I know this is possible on Nikon bodies, but I'm not sure how to do it on my Canon R5. I'm taking about setting up the camera so you hold the shutter down but no photo is taken until there is focus confirmation.
In my own experience, if you mean 3D tracking, it comes to be quite useless with last updates of the firmware (since 1.6 may I say). Full auto with subject tracking, with or without eye detection is just impressive.
Though not up to date, this excellent article will give you most information needed to master the R5's AF :
https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/guide/canon-r5-r6-wildlife/
And in this one, if you scroll down to R5 part, the settings are what I use most, with sometimes switching off Eye detection or changing cropping.
https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/best/mirrorless-cameras-for-birds-in-flight/
You can also set some buttons and/or dials to change quickly AF zone types, Eye detection, cropping...
Interesting info, but this link shows the general idea what I'm after. I must be missing a setting on the R5 to get it to wait until focus is a acquired.
https://www.aperturebuzz.com/focus-trap/
@bleirer Ok, maybe I'm wrong but it seems you only need to know how to set AF release priority, and the only thing I found that seems to look as in Nikon's camera is menu item AF 4-2 "One-Shot AF release prior."
It does not seem to work with Servo AF though (suspected by the non-answered topic here)
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4512830
On the other hand, the use cases listed in the article you linked are covered by standard AF settings (you can choose the starting point of Servo AF in menu item AF-5-1) and it will work 90% of the time at least (it's very efficient).
Using back button focus will be also a cool addition to this technique if you don't already use it.
https://www.naturettl.com/back-button-focus/
https://backcountrygallery.com/1/BBAF-Book.pdf
It works as well on R5.
But if it's not exactly matching your purpose, feel free to elaborate your use cases, maybe it will trigger something (for me or someone else).
@bleirer Ok, maybe I'm wrong but it seems you only need to know how to set AF release priority, and the only thing I found that seems to look as in Nikon's camera is menu item AF 4-2 "One-Shot AF release prior."
It does not seem to work with Servo AF though (suspected by the non-answered topic here)
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4512830
On the other hand, the use cases listed in the article you linked are covered by standard AF settings (you can choose the starting point of Servo AF in menu item AF-5-1) and it will work 90% of the time at least (it's very efficient).
Using back button focus will be also a cool addition to this technique if you don't already use it.
https://www.naturettl.com/back-button-focus/
https://backcountrygallery.com/1/BBAF-Book.pdf
It works as well on R5.
But if it's not exactly matching your purpose, feel free to elaborate your use cases, maybe it will trigger something (for me or someone else).
Have you tried it though? It seems with the one shot and set to focus priority it won't fire the shutter - ever, if focus is not acquired at the time the shutter is fully pressed. It stays locked at the out of focus distance. At least using BBAF.
You're right : I'm nearly always in Servo mode :D, unless I do landscape photography, where, most of the time, I only need the focus distance to be "fixed and forget".
BTW, back button focus is also very useful for that, as, if you don't push the back button, the camera doesn't focus at all, just as if you were in manual focus, and it acts so instantly.
So I indeed think trapping with "One shot" type of focus is probably not the right scenario you need (as it seems, it's the same in the post I linked at DPReview ).
To be honest, I can't get the point of the article you linked. To my sense, trapping is to be used in very specific conditions :
1 - you're not behind the camera and you want to take a subject by surprise, or kind of
2 - you need the camera to trigger only when the subject is at a specific distance and even sometimes also at a specific position in the frame for composition purpose.
I can't figure out when this technique can be more efficient than "live" catching and tracking in conditions where the subject have erratic movements. To my sense, it just limits the probability to get your subject in focus.
I'm probably missing something, that's why I think you may elaborate more your use case to ensure you'll find the best solution for your purpose.
Most likely, simply explaining how you do the whole thing with a Nikon camera may be the simplest way.
You're right : I'm nearly always in Servo mode :D, unless I do landscape photography, where, most of the time, I only need the focus distance to be "fixed and forget".
BTW, back button focus is also very useful for that, as, if you don't push the back button, the camera doesn't focus at all, just as if you were in manual focus, and it acts so instantly.
So I indeed think trapping with "One shot" type of focus is probably not the right scenario you need (as it seems, it's the same in the post I linked at DPReview ).
To be honest, I can't get the point of the article you linked. To my sense, trapping is to be used in very specific conditions :
1 - you're not behind the camera and you want to take a subject by surprise, or kind of
2 - you need the camera to trigger only when the subject is at a specific distance and even sometimes also at a specific position in the frame for composition purpose.
I can't figure out when this technique can be more efficient than "live" catching and tracking in conditions where the subject have erratic movements. To my sense, it just limits the probability to get your subject in focus.
I'm probably missing something, that's why I think you may elaborate more your use case to ensure you'll find the best solution for your purpose.
Most likely, simply explaining how you do the whole thing with a Nikon camera may be the simplest way.
In my case it was a quirky idea to capture the falling "helicopters" from a maple tree. I hoped to hold the shutter down as they spun down from above but have it shoot only when focus was locked. Other scenarios would be things like bees on flowers, where I'd like to hold the shutter down near the flower until a bee was captured in focus. I know there are ways to track the bee, it just seemed like a cool idea.
Since the R5 has so many buttons, I am set up for triple back button focus. I could get away with double, but triple is cool. I keep the expanded area under af-on, eye detection under ☆ and the smallest spot AF under the button to the right of ☆. I put the focus area selection under the MF button, but don't change very often.
@bleirer it is so customisable ... I find it very impressive. :D
For "helicopters", I see what you mean... but I'm thinking AF R5 could be able to "trap" them just if they are in frame (depending on lens, focal length I guess).
RF 100-500 is blazing fast for instance.
I've no way to give it a try at this right time though, I don't see where I can find some falling.
@bleirer I've just found that there is also the ability for continuous focus (AF-1-5) - I thought it was only functional for video, coming back mostly from Nikon these last years too ;). Not really what you were looking for (even a bit the opposite), but maybe combined with servo and fixed point it could let you only have to release the trigger. Not sure it could be fast enough though, depending on lens and conditions too.
@bleirer I've just found that there is also the ability for continuous focus (AF-1-5) - I thought it was only functional for video, coming back mostly from Nikon these last years too ;). Not really what you were looking for (even a bit the opposite), but maybe combined with servo and fixed point it could let you only have to release the trigger. Not sure it could be fast enough though, depending on lens and conditions too.
The strange thing is that Nikon cameras can do it, so it makes me wonder if I'm missing some setting that my Canon doesn't, or is it just not possible.
@bleirer I may be wrong but I think Nikon Z cameras can't do AF-F in Photo mode (AF-Follow, i.e. continuous focus as in Canon terminology), only in Video mode. If I remember well too, on SLR (at least since D750), AF-F was only available in Live view and video shooting modes. So it's a plus on Canon side this time.
If you're talking about "trap focus", I finally found this enlightening explanation on DPReview about Nikon Z7II (let's hope they'll really keep those archives ;) ) :
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/64952201
I never used that but it seems to be what you're searching (just for confirmation I really got it now :D)...
Now that I may have understood better, I remember customisable trapping was available with some Canon's SLR with Magic Lantern (I had it on my 6D, I remember now, though I never used it) but does not seem to be available for R series (as Magic Lantern, which looks moribund).
Anyway, to my sense, given the R5 nearly never miss its target, I won't bother a lot if I were you and try to shoot a burst in full auto area+servo mode. At worst, you will have to refine with other AF methods, or simply delete useless files in a row. I agree it is much less "romantic" though :D.
The only problem is if you want your camera to shoot framed and focused subjects in your absence. :D
Yes that is what I'm after. I want to press the shutter And have the camera wait for something to come into confirmed focus before it starts to fire.
@bleirer What you're looking for is "One-Shot AF Release Priority", it should be in page 4 of the purple AF menu on your R5.
That said, as a Nikon shooter (Z9), I don't use it because sometimes what the camera thinks is a positive lock, isn't, and if it doesn't get a lock, it won't fire and you miss the moment. It also severely limits your motordrive.
In my experience, if you're going to go through the frustration of inconsistent framerates and slower AF acquisition, might as well use single-shot AF.
@bleirer What you're looking for is "One-Shot AF Release Priority", it should be in page 4 of the purple AF menu on your R5.
That said, as a Nikon shooter (Z9), I don't use it because sometimes what the camera thinks is a positive lock, isn't, and if it doesn't get a lock, it won't fire and you miss the moment. It also severely limits your motordrive.
In my experience, if you're going to go through the frustration of inconsistent framerates and slower AF acquisition, might as well use single-shot AF.
Have you tried what you are suggesting on an R5? I have and it doesn't work as I had hoped. Sure the one shot won't fire if there is no focus confirmation, but I'm wanting it to wait while I hold the shutter until something comes into the in focus range and then shoot. I'm starting to think Canon is not able to do it but Nikon is able to.