Nikon D7000 manual Choosing Autofocus Point Selection Mode

Chapter 5 ■ Mastering Autofocus Options 145

Figure 5.10 The D7000 can use a dense set of 39 focus points (left), or a wider array of 11 points (right).

selector among the three-dozen (plus) focus points. That’s why CSM #a6 lets you switch the D7000 to a more widely spaced set of 11 focus zones that you can select quickly. (Learn how to do that in Chapter 9.) Figure 5.10 shows the distribution of the active focus points when in 39-point mode (left) or 11-point mode (right).

As the camera collects contrast information from the sensors, it then evaluates the data to determine whether the desired sharp focus has been achieved. The calculations may include whether the subject is moving, and whether the camera needs to “predict” where the subject will be when the shutter release button is fully depressed and the picture is taken. (Predictive focus tracking kicks in when the camera is set to AF-C continuous autofocus, or when you’re using AF-A and the D7000 shifts from AF-S to AF-C. I’ll explain these modes in more detail in the next section.)

The speed with which the camera is able to evaluate focus and then move the lens ele- ments into the proper position to achieve the sharpest focus determines how fast the autofocus mechanism is. Although your D7000 will almost always focus more quickly than a human, there are types of shooting situations where that’s not fast enough. For example, if you’re having problems shooting sports because the D7000’s autofocus sys- tem manically follows each moving subject, a better choice might be to switch autofo- cus modes or shift into manual and prefocus on a spot where you anticipate the action will be, such as a goal line or soccer net. At night football games, for example, when I am shooting with a telephoto lens almost wide open, I often focus manually on one of the referees who happens to be standing where I expect the action to be taking place (say, a halfback run or a pass reception). I also use trap focus, which is a technique dis- cussed in a sidebar later in this chapter.

Choosing Autofocus Point Selection Mode

The D7000 has only three different focus point selection modes. I’m going to describe each of the three modes, and explain how to use them. You can set any of the three point selection modes: hold down the center button of the focus mode selector switch on the front of the camera (under the lens release button) to the AF position. Then, hold down