122
Focusing
You can focus with the following methods.
=
\
Autofocus
Manual focus
The camera automatically focuses on the subject when the shutter release button is pressed halfway.
Manually adjust the focus.
4
Using the Autofocus
You can also choose the autofocus mode from l (Single mode) where the shutter release button is pressed halfway to focus on the subject and the focus is locked at that position, k (Continuous mode) where the subject is kept in focus by continuous adjustment while the shutter release button is pressed halfway, and f (Auto) which automatically switches between l and k. The default setting is f.
1
Setting the AF Mode (p.125)
1
Set the focus mode lever to =.
123
2
Look through the viewfinder and press the shutter release button halfway.
The focus indicator ] appears and you will hear a beep when the subject comes into focus. (When blinking, the subject is not in focus.)
1 Subjects that are difficult to focus on
(p.73)
Focus Indicator
Using the =/L Button to Focus on the Subject
You can set the camera so that focusing is performed when the =/L button is pressed. Use this setting when the autofocus by pressing the shutter release button halfway is not desired.
1
Select [AF/AE-L Button] in the [A Rec. Mode 4] menu and
press the four-way controller (5).
The [AF/AE-L Button] screen appears.
4
124
4
2
Press the four-way controller (5) and use the four-way controller
(23) to select [Enable AF1] or
[Enable AF2].
AF/AE-L Button
AF1 Enable AF1
AF2
AF
AE-L
Enable AF2
Cancel AF
AE Lock
AF is performed when the
AF/AE-L button is pressed
MENU Cancel OK OK
Enable AF1
Enable AF2
Cancel AF
AE Lock
Autofocus is performed by using the =/L button or the shutter release button. (default setting)
Autofocus is performed only when the =/L button is pressed and not when the shutter release button is pressed halfway.
\ appears in the viewfinder while the =/L button is pressed. Autofocus is not performed when the shutter release button is pressed. (Take your finger off the =/
L button to return to normal autofocus mode.)
The exposure setting is locked when the =/L button
is pressed. (p.120)
3
Press the 4 button.
4
Press the 3 button twice.
The camera is ready to take a picture.
5
Press the =/L button while looking through the viewfinder.
Autofocus is performed.
125
Setting the AF Mode
You can choose from the following three autofocus modes.
f
Auto l
Single mode
Switches automatically between l and k modes according to the subject. (default setting)
• [AF Mode] is fixed to f in I (Auto Picture) mode.
• Even if f is selected, [AF Mode] is fixed to l when taking pictures by using Live View with the mode dial set to e, K, b, c or a.
When the shutter release button is pressed halfway to focus on the subject, the focus is locked at that position (Focus Lock). To focus on another subject, take your finger off the shutter release button first, then press the shutter release button halfway again.
• [AF Mode] is fixed to l in = (Portrait), s (Landscape), q
(Macro), . (Night Scene Portrait) and a (Flash Off) of Picture mode or A (Night Scene), Q (Surf & Snow), K (Food), K
(Sunset), Z (Night Scene HDR), U (Candlelight), and E
(Museum) of H (Scene) mode.
• The AF assist light turns on as necessary. (p.127)
• Set the action priority for when the shutter release button is
pressed fully in [9. AF.S Setting] in the [A Custom Setting 2] menu
(p.89).
1 Focus-priority
2 Release-priority
The shutter cannot be released until the subject is in focus. (default setting)
If the subject is too close to the camera, move back and take the picture. If the
subject is difficult to focus (p.73), adjust
the focus manually. (p.134)
The shutter can be released even if the subject is not in focus.
4
126
4 k
Continuous mode
The subject is kept in focus by continuous adjustment while the shutter release button is pressed halfway. The focus indicator ] appears in the viewfinder and you will hear a beep. Even if the subject is not in focus, the shutter can be released when the shutter release button is pressed fully.
• Available only when the mode dial is set to e, K, b, c or a.
• [AF Mode] is fixed to k in \ (Moving Object) of Picture mode and n (Stage Lighting), l (Night Snap), R (Kids), and Y (Pet) of H (Scene) mode.
• When the shutter release button is pressed halfway or the
=/L button is used to adjust the focus, the camera automatically tracks the subject if it is determined to be a moving object.
• Set the action priority for Continuous Shooting in [10. AF.C
Setting] in the [A Custom Setting 2] menu (p.89).
1 Focus-priority
2 FPS-priority
Takes pictures giving priority to keeping the subject in focus during Continuous
Shooting. (default setting)
Takes pictures giving priority to the shooting speed during Continuous
Shooting.
1
Set the focus mode lever to =.
2
Press the M button in the status screen.
The control panel appears.
Press the M button when the status screen is not displayed.
3
Use the four-way controller
(2345) to select [AF Mode]
and press the 4 button.
The [AF Mode] screen appears.
AF Mode
AF.A
AF.A
HDR
OFF
JPEG 12
M
[ 37 ]
127
4
Use the four-way controller (45) to select an AF mode.
AF Mode
MENU Cancel OK OK
5
Press the 4 button.
The camera returns to the control panel.
• You can also change the setting from the [A Rec. Mode 1] menu (p.87).
• [AF Mode] cannot be changed when the capture mode is set to Picture mode or H (Scene) mode.
• Always set the camera to l when using the Quick-Shift Focus System on a DA lens.
4
You can set whether or not to use the AF assist light during l
mode in [11. AF Assist Light] in the [A Custom Setting 2] menu (p.89).
1 On
To make focusing easier when the subject is in a dark location, the AF assist light turns on when the shutter release button is pressed halfway. (default setting)
2 Off The AF assist light will not be used.
128
4
AF Fine Adjustment
You can adjust the AF focusing position.
• Be sure to use [AF Fine Adjustment] only when necessary. Care should be taken as adjusting the autofocus may make it difficult to capture images with the appropriate focus.
• Any camera shake during test shooting may make it difficult to obtain the accurate focusing position. Therefore, always use a tripod when taking test shots.
1
Select [21. AF Fine Adjustment] in the [A Custom
Setting 3] menu and press the four-way controller (5).
2
Use the four-way controller (23) to select [On] and press
the four-way controller (5).
The [21. AF Fine Adjustment] screen appears.
3
Use the four-way controller (45) to adjust the value.
21. AF Fine Adjustment
+3
MENU Cancel ±0
Available operations
Four-way controller (5)
Four-way controller (4)
| button
Adjusts the focus to a closer position.
Adjusts the focus to a farther position.
Resets the adjustment value to ±0.
4
Press the 4 button.
The adjustment value is saved.
5
Press the 3 button.
The camera is ready to take a picture.
OK OK
6
Take a test picture.
You can easily check the focusing point by enlarging the image during
Digital Preview (p.140) or Live View (p.159).
Select [Off] in Step 2 to negate an effect of the adjustment value (however, this does not reset the value).
129
Selecting the Focusing Area (AF Point)
Choose the part of the viewfinder to set focus to.
Selected AF point(s) light red in the viewfinder (Superimpose AF Area).
b c
Auto
(5 AF Points)
Auto
(11 AF Points)
S Select
O Spot
Out of the 5 AF points, the camera selects the optimum AF point even if the subject is not centered. (default setting)
Out of the 11 AF points, the camera selects the optimum AF point even if the subject is not centered.
Sets the focusing area to the user selected point from eleven points in the AF frame.
Sets the focusing area to the center of the viewfinder.
1
Press the M button in the status screen.
The control panel appears.
Press the M button when the status screen is not displayed.
2
Use the four-way controller
(2345) to select [Select AF
Point] and press the 4 button.
The [Select AF Point] screen appears.
Select AF Point
Auto (5 AF Points)
AF.A
HDR
OFF
JPEG 12
M
[ 37 ]
4
130
3
Use the four-way controller (45) to select a focusing area.
Select AF Point
Auto (5 AF Points)
AUTO
4
MENU Cancel OK OK
4
Press the 4 button.
The camera is ready to take a picture.
• You can also change the setting from the [A Rec. Mode 1] menu (p.87).
• AF point(s) are not illuminated red in the viewfinder when [Off] is selected for
[8. Superimpose AF Area] in the [A Custom Setting 2] menu.
• The focusing area is fixed to O regardless of this setting when using lenses other than DA, DA L, D FA, FA J, FA or F lenses.
Setting the Focus Position in the AF Frame
1
Set the focusing area to S and
press the 4 button.
Select AF Point
Select
The camera is ready to take a picture.
MENU Cancel OK OK
131
2
Use the four-way controller
(2345) to change the AF point.
The selected AF point appears in the status screen.
AUTO
PICT
1/ 20
ISO
AUTO
800
AF.A
F
5.6
-3 2 1 1 2 +3
JPEG 12
M
AWB
[
OK
S
37 ]
Available operations
4 button Returns the AF point to the center of the AF frame.
Press and hold 4 button Disables changing the AF point and enables direct key operation of the four-way controller
(2345). To enable changing the AF point, press the 4 button while direct key operation is enabled. You will hear a beep when switching between enabled and disabled.
The AF point(s) light red in the viewfinder
(Superimpose AF Area) and you can check where you set the AF point.
4
The position of the changed AF point is stored even if the camera is turned off or the focusing area is switched to b, c or O.
132
4
Locking the Focus (Focus Lock)
If the subject is outside the range of the focusing area, the camera cannot automatically focus on the subject. In this case, set [AF Mode] to l
(Single mode) first, focus the camera on the subject in the focusing area, lock the focus at that position (Focus Lock), and then recompose your picture.
1
Set [AF Mode] to l.
Refer to p.125.
2
Frame the desired composition for your picture in the viewfinder.
Example) The person is out of focus and the background is focused instead.
3
Center the subject to focus in the viewfinder and press the shutter release button halfway.
The focus indicator ] appears and you will hear a beep when the subject comes into focus. (When blinking, the subject is not in focus.)
4
Lock the focus.
Keep the shutter release button pressed halfway. The focus will remain locked.
133
5
Recompose the picture while keeping the shutter release button pressed halfway.
• The focus is locked while the focus indicator ] is displayed.
• Turning the zoom ring with the focus locked may cause the subject to be out of focus.
• The beep that sounds when the image is focused can be turned off. (p.269)
• You cannot set the focus lock when [AF Mode] is set to k (Continuous mode), or the capture mode is set to \ (Moving Object) of Picture mode, or n (Stage Lighting), R (Kids), Y (Pet) or l (Night Snap) of H (Scene) mode. In such cases, the autofocus continues to focus on the subject until the shutter is released (Continuous Autofocus).
4
Locking Exposure when the Focus is Locked
Set [5. AE-L with AF Locked] in the
[A Custom Setting 1] menu (p.89) to
lock the exposure value while the focus is locked. By default, the exposure is not locked when the focus is locked.
5.
AE-L with AF Locked
1
2
Off
On
AE is locked when the focus is locked
MENU Cancel OK OK
1 Off Exposure is not locked when the focus is locked. (default setting)
2 On Exposure is locked when the focus is locked.
134
Adjusting the Focus Manually (Manual Focus)
When you adjust the focus manually, you can use either the focus indicator or the matte field in the viewfinder.
4
Using the Focus Indicator
The focus indicator ] appears in the viewfinder when the subject is in focus even during manual focus.
You can manually adjust the focus using the focus indicator ].
1
Set the focus mode lever to \.
2
Look through the viewfinder, press the shutter release button halfway and turn the focusing ring.
The focus indicator ] appears and you will hear a beep when the subject comes into focus.
MF
AF
Focus Indicator
• Adjust the focus manually using the matte field in the viewfinder when the
subject is difficult to focus (p.73) and the focus indicator will not appear.
• The beep that sounds when the image is focused can be turned off. (p.269)
Using the Viewfinder Matte Field
You can manually adjust the focus using the matte field in viewfinder.
1
Set the focus mode lever to \.
135
4
2
Look through the viewfinder and turn the focusing ring until the subject is clearly visible in the viewfinder.
MF
AF
136
4
Shooting in Catch-in Focus Mode
When [20. Catch-in Focus] in the [A Custom Setting 3] menu (p.90)
is set to [On], if [AF Mode] is set to f or l and one of the following types of lenses is attached, catch-in focus shooting is enabled and the shutter is released automatically when the subject comes into focus.
• Manual focus lens
• DA or FA lens that has an = and \ setting on the lens (the setting on the lens must be set to \ before shooting)
How to Take Pictures
1 Attach a proper lens to the camera.
2 Set the focus mode lever to =.
3 Set [AF Mode] to f or l.
4 Set the focus on a position the subject will pass.
5 Press the shutter release button fully.
The shutter is released automatically when the subject comes into focus at the set position.
