5

Mastering the Mysteries of Autofocus

One of the most useful and powerful features of modern digital SLR cameras is their ability to lock in sharp focus faster than the blink of an eye. Sometimes. Although autofocus has been with us for more than 20 years, it continues to be problematic. While vendors like Nikon are giving us faster and more precise autofocus systems, with many more options, it’s common for the sheer number of options to confuse even the most advanced photographers.

One key problem is that the camera doesn’t have any way of determining, for certain, what subject you want to be in sharp focus. It may select an object and lock in focus with lightning speed—even though the subject is not the one that’s the center of interest ...

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