EOS 2000D - Auto Focus Seems Off

[dly]

Hello fellow Canon users,

I have a 2000D and a 50mm f/1.8 lens and I'm trying to shoot fast action photos. Currently my main subjects are my dogs. Standing still they're of good quality. When I try to shoot while playing, fetching, etc. the Auto Focus always seems off and not in the face/eyes, although I try to center them. The "default" 18-55mm lens produces even less quality photos when fast paced. 

Depending on the light and surroundings I shoot in manual mode at f/1.8 and 1/250s or higher. Yesterday I had to go with 1/3200s because of bright sunlight.

My wife has a 750D and I get better results with that one, but still not sharp where I want it to be. Am I just too slow pressing the trigger? 

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Action photography can be tricky, even if its pets.  You should be shooting approx 1/250~1/500th of a sec. Try increasing your aperture too which will help a little with DOF.  Maybe try a different shooting mode as well.  You might try Servo AF and practice a bit while you work on improving your shooting style.

[dly]

Thanks for the input, I'll try some changes to the aperture, but it was my goal to use 1.8 (+ 1 stop) to keep DOF at a minimum for these shots. If that's not possible, oh well. I'll try increasing by another stop or two.

Servo AF was no real help, tried all three options to see how they vary. The focus point is usually on the back of the dog. And closer to me the results are getting worse, like the camera couldn't keep up.

Is the camera able to do these shots at all with enough practise? I can get better results with a 750D with the same lens and settings. It's just not mine.

[justadude]

I think your aperture its a little too narrow, especially if you were shooting recently at 1/3200 and still having problems with perfect focus.  The shutter speed is plenty fast enough at 1/3200 - but not at 1/250 for dogs running.  Dogs are faster than marathon runners, and I set my shutter speed to a minimum of 1/500 to catch the runners in focus.  

Try to adjust the aperture to between F/4 - F/8 with a shutter speed of around 1/1000 and take some test shots.