Cameras have two focus modes: single, which locks focus when you press the shutter button, and continuous, which keeps adjusting while you hold it down. For moving subjects like wildlife, continuous focus is almost always better. The presenter uses the Running of the Bulls to show how single focus can miss a moving animal while continuous tracking keeps up.
You're trying to learn photography, but terminology is difficult, especially when it comes to things like focus. If you watched my last video on focus area, then you'll have learned about half of what you need to know in order to make sure that you're autofocusing on your subject with a little more ease. In this video, we're going to talk about focus modes. Different manufacturers have different names for focus modes, But ultimately, your camera either stops focusing completely when you press down the shutter button or continues to focus at the rate that it was focusing before you fully pressed it down. What do I mean by that? Imagine that you're in Spain at the Running of the Bulls. Now, I'm not suggesting that you run with them, but let's say you're standing at a corner where the bulls are going to run towards you. And then switch direction. This gives you a great vantage point. And if you're on single focus, as you're holding that shutter release button down and focusing, maybe you're focusing on a bull, maybe on one of the maniacs that's running with them. They're staying in focus, staying in focus, staying in focus. But as soon as you press the button all the way down, the focus is going to stop moving. And when it does, They're now going to be out of focus. You're going to get their ear in focus or the back of their head or the neck of that bull, not its eyes. In situations like this, continual focus makes the most sense, or as Canon likes to call it, servo. With continuous or servo focus, your camera is going to continue to focus as you're pressing that button all the way down. What it does is it continues to move at the same pace that it was previously. If your subject suddenly stops or changes speed dramatically, then they still might be out of focus, but they're probably going to be closer than if it were single focus. Knowing that, you might wonder why you would ever use single focus, and I'll be honest with you, I rarely do myself, but that's because I'm normally photographing subjects that move, such as wildlife. Thank you so much for watching, and if you missed my video on focus area, then go back and watch the video right before this. And I'd love it if you'd subscribe and hit like on this video so that YouTube will show it to more people. Thanks so much. I'll see you next time. Bye-bye.
