Focustracking Nikon D7500

3 years 9 months ago #692731 by Fredrik-Findahl-1
Hi!
I am really struggling with my D7500 focustracking.
I have talked to you before regarding this but I'm still struggling.
The reallife photography when I often run across these problems are in actionphoto and flying birds.
It's not strictly with one lens either.
I'm trying to use AF-C and 9-51 points dynamic area. The thing I find is that all these AF-areas acts really just as "single point".
I experimented and in this example I have photographed my son running towards me. When he runs straight towards the focus is following quite good. When he moves sideways it loses focus and  when he gets back infront of the centre the focus gets back.
When looking at the shots in the camera I can see the focusdot and is always shows the centre (where I put the dot so to speak). When looking at the images in Capture NX-D it's the same with the dot. It's only when using focus areas "3D" and "Auto" when the place of the focus dot changes both on camera in Capture NX-D.
I also use the settings "focus priority".



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3 years 9 months ago #693016 by garyrhook
I'm not sure I understand.

Your photos, above, seem to show that the focus point stays in the middle of the frame. The camera doesn't know what you want to focus on unless you tell it.

If you want to use focus tracking, use single-point focus, and  move the camera to keep that point on the subject. AFAIK there's no other way to do it.

For things moving towards you, stay on the face / eyes. For sideways, follow the center of gravity so you can anticipate movement.

If you expect the camera to track, e.g., an eye, no matter where it is in the frame, you're using the wrong equipment. You'll need a mirrorless system with current software for that.

If I'm completely missing the intent here, I'm hoping you can clarify your expectations.


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The following user(s) said Thank You: Fredrik-Findahl-1
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3 years 9 months ago #693017 by Nikon Shooter
I'm not sure eyes / face detection is a feature on the D7500.

Light is free… capturing it is not!
Photo Comments
The following user(s) said Thank You: Fredrik-Findahl-1
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3 years 9 months ago - 3 years 9 months ago #693127 by Shadowfixer1
Do you have the focus lock switch that's around the 4 way controller controller set to L? Did you select 3D tracking? Need these answers to further diagnose the issue.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Fredrik-Findahl-1
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3 years 9 months ago #693137 by Fredrik-Findahl-1
Thanks everybody!

I used AF-C (continuous) so the focus should adjust as the object moves as I understand.
I also use one of the dynamic area focus modes. In this case I used 51 point dynamic area.

In the Nikon manual it says:
"Dynamic-area AF: Select the focus point. In AF-A and AF-C focus modes, the camera will focus based on information from surrounding focus points if the object briefly leaves the selected point."

I take that as if I lock focus with my selected focuspoint (in this case the middlepoint) and then the object moves sideways away from the middlepoint these 51 dynamic points should sense that and follow.

I'm aware of the 3D mode and I have tried that and it works as it should.
I'm not sure if face-detection can interfere. In this case it was on but with wild animals and birds maybe it should be off.

The focus lock switch is not set to "L". (And I must say I totally missed that switch)


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3 years 9 months ago #693326 by Shadowfixer1
I have read from some that they were frustrated with tracking until they switched to the 3D tracking and then they were amazed at how well it did. I can't say, because I don't have Nikons any longer.
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