100 Best D-SLR and Photoshop Tips, Issue 100

[redhed17]

I bought the 100th issue today with the 100 Best D-SLR and Photoshop Tips. After having a quick look through tips I found a bit of bad advice.

Tip 28 advises getting lenses with wider maximum apertures, which is all fine. (if you can afford them of course ) However, tip 34 says to use the central focus point, half press the shutter to lock focus and recompose. This in my opinion is bad advice, especially if you have followed tip 28. Using the central focus point, and recomposing changes the plane of focus, at small apertures this can make little if no difference, but using a wide aperture were the depth of field can be a few inches, using the central focus point and recomposing could make the image appear soft or out of focus.

This site explains it in a bit more detail, and even has a picture to demonstrate the theory.

[chris-p]

Don't see why it's bad advice.

I find focus locking and recomposing is generally quicker than fiddling around with selecting different AF points and on most cameras the central AF sensor is usually more accurate as well.

Obviously you will move the plane of focus but I would hope that if the depth of field is so small that this is a problem, the photographer would be aware of it and compensate for it?

[redhed17]

Thanks for replying Chris, one would hope that someone who is using a shallow Depth of Field would know to use a focus point nearer to the subject, rather the using the central focus points and re-composing, but I don't think the magazine can assume this knowledge from their readership.

I just think recommending lenses which may give a shallow Depth of Field in one tip, and using the central focus point and re-composing in another, is potentially a way to give out of focus images.

The focus points are there to be used imho. Whether you use them is a matter of choice, but that choice should be an informed one.

[jinky]

But as Chris says the central focusing point is more accurate on some cameras and thus worth doing as suggested at times.