Get more from custom autofocus on the Canon EOS R5 and R6

From my workshops and inbox, it’s clear that many photographers have found that the autofocus on the Canon EOS R5 (opens in new tab) and Canon EOS R6 (opens in new tab) takes some effort to get the most from.

There are three main factors to consider: AF mode, AF method and subject to detect. For moving subjects or photographers in awkward positions, use Servo AF, so the camera refocuses right up until the picture is taken. One-Shot is for static subjects, such as buildings, landscapes and still life.

With eight AF methods, a lot of photographers revert to a trusted single AF point and in doing so miss out on much of these cameras’ autofocus capabilities. It’s a leap of faith to trust the EOS camera to find your subject and focus on it, but it does this so well.

Face detection and tracking, plus the three zone AF methods, are the intelligent options that find a subject in the frame and move AF points in response to it moving around while keeping it in focus with Servo AF. You need to choose the subject to prioritize people, animals, vehicles or no priority. If your camera is set to animal priority, it tracks people as long as there are no recognizable animals in the frame. For the spot, one-point and expand AF methods, there’s no intelligent subject tracking – it is down to you to keep the AF point on the subject and repositioning it if the subject moves. 

Eye detection only works when using the face detection and tracking method, and when set, it prioritizes focus on the eyes if they are visible.

Some people use the AF-ON, AE-lock and AF selection buttons to directly switch AF methods or focus mode, with multiple back buttons configured for AF. This is workable as long as you remember which button does what!

(opens in new tab)

PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine (opens in new tab) is the world's only monthly newsstand title that's 100% devoted to Canon, so you can be sure the magazine is completely relevant to your system. Every issue comes with downloadable video tutorials too. 

View Deal (opens in new tab)

Read more

The best Canon camera (opens in new tab)
The best Canon lenses (opens in new tab)
Hands-on-Canon EOS R10 review (opens in new tab)