80D focus

[chief]

Just got 80D and have question about focus points. When using one shot using any of the four AF modes when I press shutter button half way, like on my 6D, camera focus on image and I get green light in view finder and a little beep. No problem. When in AI Servo when using Zone Af, Large zone af, 45 point and press shutter button half way and achieve focus the points enlarge and become solid and change following subject, bird in flight, with no beep. But in single point focus, focus point does not seem to do anything. Am I missing something, I have not been able to thouroughly test all modes on flying birds because of lousy weather. Just trying to dial all this in so when good weather returns I will have a more thorough idea on how focus works. Any insight would be appreciated. Am using a 150-600mm Tamron for my birds in flight shots.

[Waddizzle]

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@chief wrote:

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Remember, AI Servo mode does not give you feedback on focus confirmation.  

When you have the camera set to automatically select an AF point, you will see “active AF” points, but they are not showing you focus confirmation.  You are seeing which points are capable of achieving a focus lock.  This is similar to using Green [A] mode, and seeing multiple AF points light up.  The camera is showing which points are capable of achieving a focus lock, but not which one is actually locked in focus for the shot.

When you use only the single AF point in AI Servo mode, the camera can be set to continuously display the selected AF point.  It sounds like your camera is set to only light up AF points when active.  Again, AI Servo does not necessarily require that the camera will achieve a focus lock before activating the shutter, so you get no such feedback.

In single AF point mode, you should know which AF point you have selected.  Again, you can set the camera to display the selected AF point at all times.

[chief]

Still kinda confused how do I know if camera achieves focus in single af point in Al Servo . I put focus point on flying bird and press shutter half way down, do I assume camera has focus locked and fire away in burst mode keeping af point on bird

[Waddizzle]

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@chief wrote:
Still kinda confused how do I know if camera achieves focus in single af point in Al Servo . I put focus point on flying bird and press shutter half way down, do I assume camera has focus locked and fire away in burst mode keeping af point on bird

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Don’t use a single AF point when shooting in AI Servo mode.  Enable all of the AF points, and use AF assist points mode.  When you see the AF points dancing around, as if Tracking a subject, that is what you want to see.

With one AF point [AI Servo mode], there is no feedback in the viewfinder to tell you when and if the camera locked focus.  However, you can see which, if any, focus point locked focus after th fact.  During playback in the camera, assuming that you have enabled the AF point display during playback, you can see which AF points were capable of locking focus.  A program like Adobe Lightroom can show you which active AF point actually locked focus.

In continuous shooting with AI Servo mode, you can set the focusing priority when you press the shutter to be “focus priority”, “shutter priority”, or somewhere in between.  I set my cameras for focus priority for all focusing and shooting modes.  This causes the camera to always achieve a focus lock before activating the shutter.  Setting shutter priority allows the camera to fire the shutter no matter what, focus lock or not.  I use focus priority because I see no point in letting the shutter fire if the camera has not locked focus.

[chief]

Ah....... got it I like the idea of focus priority makes total sense I do not have camera with me working at local farmers market,could you tell me where to find setting for focus lock and af point display, I use Lightroom but did not know you could have it tell you which points actually locked could you point me where in Lightroom to find, so much to learn, I have read a lot of your replies to other questions and find you are pretty much spot on thanks for all your insight and help

[Waddizzle]

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@chief wrote:
Ah....... got it I like the idea of focus priority makes total sense I do not have camera with me working at local farmers market,could you tell me where to find setting for focus lock and af point display,

I use Lightroom but did not know you could have it tell you which points actually locked could you point me where in Lightroom to find, so much to learn, 

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You can set the image priority like this.

You need to use an older add-in to Lightroom to display AF points.  Not sure if it still works on CC versions.  It does with LR6.

[chief]

Thank you kind ndly

[Waddizzle]

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@chief wrote:
Thank you kind ndly

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And, use a high shutter speed for action shots.  I like to use at least 1/800 for sports, and 1/1600 for wildlife.  Do not be afraid of raising the ISO.  I typically shoot in Manual mode,, with Auto ISO.  I set a maximum ISO value for the camera to use in AUTO mode, too.

[chief]

Thanks I have on my 6d got some shots of birds in flight with 1/1600 and higher with iso 600-800. I have a buddy who uses single point in Al Servo for bif on 80d and swears by it, next time I see him gotta ask why not sure why you would use it if no focus confirmation. It seems to me the mode with the 9 af points would seem to work best for bif. I was having hard time on 6d with just the one af point keeping bif in focus not to mention the 4.5 FPS

[Waddizzle]

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@chief wrote:
Thanks I have on my 6d got some shots of birds in flight with 1/1600 and higher with iso 600-800. I have a buddy who uses single point in Al Servo for bif on 80d and swears by it, next time I see him gotta ask why not sure why you would use it if no focus confirmation. It seems to me the mode with the 9 af points would seem to work best for bif. I was having hard time on 6d with just the one af point keeping bif in focus not to mention the 4.5 FPS

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It takes practice to track BIF.  That was taken with a 6D on an overcast day.  1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 320, 400mm

I use all of the AF points, and always set image priority to focus priority.  This was handheld.  I use a monopod.