If you are having problems related to autofocus and want to know how you can improve it, this article will help you correct or rule out the most common problems with the focusing system.
1) The target needs calibration.
If your lens is consistently focusing ahead or behind the desired point then it needs to be calibrated. Don't worry, it's not really that serious and it can be adjusted pretty quickly. Some cameras come with a built-in process to recalibrate the lens for each particular camera-lens combination. This is generally known as Fine adjustment of autofocus or Micro Adjustment Autofocus (AF fine-tune or AF Micro Adjust)
2) Dirt on the autofocus sensors.
When we talk about sensors, we generally mean the main sensor behind the mirror. There is another set of sensors that are located at the base of the camera. These sensors are responsible for performing the autofocus.
Dirt on these sensors can actually impair the camera's ability to focus accurately.
This problem is much more common when shooting subjects in low light or low contrast conditions.
To clean these sensors we will simply use the air gauge to remove the dust.
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3) Wrong autofocus mode.
One of the most common reasons why we can get out-of-focus photos is by using an inappropriate autofocus system.
For example, if you are photographing birds in flight and you get blurry images it is time to check the AF mode. If it's on anything other than AF-C (Nikon and Sony) or AI Servo (Canon) then you're in trouble. In the same way, if the autofocus area is not set correctly the results will not be good.
Always use an AF-C / AI SERVO for moving subjects and a focus area according to the degree of movement of the subject.
4) Heat alteration.
If we are having problems on a sunny or very hot day, we may be facing a case of heat refraction. When the hot air rises, it mixes with the cold air from above, creating a difference in density. This causes the camera's autofocus system to become erratic. This problem affects photographers using telephoto lenses more than those using wide-angle lenses.
It is difficult to find a solution to this problem, except to find a place where the ground between us and the subject is at a lower temperature.
5) Dirt on the lens contacts.
The contacts between the lens and the camera are the information channel between one and the other. If they are dirty and do not make open contact, the focus system will be affected.
The solution is simple, remove the dirt very carefully, avoiding the use of liquids both on the camera and on the lens.
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6) Poor focusing technique.
Not everything is dirt and bad configurations, if we do not have a good technique we will hardly come to fruition.
The wrong technique can be due to simple things like using a slower speed than necessary, imprecise subject tracking, lack of a tripod or use of a low quality one, and even improper breathing while shooting.
7) Use of lower precision focus points.
Although cameras have an increasing number of focus points, we have to know that not all of them are the same or have the same precision. The center point of AF is always the one that concentrates the most technical and the most recommended to use. Not only because it has excellent performance but also because the lenses are much sharper in the center and have a higher contrast than at the edges.
Conclusion:
FOCUS IS CRUCIAL IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND IT IS ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CORRECT IN POST-PROCESSING. PRECISELY, FOR THIS REASON, WE MUST PAY GREAT ATTENTION TO IT AND IMPROVE THE TECHNIQUE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE PERFECTLY SHARP PHOTOGRAPHS.
