Nikon D7000 manual Trap Auto Focus

152 David Busch’s Nikon D7000 Guide to Digital SLR Photography

TRAP (AUTO) FOCUS

This technique comes in handy when you know where the action is going to take place (such as at the finish line of a horse race), but you don’t know exactly when. The solution is to prefocus on the point where the action will occur, and then tell your D7000 not to actually take the photo until something moves into the prefocus spot. That’s not as diffi- cult as you might think. The key is to decouple the focusing operation from the shutter release function. Just follow these steps:

1.Set CSM #f5 to AF-ON. At that setting, pressing the shutter release halfway down does not activate autofocus. That happens only when you press the AF-ON button.

2.Set CSM #a2 to Focus Priority. The shutter will trip only when your subject is in focus.

3.Set your point selection mode to Single Area.

4.Make sure your lens is set to autofocus (either A or M/A).

5.Prefocus on the spot where the action will occur, or an equivalent distance. You can use the AE-L/AF-L button to activate focus.

6.Reframe your picture, if necessary, so that nothing is at the prefocused distance. (If an object occupies that spot, the D7000 will take the photo immediately when you press the shutter release.)

7.Press and hold down the shutter release. The camera will not refocus, because you’ve disconnected the autofocus function from the shutter release.

8.The picture will be taken when a subject moves into the prefocused area.