AI Servo - Number of Focus Points

[Waddizzle]

I am basically a still photographer.  Apparently, my renewed interest in photography has created a reputation of me being some sort of photography guru.  HA-HA    So, folks with smartphone cameras have begun asking me to come and take pictures for them of this, that, or some other event.  No weddings, just Little League games, and the like.

Shooting stills means using One-Shot focusing mode, which may not  be best for moving subjects.  So, I've been exploring and experimenting with AI Servo mode.  Which, brings me to a question that I cannot answer. 

Does it matter if I am using just the center focus point, or should I need to turn of manual point selection altogether? 

So far, my experiments have been inconclusive.  My shots are in focus, but I am attributing that to pre-focusing.  I get much better results by pre-focusing, than when I don't.  Keeper rate is pretty much the same with manaul AF point selection, no matter if I use One-Shot or AI Servo modes. 

I pre-focus on a player, or where I expect a player will be: i.e.; focusing on the base ahead of the base runner.  I can get good shots, like the above play at third base.  [the shot has been cropped to remove faces and team information]

But, forget about refocusing on an outfielder chasing down a ball.  The kid is running, so One Shot doesn't work out very well, but neither has AI Servo with only the center point, manually selected.  Turing on all of the AF points, 9 in a 6D, results in the camera frequently focusing where it wants, not where I want it to.

I guess I am saying that it seems that I have not been able to have the camera actuallly track a moving subject.  So, do I need to turn on all AF points, in order to make it track in AI Servo, or not?  For me, I am having bad luck relying on automatic AF point selection to pick out the running kid in the outfield, instead of a background tree, or something.

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

This is an excerpt from a 1D Mark IV guide by canon, but the concept is the same for all cameras. AI Servo is doing math, and you need to give it a little time to compute.

[Waddizzle]

Thanks, John, for that info.  Allowing time for the AI SServo to focus on a subject, is why I have started BBF, instead of trying to hold the button halfway while moving the camera.  That just doesn't flow for me, yet.

The issue I have been pondering and experimenting with is how many AF points I should have active during AI Servo.  I seem to get better results with just the center point, out of 9.  I can select my subject better with just one point.  But, it is harder to track a moving subject with just the one point, and I seem to lose tracking altogether.....assuming that I ever got it tracking.

I am pretty sure that I only seem to get better "tracking" with the center point, because i can initially pick out the subject better with just one active AF point.  But, it is more difficult to move the camera well enough for it to sufficiently track a subject with one active AF point, which is also dependent upon how much the subject fills the viewfinder.  There are definite too big and too small limits.

[SIGH]  You cannot win for losing.  I hope a 6D mark II has AF assist points, and a more sensible DOF button.

[ebiggs1 · Accepted solution]

"I hope a 6D mark II ..."

"BTW, I am 6'8" and 220 lbs."

If anybody I have ever met should get a 1 series it is you.  Your size is a match.  I can't imagine you are comfortable with a Rebel.  Or even a xD series for that matter.  My size and the total lack of being impressed by a 6D was just another plus sign for a 1 series.  If you can't drop the coin on a 1Dx look for a clean 1D Mk IV.  Once you go 1 series, you will never go back. That's a fact, Jack!  IMHO, of course, as always.

[ebiggs1]

"I don't see a correlation between using multiple cameras, and "knowing the sport".  Seems to me that is more about knowing your gear, more than anything."

OK you must do as you must do.

But it is 100% knowing the sport.  All the rest falls in place when you know what is going on. All the time!  I am sure this is just your lack of experience but I am glad you are trying and hopefully learning,  You will find after a few dozen games how much better or different you shoot and approach it.  You don't learn this stuff on the inter web.  You learn by doing.

"You cannot be in two places at once."

Maybe not physically but, yes, you can be in two places at one time?  One eye is looking through the view finder and the other is watching what else is going on.  I even use the LCD as a mirror to look behind me while I am shooting.

"You cannot switch quickly enough between different shooting scenarios ..."

You better learn this.  One way is to use two or three cameras.  I know you have not been in the pit because they are not, well lets say gentle with the gear.

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

I use center point with the surrounding points. 

[Waddizzle]

"You better learn this.  One way is to use two or three cameras.  I know you have not been in the pit because they are not, well lets say gentle with the gear." 

Me?  In the pit?  HA-HA.     No, I've used to be the guy who the ones in the pit have been photographing.  When I told you, "I know Bo.":  I meant that literally, at least in the past tense.  You're very good at manufacturing false premises.

[Waddizzle]

Thanks, John, for the brainstorms.  I have never paid attention to the tracking adjustments before.

[ebiggs1]

"You're very good at manufacturing false premises."

And you are very good at hiding your persona.  Who or what you are?  Who cares? The inter web allows a lot of anonymity. So anyone can be any thing they can dream up.  I put it all right out there for all to see.  Got nothing to hide.

BTW, I knew Bo when he was at Auburn. You may know he played for the Royals.  

[RobertTheFat]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"You're very good at manufacturing false premises."

And you are very good at hiding your persona.  Who or what you are?  Who cares? The inter web allows a lot of anonymity. So anyone can be any thing they can dream up.  I put it all right out there for all to see.  Got nothing to hide.

BTW, I knew Bo when he was at Auburn. You may know he played for the Royals.  

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Who is Bo, and how did he make his way into this conversation? I thought I'd been paying attention, but maybe not.

[ebiggs1]

Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson.   He played running back for Auburn while my father was at Alabama teaching. Alabama vs Auburn is a state stopping event in Alabama. Nothing is more important than that game.

He later came to the KC Royals as an outfielder.  He was a once in a life time athlete. He played football for the Raiders, too. He got hurt which ended a Hall of Fame career for sure.

Way, way back before the NFL and American League got to be big business a guy could bring camera gear to the game. No big deal.  Of course now even the photographers pit is a big business deal.  You pay to be there, if you even can. I used to shoot lots of photos at games.  Players even had summer or winter jobs. Regular Joes!  Regular jobs!  Frank White, Hall of Fame 2nd base, for instance worked at Hallmark while I was there.  Cool guy.