Choose the Right Focus Area on your Sony Alpha Camera

So in this video we're going to take a look at the different focus areas that you can use and the kinds of situations that you would want to use them in.

Transcript:
So in this video, we're going to take a look at the different focus areas that you can use and the kinds of situations where you would want to use them. First things first, you should know how to activate them. You want to navigate to the menu button, scroll down to the focus menu, and then select Focus Areas. Also, before we get started, you should know that if you're using the auto mode on your mode dial—either the green auto mode or AI auto—you will be locked into the wide auto focus area. With all that said, let's take a look at some of the different focus area options. First up, we're going to take a look at center fix focus area, which does what it says. It locks the focus in the center of the frame. This is obviously quite good for predictable subjects. For example, when taking pictures of family, you know you're going to put them in the center of the frame, and that's where the focus is going to lock. This can also be quite good for playing around with focus. For example, if your family is in the center of the frame, you can position them in the center, lock that focus by pressing the shutter button halfway down, and then gently move the camera around to place them in different positions to really play around with the composition and take some nice pictures. But this one's generally quite good as an all-around focus area. Next, we have the wide focus area. This takes pretty much the whole frame into consideration when searching for focus. Again, it's great for relaxed environments with family and that kind of thing, but it gives you a lot more room to work with. If the subject you're taking a picture of is erratic, like children running around or pets, this focus area will generally prefer to focus on things that are centered in the frame and close to the camera. If you notice that you're missing focus and accidentally focusing on other things, it might be worth trying a different, more specific focus area. In some cases, you might want to try the zone focusing option. Zone works similarly to wide focus, except it divides the frame into multiple areas that you can select. This gives you a wide space where you can place your subject, but you can quickly move that space around the frame as needed. This could be a great option for large gatherings or parties where you want to isolate specific people and ensure that focus ignores others who might also be in the frame. Then we have the spot focus area. The spot focus area is extremely narrow, and it can be moved around the frame to many different positions. This would be best used in a situation where you know where the subject is going to be once they move into the frame. You can place the spot in that specific area to capture them as soon as you're ready. The spot focus area is also quite good for subjects that are a little further away or slightly obscured by something. It really lets you place that spot focus area exactly where you want it and be very accurate with your focusing. There are, of course, plenty more focus areas to discuss, but they're more like extensions of the ones we've covered in this video. If you'd like to learn more about those, you can visit the Sony Sport website for more information. If you want to learn more about focusing in general, either autofocus modes or even using manual focus, there are more videos linked in the description. Other than that, get out there and start shooting. Thank you for watching.