Skip to main content

Focusing Systems

Lesson 44 from: Fundamentals of Photography 2016

John Greengo

Focusing Systems

Lesson 44 from: Fundamentals of Photography 2016

John Greengo

buy this class

$00

$00
Sale Ends Soon!

starting under

$13/month*

Unlock this classplus 2200+ more >

Lesson Info

44. Focusing Systems

Next Lesson: Autofocus Controls

Lessons

Class Trailer
1

Class Introduction

17:26
2

Welcome to Photography

13:08
3

Camera Types Overview

02:00
4

Viewing Systems

28:43
5

Viewing Systems Q&A

08:45
6

Lens Systems

32:06
7

Shutter Systems

13:17
8

Shutter Speeds

10:47
9

Choosing a Shutter Speed

31:30
10

Shutter Speeds for Handholding

08:36
11

Shutter Speed Pop Quiz

09:06
12

Camera Settings

25:35
13

General Camera Q&A

14:38
14

Sensor Sizes: The Basics

15:33
15

Sensor Sizes: Compared

19:10
16

Pixels

20:13
17

ISO

21:13
18

Sensor Q&A

13:34
19

Focal Length: Overview

11:09
20

Focal Length: Angle of View

15:09
21

Wide Angle Lenses

08:48
22

Telephoto Lenses

25:23
23

Angle of View Q&A

09:29
24

Fish Eye Lenses

10:39
25

Tilt & Shift Lenses

23:42
26

Subject Zone

17:19
27

Lens Speed

09:56
28

Aperture Basics

08:46
29

Depth of Field

21:49
30

Aperture Pop Quiz

13:23
31

Lens Quality

18:30
32

Photo Equipment Life Cycle

03:57
33

Light Meter Basics

09:25
34

Histogram

15:25
35

Histogram Pop Quiz and Q&A

10:58
36

Dynamic Range

06:03
37

Exposure Modes

15:58
38

Manual Exposure

09:38
39

Sunny 16 Rule

05:54
40

Exposure Bracketing

10:18
41

Exposure Values

27:21
42

Exposure Pop Quiz

26:43
43

Focus Overview

16:15
44

Focusing Systems

05:15
45

Autofocus Controls

11:56
46

Focus Points

07:35
47

Autofocusing on Subjects

20:19
48

Manual Focus

07:52
49

Digital Focusing Assistance

03:40
50

Focus Options: DSLR and Mirrorless

04:58
51

Shutter Speeds for Sharpness and DoF

05:20
52

Depth of Field Pop Quiz

12:14
53

Depth of Field Camera Features

04:54
54

Lens Sharpness

09:58
55

Camera Movement

05:20
56

Handheld and Tripod Focusing

04:32
57

Advanced Techniques

07:12
58

Hyperfocal Distance

06:50
59

Hyperfocal Quiz and Focusing Formula

04:36
60

Micro adjust and AF Fine Tune

05:34
61

Focus Stacking and Post Sharpening

06:00
62

Focus Problem Pop Quiz

18:07
63

The Gadget Bag: Camera Accessories

25:30
64

The Gadget Bag: Lens Accessories

12:46
65

The Gadget Bag: Neutral Density Filter

20:43
66

The Gadget Bag: Lens Hood and Teleconverters

08:55
67

The Gadget Bag: Lens Adapters

05:43
68

The Gadget Bag: Lens Cleaning Supplies

04:34
69

The Gadget Bag: Macro Lenses and Accessories

15:57
70

The Gadget Bag: Flash and Lighting

05:08
71

The Gadget Bag: Tripods and Accessories

18:50
72

The Gadget Bag: Custom Cases

11:20
73

10 Thoughts on Being a Photographer

07:37
74

Direct Sunlight

25:04
75

Indirect Sunlight

18:49
76

Sunrise and Sunset

18:39
77

Cloud Light

14:48
78

Golden Hour

09:50
79

Light Pop Quiz

07:53
80

Light Management

14:00
81

Artificial Light

13:56
82

Speedlights

16:02
83

Off-Camera Flash

27:38
84

Advanced Flash Techniques

09:49
85

Editing Overview

08:24
86

Editing Set-up

08:06
87

Importing Images

16:45
88

Best Use of Files and Folders

20:54
89

Culling

20:56
90

Develop: Fixing in Lightroom

18:13
91

Develop: Treating Your Images

10:53
92

Develop: Optimizing in Lightroom

14:51
93

Art of Editing Q&A

06:01
94

Composition Overview

06:53
95

Photographic Intrusions

10:10
96

Mystery and Working the Scene

16:18
97

Point of View

09:11
98

Better Backgrounds

16:02
99

Unique Perspective

11:02
100

Angle of View

15:06
101

Subject Placement

41:14
102

Subject Placement Q&A

05:18
103

Panorama

07:39
104

Multishot Techniques

13:57
105

Timelapse

16:13
106

Human Vision vs The Camera

20:07
107

Visual Perception

08:35
108

Visual Balance Test

22:56
109

Visual Drama

12:25
110

Elements of Design

28:57
111

The Photographic Process

12:28
112

Working the Shot

27:38
113

The Moment

04:42
114

One Hour Photo - Colby Brown

1:04:32
115

One Hour Photo - John Keatley

1:03:05
116

One Hour Photo - Art Wolfe

59:01
117

One Hour Photo - Rocco Ancora

1:01:20
118

One Hour Photo - Mike Hagen

1:01:20
119

One Hour Photo - Lisa Carney

1:00:52
120

One Hour Photo - Ian Shive

1:08:00
121

One Hour Photo - Sandra Coan

1:10:29
122

One Hour Photo - Daniel Gregory

1:06:07
123

One Hour Photo - Scott Robert Lim

1:05:41

Lesson Info

Focusing Systems

Now a mirrorless camera works very different than an SLR camera. Light in this case comes directly back to the sensor, we don't have that auto-focusing module that is simultaneously looking at the same information. In this case the camera has to use the information hitting the sensor to judge whether the subject is in focus or not. And it is better in some senses, and worse in others. Some of the mirrorless cameras use a contrast system and a face detection system. Now, a normal mirrorless camera, the way it works is if the image is out of focus, what it does is it realizes that there is very low contrast in that particular image, and it directs the lens to change focus. Because wherever you're at right now just doesn't look very contrasty and it's gonna say it's not the right spot. So it adjusts the lens and it will get sharper and more contrasty, and it may go past that point of focus, and then it may come back. And so, if you can think of directing somebody on the street. So here's ...

my strange analogy. And you step out on to the streets of New York City, and you say, where's the pizza shop? One person might say, it's three blocks down, and you know, you walk three blocks, you're at the shop, all right. Now that's the SLR system. It gives you very direct, there it is right there. The mirrorless system would say, okay where's the pizza shop, it's that-a-way. How far? It's that-a-way. And you walk down, you're like, is this the pizza shop? No, it's that-a-way. Okay it's back here. Is this it? Yeah it's right here. Okay. And so the mirrorless system kinda wanders a little bit, and then it comes back, and it settles in and it finds the right spot, but it doesn't really know it until it gets there. And the face detection system knows it even before it starts going there. That's where I need to go, and so those are different systems. Now the problem with the face detection system is that sometimes it's a little bit off. It's three blocks that direction. Well, it's three blocks and 15 steps. And so we're gonna talk about how to address this in the SLRs. So this is what's going on with the mirrorless cameras. They're very accurate, but up to this point they have been a little bit slow, and that's been a little bit of their complaints. So what some of the manufacturers have done is that they have taken very tiny face detection auto focus sensors, and they have embedded them into the sensors. So on the cool side, your camera now has face detection sensors combined with the mirrorless capabilities. To down side is that when you embed this into the sensor, where exactly do you put that? Because you gotta take out some pixels to put in the face detectors. And so they can't put them in everywhere, but they're trying to put 'em in and sneak 'em in in between the little pixels, and I have no idea how they do this 'cause pixels are really small. But they're doing this and they've added in 50 or 100 or, I'm trying to remember what the highest end camera has now, has upwards of 200 face detection sensors built into the sensor. And the more you have in there, the more extra knowledge it has about how to focus, and so the mirrorless cameras are changing very quick. And so the technology is getting better and better and better, and so I expect amazing things from them in the short term future because they are changing so quickly. There's a number of other systems out there. There's a couple of Canon cameras that use a unique system called a Dual Pixel CMOS AF, and what it does is it takes the pixels that it normally has on the camera, and what it does is it breaks them into two and you know, they could have just said that their camera has twice as many pixels, but they didn't. Okay, they're just single pixels, but they are able to work like face detection points, and these two cameras are the best SLRs at focusing with information straight off the sensor. So when they are in the live view or in the movie modes. I would say that I think they're still getting out-performed by some of the best mirrorless cameras, but they're by far the best of the SLRs out on the market for anyone who are shooting movies, or who do a lot of focusing in the live view option of their camera. One of the other nice things about this area is that it is available over 80% of the framing area, and so unlike the focusing points of an SLR which you cannot move, you can select different ones but a lot of times you can't get very far up into the corners. And so this is also one of the advantages of the mirrorless cameras, that you're able to focus more to the outside edges. And so it's a very versatile system, and I would expect to see that we'll see more of it from Canon and maybe some other manufacturers will pick that idea up as well. So that's kind of some of the core technologies that are going on within focusing.

Class Materials

Free Download

Fundamentals of Photography Outline

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Learning Project Videos
Learning Projects PDF
Slides for The Camera Lessons 1-13
Slides for The Sensor Lessons 14-18
Slides for The Lens Lessons 19-31
Slides for The Exposure Lessons 32-42
Slides for Focus Lessons 43-62
Slides for The Gadget Bag Lessons 63-72
Slides for Light Lesson 73-84
Slides for the Art of Edit Lessons 85-93
Slides for Composition Lesson 94-105
Slides for Photographic Vision Lessons 106-113

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

Love love all John Greengo classes! Wish to have had him decades ago with this info, but no internet then!! John is the greatest photography teacher I have seen out there, and I watch a lot of Creative Live classes and folks on YouTube too. John is so detailed and there are a ton of ah ha moments for me and I know lots of others. I think I own 4 John Greengo classes so far and want to add this one and Travel Photography!! I just drop everything to watch John on Creative Live. I wish sometime soon he would teach a Lightroom class and his knowledge on photography post editing.!!! That would probably take a LOT OF TIME but I know John would explain it soooooo good, like he does all his Photography classes!! Thank you Creative Live for having such a wonderful instructor with John Greengo!! Make more classes John, for just love them and soak it up! There is soooo much to learn and sometimes just so overwhelming. Is there anyway you might do a Motivation class!!?? Like do this button for this day, and try this technique for a week, or post this subject for this week, etc. Motivation and inspiration, and playing around with what you teach, needed so much and would be so fun.!! Just saying??? Awaiting gadgets class now, while waiting for lunch break to be over. All the filters and gadgets, oh my. Thank you thank you for all you teach John, You are truly a wonderful wonderful instructor and I would highly recommend folks listening and buying your classes.

Eve
 

I don't think that adjectives like beautiful, fantastic or excellent can describe the course and classes with John Greengo well enough. I've just bought my first camera and I am a total amateur but I fell in love with photography while watching the classes with John. It is fun, clear, understandable, entertaining, informative and and and. He is not only a fabulous photographer but a great teacher as well. Easy to follow, clear explanations and fantastic visuals. The only disadvantage I can list here that he is sooooo good that keeps me from going out to shoot as I am just glued to the screen. :-) Don't miss it and well worth the money invested! Thank you John!

Vlad Chiriacescu
 

Wow! John is THE best teacher I have ever had the pleasure of learning from, and this is the most comprehensive, eloquent and fun course I have ever taken (online or off). If you're even / / interested in photography, take this course as soon as possible! You might find out that taking great photos requires much more work than you're willing to invest, or you might get so excited learning from John that you'll start taking your camera with you EVERYWHERE. At the very least, you'll learn the fundamental inner workings and techniques that WILL help you get a better photo. Worried about the cost? Well, I've taken courses that are twice as expensive that offer less than maybe a tenth of the value. You'll be much better off investing in this course than a new camera or a new lens. I cannot reccomend John and this course enough!

Student Work

RELATED ARTICLES

RELATED ARTICLES