Selecting Focus Area

Set the type of focusing frame when shooting with the auto focus. Select the mode according to the subject.

Setting the camera

  1. [ Focus Area]

    MENU → (Focus) → [Focus Area] → [Focus Area] → the desired setting.

    Note

    [Focus Area] is locked to [Wide] in the following situations:

    • [Intelligent Auto]

Guide to using the camera

Focus Area

Choose the best focus area based on subject position or size.

[Wide]
Focuses on subjects across the entire monitor. Effective for erratic subjects such as children, animals, or athletes.
[Zone]
Automatically focuses on the area within your selected focusing zone on the monitor. [Zone] is divided into nine focusing areas, which makes it effective for focusing on moving subjects within these specific areas.
[Center Fix]
Focuses on subjects centered on the monitor. When used with focus-lock, effective for shots with your preferred composition.
[Spot] [Expand Spot]

  • [Spot]:
    Focuses on very small subjects or narrow areas in a frame that you can move freely on the monitor. Choose a small, medium, or large focusing frame.

  • [Expand Spot]:
    Expands the focus area around [Spot] if focusing is not possible within your selected spot.

[Tracking]
This setting is available only when the [Focus Mode] is set to [Continuous AF]. When the shutter button is pressed and held halfway down, the product tracks the subject within the selected autofocus area.
This function is available in still image shooting mode.

Select Focus Area based on the subject size on screen

Use the size of the subject on screen as a rough guide to decide the size of the focus area, such as [Spot].

For [Spot], the subject should be large enough to cover the whole Focus Area (as a guideline). Having the subject at this size avoids the focus drifting to the background.

For [Expand Spot], the focus area including the expanded area should just about overlap with the subject (as a guideline).

The optimal Focus Area size for the same skating scene depends on the subject size on screen.

[Spot: M] is recommended for focusing on the subject’s (skater’s) face. If set to [Zone], other features such as line marks on the skating rink will fall inside the area and the camera might focus on those features instead of on the skater.

To target a fast-moving subject at this size using a long focal length, try a wider setting such as [Zone].

Select Focus Area based on subject movement

If a subject is moving slowly or in a predictable manner, use a small-area setting like [Expand Spot] in order to focus accurately on the target position. On the other hand, if a subject is moving at high speed or in an unpredictable manner, use a wider Focus Area setting such as [Wide] in order to maintain focus while adjusting the composition.

Quickly switching to frequently used focus areas

To quickly switch to the types of focus areas you use most often, first select these areas in [Focus Area Limit]. By assigning [Switch Focus Area] to a custom key, you can switch to your other selected focus areas one after another each time you press that custom key.

Setting the camera

  • MENU → (Focus) → [Focus Area] → [Focus Area Limit] → Add check marks to focus areas you will use, and then select [OK].

  • MENU → (Setup) → [Operation Customize] → Assign [Switch Focus Area] to any desired key with [Custom Key/Dial Set.] or [Custom Key/Dial Set.].

Note

Types of focus areas that do not have a check mark cannot be selected using MENU or the Fn (function) menu. To select a focus area, add a check mark using [Focus Area Limit].