Canon EOS-1D/DS Digital Camera User manual

Automatic AF Point Selection

This is the default mode. All 45 AF points are active.

Whenever you’re set to Automatic AF point selection mode, the camera will automatically choose which of the 45 available points to use to achieve and maintain focus on your subject. This makes automatic AF point selection mode ideal for rapid shooting situations where the camera can focus more quickly than you can. How the AF points are selected and displayed in the viewfinder will depend on which AF mode the camera is set to.

QuickGuide to EOS-1D/Ds

AF Point Management

The Canon EOS-1D/Ds-series offers the broadest and most sophisticated autofocus capabilities of all

EOS DSLRs. For example, the EOS-1D Mark IV alone offers 16 different AF custom functions. Many of these functions are unfamiliar to new users, yet even users who are familiar with them may have trouble remembering the full range of options.

This QuickGuide will therefore provide a summary of the most popular and useful functions related to AF point management, how they work, and the photographic problems they’re designed to solve. We encourage you to experiment with various settings so you can become familiar with how they operate and confirm which are most useful and when.

EOS-1D/Ds cameras allow you to control:

• Whether AF points are selected automatically or manually

• How many manual AF points are available for selection

• Which manual AF point you select to be active

• Whether the manual AF point can expand if necessary to achieve focus

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One-Shot AF Mode: The camera will select the

AF point(s) that cover the nearest subject with recognizable detail. The point(s) it selects will light up red in the viewfinder.

AI Servo AF Mode: The camera will first use the center AF point to focus and begin tracking the subject. If the subject moves away from the center, the camera will automatically transfer focus to the outer AF points to continue tracking the subject. When Automatic AF point selection is combined with AI Servo AF, the active AF points will not light up red in the viewfinder.

Manual AF Point Selection

This mode allows you to manually select any of the available AF points to use for focusing on your subject. With any “Mark III” model you can manually

2 select 19 of the 45 points, one at a time. With “Mark

IV” models you can manually select any one of the 45 points.

Regardless of whether the camera is set for One-

Shot AF or AI Servo AF, the AF point you manually select will be the only one available. It should ideally be the one closest to the area of your subject you want tack-sharp and that will require the least amount of re-framing. To manually select an AF point:

1. Press the rear AF Point Select Button. You will then have six seconds to turn whatever dial you prefer to use to select AF points.

2. Use either the rear Quick Control Dial, the top Main Dial, or the Multi-controller to navigate from one AF point to another.

Whenever you’re selecting an AF point, the one that is active will appear red in the finder. If a “ring” of outer points lights-up red, you’re in Automatic AF point selection mode. Either way, you can stop selecting when the point (or points) you want light red in the finder.

Manual vs. Automatic AF Point Selection

As a rule, professional photographers prefer to manually select the AF point closest to the area of the subject where they wish to focus. This minimizes the need to reframe as well as the risk of focus shift caused by reframing. When shooting moving subjects, you should set the camera to AI Servo AF.

As long as you keep the AF point centered on the subject the camera will maintain focus.

There may be occasions when the area you’ve picked doesn’t have enough detail or it’s difficult to keep the AF point centered on the subject. The EOS

1D and Ds therefore have custom functions that can be set to automatically adjust for such situations and thereby increase the percentage of sharply focused images. Custom Functions allow you to refine the

AF controls on your camera to suit specific needs, preferences, and circumstances.

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Selectable AF Point

This C.Fn allows you to reduce the number of available

AF points, which in turn allows you to move more quickly from one point to the next. Similarly, if you find that you never use the inner or outer focusing points, you can use this C.Fn to disable one set or the other.

Your available options include:

 19 points

 11 points (Mark II and IV models only)

 Outer 9 points

 Inner 9 points

Consider combining either of the last two settings with

C.Fn IV-3-3 (Quick Control Dial—AF point selection).

This will allow you to instantly change AF points with the Quick Control Dial without having to press the AF point selection button first. To instantly return to the center AF point, simple press in on the Multi-controller button. Note that when the Quick Control Dial is set to select AF points it won’t be available to adjust exposures. Instead, press the AF point select button and turn the Main Dial.

AF Expansion With Selected Point

A single AF point can be so small that it becomes difficult to keep centered on a fast-moving subject.

The AF point expansion C.Fn programs the camera

4 to automatically activate adjacent AF points and thereby expand the potential size of the AF area when necessary. EOS-1D/1Ds models allow you to add a left and right point, a ring of six surrounding points, or an expanded cluster of up to 18 points (EOS-1D Mark

IV only), that can move around the whole 45-point area if necessary.

This function can be very useful with fast-moving subjects, especially those that lack enough texture or detail for the AF to latch onto. Keep in mind, however, that the larger the focusing area, the greater the chance that the camera may focus on something other than what you have in mind.

Switch to Registered AF Point

This C.Fn allows the camera to memorize the position of any AF point. You can then instantly return to the memorized point by pressing the Multi-controller button. This is a great feature for when you need to quickly move from, for example, the center point to an outer point, or from a point you’ve chosen for horizontal shots to another point for verticals. To register an AF point:

1. Manually select an AF point you want memorized.

2. Hold down the AF point selection button and press the ISO button. “SEL HP” will appear on the top LCD panel and in the viewfinder to confirm that the camera has registered this point as a “Home Point."

There are two ways to instantly access your registered Home Point:

1. Press in on the Multi-controller. To return to your previous AF point, press in on Multicontroller again. or:

2. Hold down the AF stop button on your lens (if it has one), then press the FE lock button. Repeat the procedure to return to

5 the previous AF point. To use this method, you must first set C.Fn III-6-6 (AF stop button function/Switch to registered AF point).

Orientation Linked AF Point (EOS-1D Mk IV only)

This C.Fn allows you to pre-select separate AF points for vertical and horizontal orientation and instantly change AF points simply by turning the camera. You can even select the AF point you want to use in three different camera orientations: horizontal, vertical/grip on top, and vertical/grip on bottom.

It’s also possible to select different AF point select modes; for example, a single point for horizontals and

Automatic AF point selection for verticals. If you clear the camera settings to their defaults, the selected AF points for the respective orientations will reset to the center AF point.

To activate this C.Fn:

1. Select option 1: “Select different AF points.”

2. Hold the camera horizontally and manually dial-in the AF point you want.

3. Turn the camera vertically and select a different AF point.

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