really depends on many things, including, focal length of the lens you’re using and also distance from camera to subject. Read these posts to learn more about aperture & depth of field. 🙂
Thank you for this article, however I’m just a bit unsure about the dynamic function. I have a very entry level canon and it only has the one shot, alservo or the other one where it stays static unless the subject moves in which it will switch to alservo, (cant think of the word off the top of my head), so I don’t think it has dynamic? I am upgrading very soon. Can I expect to find this function in say the canon 70d? Or is it only limited to full frame cameras? Thank you for your time!
Oh my goodness Cole, thank you for explaining the difference between the focus modes. I’ve had my 5D for 3 years now, and I have not been able to read into these modes. Thank you for explaining this in an easy to understand article.
Thank you Cole! Great and helpful tips!
I have the same question as Chanelle. I was following along with you until you mentioned the dynamic function. Is that a function on Nikon? I shoot with a Canon 70D and it is not on my camera.
Great article! I photograph mostly young kids. Would you recommend using the Dynamic Area AF Mode instead of the single point area af mode for childrens portraits?
I am excited to learn more about how to actually use my camera by viewing your articles. I have a Canon Rebel T4i and it takes great photos on it’s own but I need to learn more about how to set it in different light, etc. I shoot quite a lot in sport mode – catching our rowers as they go by quickly. Excited to learn more!
My greatest issue is where to place the focus point when I’m shooting my two children (ages one and three). Which mode is best? On whom do I place my focus point when I’m shooting the two of them together? I realize when they’re not in the same “plane” that I have to close up my aperture to better get them in focus, but I’m still having trouble.
It is hard to guide you with an answer without knowing what your specific settings and issues are, see if these tips may help… https://www.colesclassroom.com/how-to-get-sharp-photos/
Cole!!!
Every time I receive one of your emails, I feel as though you have read my mind! There is always a topic that I need help with. You are on point and you keep things simple. I’ve been searching for a photographer to be my mentor and your articles have filled this need.
Thanks again for being awesome!
Love that we can be a resource for you!!!
[…] choose depending on what specifically you are shooting. If you want to read the full tutorial, go here. Don’t feel like reading the entire post about auto-focus settings? Here is the gist of […]
[…] Auto. Just choose auto. Ok, it is a little more complicated than that, but if you’re just starting out, shoot on auto focus mode. This allows your camera to do the focusing, which is what you pay the big bucks for. You know when you stand just a little *too close to your subject and your camera starts freaking out trying to choose a focal point? Photographers tend to use manual focus mode when shooting smaller details, and when the camera has a harder time determining what you want to focus on, like a prong of a diamond ring. The fact is, on most cameras, auto focus mode does a great job of choosing the correct focus. For a breakdown of the types of auto focus modes, read on here! […]
[…] One of the best Canon 80D alternatives is the Nikon D7000. This camera use EXPEED 2 processors. Image processing engine is so extraordinary, which provide quality depth images smooth and clear. 16.2 megapixels format will maximize the sharpness of light to produce a more detailed picture, thus the object more clearly visible for each part. D7000 has followed the trend with the ability to record video with 24fps 1080p HD movie format, as well as continuous autofocus. […]