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Nikon Rumors Forum » Nikon DSLR

D7000 - Multiple Focus points?

(18 posts) (13 voices)
  • Started 2 years ago by swame_sp
  • Latest reply from Bland
  • Related Topics:
    1. D7000 Live view auto focus FAILS with Nikkor 80-400mm VR
    2. The D7000 (Video Frame Rate) capable of more?
    3. lighning shots
    4. d7000 "err" error
    5. Applying the D7000 firmware update

Tags:

  • autofocus
  • custom setting menu
  • D7000
  • firmware
  • on camera
  • preferences
  • settings
  1. swame_sp

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    Joined: Apr '10
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    Hello All,

    I have two questions here about D7k, I remember making some settings change and after that in A and S mode I could only ONE AF point, with all different modes of AF-A or AF-C. Also the number of points is more than one (Dynamic array). How to get the multiple point focus back?

    - Also what would be the best mode to get everything in a frame to be in focus in a low light (D7k + 35mm f1.8)?

    Posted 2 years ago #
  2. macsavageg4

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    The Autofocus setting should be under Menu - Pencil (custom setting menu) - a Autofocus - a6 Number of focus points. I think this is what you are talking about for adjusting it back to where it needs to be.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  3. jerl

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    I'm not sure about what you mean for your second. Presumably in low-light situations, you are shooting wide open at 1.8, so you can't have everything in focus no matter what your mode is. The only exception is if you are shooting a scene where everything is at infinity (or at least 30 feet away or so).

    Posted 2 years ago #
  4. TaoTeJared

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    Your Depth of Field is probably your issue and not the AF points. At f1.8 and 5 feet (1.5m) away from your subject you only have 5 inches of focus (aprox 12cm). At F5.6 = 1 ft 5 inch (42cm), F8 = 2 feet (60cm).

    Posted 2 years ago #
  5. casperwb

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    swame_sp said:
    Hello All,

    I have two questions here about D7k, I remember making some settings change and after that in A and S mode I could only ONE AF point, with all different modes of AF-A or AF-C. Also the number of points is more than one (Dynamic array). How to get the multiple point focus back?

    - Also what would be the best mode to get everything in a frame to be in focus in a low light (D7k + 35mm f1.8)?

    At the front of the camera, just underneath the lens release button is the autofocus switch, small lever that turns auto focus on and off.

    In the middle of the switch is a button, while depressing the button [hold it down] rotate the sub command dial, the wheel to the front of the camera, observer the lcd on the top of the camera, and you will see the area mode change.

    rotating the main [rear] dial will change AFA/AFC etc.

    +1 for TaoTeJared's advice on DOF

    Posted 2 years ago #
  6. swame_sp

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    Joined: Apr '10
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    macsavageg4 said:
    I think this is what you are talking about for adjusting it back to where it needs to be.

    It's already as 39 points.

    Changing the mode to Auto gets me various points while focusing.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  7. swame_sp

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    jerl said:
    I'm not sure about what you mean for your second. Presumably in low-light situations, you are shooting wide open at 1.8, so you can't have everything in focus no matter what your mode is. The only exception is if you are shooting a scene where everything is at infinity (or at least 30 feet away or so).

    So is that like if I'm shooting a far away scene that's about 50 feet away, I could get everything sharp with f1.8?

    Posted 2 years ago #
  8. swame_sp

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    TaoTeJared said:
    Your Depth of Field is probably your issue and not the AF points. At f1.8 and 5 feet (1.5m) away from your subject you only have 5 inches of focus (aprox 12cm). At F5.6 = 1 ft 5 inch (42cm), F8 = 2 feet (60cm).

    When I put the camera in Auto mode, while focusing it brings up various points and then choose on a random point on it takes a picture. When I do it A mode, only point is visible before and after focusing. Not sure what the settings could be. Thanks.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  9. swame_sp

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    casperwb said:...
    rotating the main [rear] dial will change AFA/AFC etc.

    +1 for TaoTeJared's advice on DOF

    That's a setting which I'm already aware of, the camera is already in AF-A and the number of AF point is set to 39. As mentioned above I could only see one point even before focusing an object. Number of focus points is set as AUTO and 39 points on it, that's what the top LCD shows now.

    Still could not get many points to be used for focussing. Am i missing something here?

    Posted 2 years ago #
  10. poster

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    Okay i think i know what you are talking about.

    He means, using the a pair of focus point working as one focus point if that makes sense.

    D200 had this option. Don't remember what it was called though.

    The focus brackets could have been composed of a couple of focus points.

    something like this:

    http://www.digitalreview.ca/cams/pics/NikonD200_AFpoints.jpg

    http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond90/page5.asp

    Posted 2 years ago #
  11. Ade Barkah

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    @swame_sp:

    To expand on casperwb's comment above:

    1) To change the number of focus points, press and hold the AF mode button (left side of the body), then rotate the sub-command dial (FRONT of the camera). You can verify the change by looking at the top LCD.

    2) In AF-S mode, you can only change the number of points between one and AUTO. You need to be in AF-A or AF-C mode to have the full AF area selection (single, dynamic 9, d21, d31 and 3D). To change the focus mode, press and hold the AF mode button then rotate the main-command dial (REAR of the camera).

    3) When manually moving the center focus point, the viewfinder will only show ONE of the selected focus points (i.e., the center point). Be sure to disable to 'focus selector lock' select the center focus point.

    4) You can press the INFO button to see the positions of ALL of the focus points on the rear LCD, not just the center point shown in the viewfinder.

    5) The menu item a6 ("Number of focus points") can be used to limit the number of selectable CENTER point positions, from 39 positions to 11 positions. I.e., when set to AF11, the multi-selector dial can be used to place the center point to only one of 11 positions instead of 39. This setting can be useful to quickly move the center point from one side of the frame to another. On the flip side, if you want to be able to fine-tune your CENTER point position, select AF39 instead.

    6) This a6 setting does not limit the number of focus points actually used by the AF (which is determined by bullet #1 above). E.g., you can set AF11 to quickly select one of the 11 center points, with the AF area set to 21-point dynamic focusing.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  12. casperwb

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    Swame

    The advice given by TaoTeJared is the soultion that you need to investigate.

    The relation between aperture slected and DOF is the answer to your problem, as stated by TTJ, it is not auto-focus points.

    Without going into a photo teaching session, wide open apertures [1.8] give you shallow DOF, and stopping the lens down [f5.6, or smaller] will give you deeper DOF allowing more of your subject to be in focus.

    to quote TaoTeJared: Your Depth of Field is [I removed "probably"] your issue and not the AF points. At f1.8 and 5 feet (1.5m) away from your subject you only have 5 inches of focus (aprox 12cm). At F5.6 = 1 ft 5 inch (42cm), F8 = 2 feet (60cm).

    Posted 2 years ago #
  13. Mike Gunter

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    Hi,

    I tend to use the single focus point and the AF-S 'mode', but then, I do a lot of portraiture.

    There's a lot of stuff in these cameras. I play with the settings every day. It's a hoot.

    My best,

    Mike

    Posted 2 years ago #
  14. SmoCat

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    Joined: Jun '12
    Posts: 4

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    Hi,

    have anyone heard of "stuck" focus points? My D7000 focus point in modes P,M,A and S is stuck off-centre towards the left and nothing I do seems to be able to fix it. It works fine in Auto, U1 and U2...?

    cheers,
    Et

    Posted 1 year ago #
  15. spraynpray

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    Hi Smocat,

    This sounds suspiciously like you need to RTFM as it seems like a settings issue. Have you done a two button reset?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  16. PB PM

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    SmoCat said:
    Hi,

    have anyone heard of "stuck" focus points? My D7000 focus point in modes P,M,A and S is stuck off-centre towards the left and nothing I do seems to be able to fix it. It works fine in Auto, U1 and U2...?

    cheers,
    Et

    Is the focus selector lock on by any chance?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  17. SquamishPhoto

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    PB PM said:
    Is the focus selector lock on by any chance?

    ding!ding!ding! :)

    Thats my guess too.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  18. Bland

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    Joined: Nov '09
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    SquamishPhoto said:
    ding!ding!ding! :)

    Thats my guess too.

    As I once again crawl under a rock, that's probably been my problem with the auto focus, I've always left it locked.

    Edited to add:
    Guess I misunderstood the lock focus thing. I just went out and shot with it unlocked and was unable to move my focus point.

    Posted 1 year ago #

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