autofocus

Is Back-Button Focus Becoming an Outdated Photography Technique?

As camera technology continues to progress, the way in which we operate them is changing as well. Photographers should always use the most familiar and effective technique to get the shot, and to that end I want to be clear about the purpose of this article: I’m not trying to convince anyone to blindly stop using back-button focus.

Testing the Animal Detect Autofocus on the Panasonic G9

Panasonic recently released a major firmware update that adds Animal Detect autofocus to the Lumix G9. As a bird and wildlife photographer, the new feature had me really excited, but how well does it actually work? I took it out into the field to find out.

Real-Time Animal Eye AF is Coming to Sony’s RX10 IV via Firmware Update

If you thought Sony was limiting its best autofocus improvements to the mirrorless alpha lineup of cameras, you'll be pleasantly surprised by today's news. Sony has revealed that it will be adding real-time Animal Eye AF and other improvements to the popular RX10 IV superzoom as well, via a free firmware update coming later this year.

Canon Releases Major Autofocus Firmware Update for the EOS R and RP

If you own Canon's EOS R or EOS RP, download the latest firmware for your camera ASAP. As of last night, Firmware Ver 1.4 and 1.3 for the Canon EOS R and Canon EOS RP, respectively, have been released, boasting improved overall autofocus performance, enhanced Eye and Face Detection AF, and more.

Canon Shows Off Major Autofocus Update Coming Soon to EOS R and RP

Canon has released a sneak peek of an exciting firmware update coming soon to the EOS R system. The update is all about autofocus, and based on the teaser above it'll provide a major boost in AF tracking performance to users of Canon's full-frame mirrorless EOS R and EOS RP.

Canon Patents Eye-Controlled AF and Wireless Charging for Cameras

Canon is one of the most prolific companies in the world when it comes to filing patents, making it hard to judge what's actually coming down the pike. But we really hope its two most recent patents—one for Eye-Controlled Autofocus and another for Wireless Charging—become a reality.

Camera Makers, Please Bring Back the Custom Focus Limiter

Back in the Sony SLT days, the company included an incredibly useful feature into the a99 Mark II called the Custom Focus Limiter. It allowed you to limit your autofocus to any distance range you wanted, and by golly, we wish it were still a thing.

How to Avoid the ‘False Positive’ Autofocus Trap and Nail Sharp Eyeballs

Have you ever been disappointed to find the eyeballs of your subject to be not as sharp as you had expected even though your camera confirmed that autofocus had locked onto them? Photographer Steve Perry of Backcountry Gallery made this 9.5-minute video explaining how he avoids this "false positive autofocus trap" when focusing in tricky situations or on tricky subjects.

This is Sony’s New Real-Time Tracking in Action

In unveiling the new a6400 last week, Sony also announced its next-generation AI-based tracking features that are also coming to existing cameras in a firmware update. Sony Artisan Patrick Murphy-Racey shared this 2-minute video showing just how impressive the tracking is.

Testing the Sony a7R III’s Eye AF Using Canon Lenses

The Sony A7R III boasts some impressive and improved autofocus features. The Eye Autofocus mode is great for locking onto your target, but The Brotographer found that it didn't work perfectly in the previous a7R II with adapted lenses. In this 12-minute video, however, he reveals major improvements for adapted Canon glass on the latest Sony camera.

How DSLR Phase Detection Autofocus Works

Most photographers rely heavily on the capabilities of autofocus systems in DSLR cameras, but knowing how they actually work is something that even experienced photographers may not have learned. Here's a 4-minute video by ZY Productions that helps decode the mystery of DSLR autofocus by explaining the technical details behind it.

Nikon D850 Autofocus Tracking Not as Good as D5, Test Finds

Nikon's marketing says the $3,300 D850's autofocus components are the same as the $6,500 D5, but how do the two cameras stack up in real-world autofocusing? Photographer Matt Granger decided to put the systems to the test, doing a shootout to see how the two cameras' focus and tracking abilities compare.

This Basketball Demo Shows the Sony a9’s Blazing Fast Autofocus

Sony is touting its new a9 camera as a sports camera with blazing fast autofocus and shooting speeds. If you weren't impressed with the camera tracking a pole vaulter at 20fps, check out the demo in the video above: the camera accurately keeps its focus locked on a basketball being tossed back and forth near it.

Demo: The Sony a9’s Eye-Tracking Autofocus is Crazy Accurate

Sony claims the a9 is an autofocus tracking monster—its 693-point AF system performing 60 AF/AE calculations every second. But that's not limited to regular subject tracking; as this demo video shows, the eye-tracking AF has been significantly improved as well.

Watch the Sony a9 Track and Shoot a Pole Vaulter at 20fps

It's time for one more Sony a9 demo, because a high-speed sports camera is only as good as its AutoFocus system. Sony Artisan Gary Fong uploaded this pole vaulter demo, showing how well the a9 can keep up with a running athlete while shooting wide open.

Pros and Cons of Using Teleconverters

Everybody wants to get closer when shooting wildlife, and one of the most affordable ways of doing this is to buy a teleconverter. These little gadgets will instantly add to your lens magnification without making your wallet thousands of dollars lighter... but are they worth it? Let's find out.

11 Tips to Master Autofocus and Increase Your Hit Rate

I’m a firm believer that photography is a game of inches. So today I’ll share with you what I’ve learned about mastering autofocus shooting in a variety of difficult situations.

How to Hack a 120-Year-Old Lens to Give it Autofocus

The first autofocusing camera was invented 40 years ago, so how did weird lens lover Mathieu Stern manage to 'hack' AF capability into a 120-year-old lens from a folding camera? Well, it turns out there's an adaptor that will let you do just that.

Real Life Photos, AF Test, and Pricing Info for New Samyang 50mm Lens

Samyang made a big splash yesterday when they debuted their very first autofocus lenses: a 50mm f/1.4 and a 14mm f/2.8, both for Sony FE mount. Today we get our first look at real world images of the 50mm, an autofocus test, and some tentative pricing info from the Photo & Imaging 2016 show!

Bye Bye Backfocus: See How Nikon’s Auto AF Fine Tune Works

SLR shooters have been dealing with autofocus misalignment issues for as long as autofocus itself has existed, but thanks to Nikon's new AF Fine Tune feature, what used to be a very annoying and difficult problem can now be fixed with a few button clicks.

8 Common Autofocus Problems and Their Solutions

Having trouble nailing tack-sharp autofocus with your camera? Aside from technical proficiency, there are a number of other issues that could be causing you AF grief. Here's a 14-minute video on 8 common AF problems and their solutions.

Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Phone is the First with Dual Pixel Auto Focus

One of the highly touted features in Canon's new 80D DSLR is the Dual Pixel autofocus system, which uses ever pixel on the CMOS sensor for phase-detect AF.

Guess which other camera has Dual Pixel AF? The one on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones. It's the first time the technology has appeared in a smartphone.