Canon EOS 70D For Dummies
Book image
Explore Book Buy On Amazon

For autofocusing on your Canon EOS 70D, the AF (autofocus) mode determines the autofocusing method, as it does for viewfinder shooting. But the options for Live View and Movie autofocusing work differently from the normal ones; you get all four of the following options. (For Movie mode, you lose the Quick mode option.)

Here's a quick introduction to each AF mode:

  • Face+Tracking: This setting is the default. If the camera detects a face, it automatically focuses on that face. When no faces are detected, the camera instead uses the FlexiZone-Multi autofocusing option.

  • FlexiZone-Multi: The camera automatically selects the focusing point, usually locking onto the closest object. In the advanced exposure modes, you can limit the camera's choice of focusing areas by selecting one of several focus zones spread throughout the frame.

  • FlexiZone-Single: You specify which of the available focusing points the camera should use to establish focus.

  • Quick mode: In this mode, the camera uses the same autofocusing system as it does for viewfinder photography. As its name implies, Quick mode offers the fastest autofocusing of the Live View AF options. The downside is that it blanks out the Live View display temporarily as it sets focus, which can be a little disconcerting if you're not expecting it to happen. And, it's not available for movie recording and isn't compatible with continuous autofocusing.

Even with Quick mode, autofocusing is slower than when you use the viewfinder to compose your pictures. The difference has to do with how the camera performs the focusing operation, a technical detail not worth exploring here. Just know that for fastest autofocusing for still photography, shift out of Live View mode and go with the viewfinder.

When you do you choose Live View mode or set the camera to Movie mode, an icon representing the current AF mode appears in the upper left of the display, as shown on the left in the upcoming figure.

Don't see the AF icon? Press Info to cycle through the various display modes until one appears. What other data shows up depends on the display mode and your exposure mode; the screens in the figure below show the monitor as it appears in the P (programmed autoexposure) mode with all data but the histogram displayed.

To change the AF mode setting, use these methods:

  • Quick Control screen: Press the Quick Control button or tap the Q icon (upper right of the screen). Then select the icon that represents the focusing method, as shown on the right in the figure below. To select the mode you want to use, tap it or use the Main dial, Quick Control dial, or Multi-controller to highlight it. To exit the Quick Control screen, tap the Return arrow or press the Q button.

    Note that the figure on the right shows the screen as it appears during Live View photography; you don't see the fourth option (AF Quick) in Movie mode.

    image0.jpg
  • AF button: Press the AF button on top of the camera to access a screen offering the available settings.

  • Menus: For still photography, choose AF Method from Live View Menu 1, as shown on the left in the following figure. For Movie recording, the option appears on Movie Menu 1, as shown on the right.

    image1.jpg

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Julie Adair King has been covering digital cameras and photography for over a decade. Along with the perennially popular Digital Photography For Dummies, she has written For Dummies guides on a wide variety of Canon and Nikon dSLR cameras. She also teaches at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre.

This article can be found in the category: