by Russell Burden Here's How To Use Autofocus Properly
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Autofocus is a wonderful addition to the world of photography. No more manual turning of a lens barrel means faster focusing and fewer missed shots. With the focusing accuracy in today's cameras, sharper pictures are the norm. The low light focusing ability makes it easy to obtain tack sharp images in practically no light. Additionally, as your focusing ability decreases with age, autofocus translates to more keepers.
Autofocus is a tool. Like any tool, if it's used properly, it makes the job easier to accomplish. Knowing how to use the tool is imperative to the success of the job. Autofocus was used to obtain the two accompanying images, but only one of the photographs has the two boys in sharp focus. In the picture where the tree is sharp and the boys are soft, the autofocus worked the way it's supposed to, but didn't net a good photograph. The reason the tree is sharp and the boys are soft is the centrally located autofocus sensor in the viewfinder locked onto the tree. Examining this image, you'll see the center is pointed at the background limb. With this in mind, the camera did its job, but it didn't produce the desired outcome.
To obtain the "correct" image, I pointed the autofocus sensor over the boy on the right and pressed the shutter half way down. This locked the focus where I wanted it. Without releasing my finger from the shutter, I recomposed the shot and snapped the image. More sophisticated cameras now have multiple focusing spots that can be selected to obtain sharp focus of off center subjects, but if your camera has a single autofocus sensor in the center of the viewfinder, remember to lock the focus over the point you want sharp.
