Recompose diehard supporter - Own up pls

[icelava]

I’ll be shocked if they even know what is photo composition.

Not being prejudice. Just an observation about that market segment.

Oh they know what composition is alright,

"Why are we NOT in the centre of the photo???"

 

[ShaneKua]

Oh they know what composition is alright,

"Why are we NOT in the centre of the photo???"

And if a good photo is taken;

“Wow look at just how good our camera is."

 

[blackreplica]

what the...?
Ok i'm a newbie so maybe you guys could help

I always recompose my shots. AF set to manual on the centre point. I focus where i want it, hold the shutter down halfway and recompose the way i like it before i shoot.

I have messed around with selecting the AF point manually on my 500D but found that firstly, i only have 9 AF points so i have limited options, and its damn troublesome to select manually.

As far as i know, both methods are completely produce the same result. The impression i get is that this is not correct. can someone explain why?

I use a 28mm f/1.8 and regularly use f/2.0 - f/2.8 except for landscape shots, mostly

I've read Scott Kelby's photography books Vol 1 - 3. Plenty of mention of these 2 methods but i dont recall him saying that one is better than the other. The impression i get from reading is that he prefers the recompose method (though its just an impression)

 

[rendition]

I have messed around with selecting the AF point manually on my 500D but found that firstly, i only have 9 AF points so i have limited options, and its damn troublesome to select manually.

That's just because you're not used to it and 9-point AF is not limited. Like for me, I mostly use 5 points; centre and the other 4 off centre (NW, NE, SW, SE... sorry I don't know how to better describe).

As far as i know, both methods are completely produce the same result. The impression i get is that this is not correct. can someone explain why?

If you're on wide angle and standing quite a distance from subject, you won't see much of a diff simply because the DOF is larger. There're also chances where your focus target and final framing fall on the same plane of focus. Essentially, it gets more apparent if you're on a tele end and/or closer to subject.

 

[grantyale]

I still wonder whether AF is more reliable on Nikon than Canon. The EF 85/1.8 is tack sharp wide open but the focus is often slightly off. Both lens and body are zeroed-in at Canon service centre. I bought a modified microprism screen and I feel a little better for now.

 

[Lolrence]

what the...?
Ok i'm a newbie so maybe you guys could help

I always recompose my shots. AF set to manual on the centre point. I focus where i want it, hold the shutter down halfway and recompose the way i like it before i shoot.

I have messed around with selecting the AF point manually on my 500D but found that firstly, i only have 9 AF points so i have limited options, and its damn troublesome to select manually.

As far as i know, both methods are completely produce the same result. The impression i get is that this is not correct. can someone explain why?

I use a 28mm f/1.8 and regularly use f/2.0 - f/2.8 except for landscape shots, mostly

I've read Scott Kelby's photography books Vol 1 - 3. Plenty of mention of these 2 methods but i dont recall him saying that one is better than the other. The impression i get from reading is that he prefers the recompose method (though its just an impression)

Because, if the depth of field is really small, or if you need the areas in focus to be really precise, recomposing your frame would shift the plane of focus. (especially if you're using large aperture like 1.2, 1.4). Even with 9 AF points, just choose the closest focus pt and recompose.

 

[blackreplica]

Thanks guys, i tried to visualise it and your explanations make sense to me. If i'm visualising this well, i'd imagine this would be a relatively big issue if taking photos of nearby objects at large apertures. I dont think it affects my current style since i typically dont take closeup shots but nonetheless still something to keep in mind

now i understand why a lot of macro shooters tend to use manual focus

 

[TheStig]

I recompose like 98% of the time. The other 2% is when I use a tripod to shoot portraits at night (using the slow sync flash). 98% of the time I'm lazy to move to other AF points. The other 2% is because I'm lazy to have to lift the camera if it's already attached to the tripod. I guess the conclusion is: I'm lazy

 

[photoart]

when i was learning photography during film days,and when my camera only only had a one point focus, i was taught to focus and recompose.

now my DSLR has 9 AF points but most times I still recompose....unless the focus falls directly on one of the 9 AF points