Skip to main content

Top Deck: Auto Focus

Lesson 5 from: Canon EOS 77D Fast Start

John Greengo

Top Deck: Auto Focus

Lesson 5 from: Canon EOS 77D Fast Start

John Greengo

buy this class

$00

$00
Sale Ends Soon!

starting under

$13/month*

Unlock this classplus 2200+ more >

Lesson Info

5. Top Deck: Auto Focus

Lesson Info

Top Deck: Auto Focus

Moving our way across the camera over in the top right we have our auto focus area selection button. This allows us to change from 1 Point to Zone to Large Zone to our 45-Point AF system. So there is another button on the back shoulder of the camera, the AF Points button that are closely related and we're gonna talk more about these. Let's talk a little bit about the focusing area on this camera. So the camera has 45 focusing points, which is quite a bit more than previous Rebel cameras have had. Now, if you want to activate this whole system to make changes, you would press this AF Point activation button on the back of the camera. If you want to change what mode you're in, you would press the button on the top of the camera and you don't have to do step one in order to do step two. You can skip straight to step two if you want. But if you do want to move the focusing point or group of focusing points around, you will do that on the back of the camera either by turning the dial or by ...

going up, down and left and right. So the options we have is a single point AF. So if you are very specific about what you want in focus and you're careful about how the camera is positioned and held, you could use the 1-Point, which is what I like for portrait photography. Zone AF uses three focusing points and it uses multiple points in order to more quickly establish focus on a subject. This would be very good for something that is moving around. So for sports and action, this would be a good one to choose. Large Zone is for something that is moving a little bit more erratically because it's an even larger area. Then we have the 45-Point one, which is gonna use all 45 focusing points and it's just gonna choose whatever one is closest in that point range. So let's go ahead and take a look on the camera. Let me get this set up for you. One of the things that I do, just to showcase what's going on on the camera, is I'll often press the INFO button so that I get this screen here. So that when I press a button you'll get this information on the back of the camera. So this activates the focusing system for about six seconds and then it will go back to its previous position. So if I press this button I can press the focus button on the top to quickly change between the four different modes. If I want to choose where the focus point is I can move it around. I can also do this with it up to my eye looking through the view finder, but this is easy for all of us to see at the same time. So we can set this position anywhere we want. If we know we want something on the left side of the frame we can go ahead and just move it over there. If we wanna use the 9-Points we can move the 9-Points around and so that they can be pretty much wherever they can be. The same thing goes with the Large Zone. We can choose left, middle or right. When it is in the Large Zone it's basically using the entire area and if focuses on whatever is closest to you. So if you want, you can just press the top button without pressing the back button. If you just wanna change which mode you're in. If you said, "I want to change where I'm focusing." You could press the button on the back of the camera. If you do it from the front it's gonna also allow you to do it. So in some ways you don't really need to use this button on the back of the camera. It's two buttons that do similar features. They're not quite the same because only the top one is gonna allow you to change between the points, but pressing them once activates and turns the whole system on so that you can make a change. So, of course, all of that you do have to have your lens in auto focus. All right, a little bit of background information on the 45 focusing points. How times have changed. My first camera had one focusing point and it wasn't nearly as sensitive as it is on this camera. This camera has 45 focusing points and they're all known as f/5.6 Cross-type AF points, which means they are measuring vertical and horizontal contrast, which is good. Sometimes focus points only do vertical, or only do horizontal so this does both, which is great and it does so with all lenses that are f/5.6 or faster. Which means it'll work on the complete collection of Cannon lenses out there. Now it's possible you could take a big telephoto lens that is an f/4 and put a doubler on it where the effective aperture is f/ and then the camera is not gonna work so well in that case. But actually, they are f/8 Cross-type sensors with many lenses, it varies exactly which lens you could get it with. You'll need to dive into the instruction manual to see those specifics. Now the center one is a little bit unusual. It is an f/2.8 High Precision Dual Cross AF point. Cannon has a number of lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/2.8. When you use one of those lenses, rather than the standard cross you get a double cross so the camera is even more sensitive and will pick up focus even faster. It is a high precision in that it will be even more accurate in its focusing system. So if you were to have a lens like this 50 millimeter 1.8 lens, that aperture is faster than 2. and it will allow you to focus a little bit more precisely, which is exactly what you need on a lens like this because it has shallower depth to field and you do need to be more precise on it. So a great focusing system, especially at this price point and at this level of a camera.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Canon77D Recommended Settings
Canon 77D Slides

Ratings and Reviews

Nikita Sokolsky
 

Must have for all 77D owners. Thanks, John!

Dara Pkyprek
 

Hello, is it hand-on practice or just show how to use the menu in the camera, plz B.R Dara

John Greengo
 

Student Work

RELATED ARTICLES

RELATED ARTICLES