700D/T5i focus point problem

[mike21]

I have a 700D (US Rebel T5i), which I use mainly for photographing birds, set to single shot AF, so only want one focussing rectangle, and that in the middle. My problem is that from time to time the rectangle will move to different places around the screen for no apparent reason. This is just an inconvenience when using the LCD screen, as it is obvious and a press of the OK button will bring it back to the centre, but it is a problem when using the viewfinder. Is there any way of locking the rectangle in the centre.

[Waddizzle]

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@mike21 wrote:

I have a 700D (US Rebel T5i), which I use mainly for photographing birds, set to single shot AF, so only want one focussing rectangle, and that in the middle. My problem is that from time to time the rectangle will move to different places around the screen for no apparent reason. This is just an inconvenience when using the LCD screen, as it is obvious and a press of the OK button will bring it back to the centre, but it is a problem when using the viewfinder. Is there any way of locking the rectangle in the centre.

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What shooting mode are you using?  There is a "Sports" mode, but most sports photographers do not use it.  They prefer to use one of the creative modes.  Creative modes allow you to manually select an initial AF point. 

Try switching the camera to "P" mode.  Manually select the center AF point.  The camera should always use that point for focusing.  Use "One Shot" focusing until you become comfortable using the center AF point, then switch to AI Servo for tracking moving subjects.

[mike21]

 Av mode. I use a 55-250 mm lens stopped down to F8 to get quality and use the ISO setting to refine shutter speed sufficient to avoid camera shake hand-held. Other maybe relevant settings are AF Method - Flexizone single, AF Operation - one shot, Continuous AF - enable, Touch Shutter - disable.

[Waddizzle]

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@mike21 wrote:

 Av mode. I use a 55-250 mm lens stopped down to F8 to get quality and use the ISO setting to refine shutter speed sufficient to avoid camera shake hand-held. Other maybe relevant settings are AF Method - Flexizone single, AF Operation - one shot, Continuous AF - enable, Touch Shutter - disable.

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What are you trying to photograph?  You're allowing the camera to chose the AF point, which will usually be the AF point covering the closest subject to the camera.

That is how you tell the camera which AF points to use.  Choose just the Center AF Point.  Ignore the rest of them.

[ScottyP]

You are evidently hitting the AF control point button on the back of the camera by accident.  It looks like a little checkerboard.  When you hit that button, the control wheel changes the AF points around from all points active, to center point active, and then toggling through all the other AF points until eventually back to the center one.  

[mike21]

Scotty’s note has done the trick, somehow I must have pressed the top right button by mistake and then moved the selection point, although it is difficult to know how I did both. I now have the selection point in the centre and know how to get it back there if it happens again. Many thanks for the help of both of you.