Nikon D7000 Experience User Manual page 11

Nikon D7000 Experience
focus is still locked by holding Shutter-Release Button half pressed. Shutter-Release
Button fully pressed to take image. (All AF points shown for clarity.)
To see how autofocus point selection works, set the Focus Mode Selector switch, near
the base of the lens, to AF. Make sure the focus mode on your lens is also set for
autofocus (A). (If it ever seems that your camera or lens is not autofocusing, be sure to
check these two switches.) Press the AF Mode Button inside that switch and set the
Autofocus Mode to AF-S (Single-servo AF) using the Main Command Dial and set the
AF-Area Mode to Single-Point AF using the Sub-Command Dial. Ensure that the Focus
Selector Lock switch below the Multi Selector is not set to L (Lock).
1. Set the Mode Dial to P (Program).
2. Tap the Shutter Button with a half-press to wake up the camera and start the
exposure meter.
3. Looking through the viewfinder, use the Multi Selector to select the focus point
that is nearest to where you want to focus.
4. Place that point over your intended subject.
5. Press and hold the Shutter Button halfway down and see that point blink red.
The In-Focus Indicator should light up in your viewfinder. You have locked the
focus.
6. Keeping the Shutter Button pressed halfway, recompose if necessary, and
take the shot by fully pressing the Shutter Button.
There are reasons to use the outer focus points and not just the center one all the time,
which will be discussed later. It may sound difficult to select the Focus Point each time,
but it is actually very quickly done and will become instinctive. You may even start to
set your Focus Point as you approach a scene before even bringing your camera to
your eye, using your thumb on the Multi Selector. But if you wish, you can start by
always using the center point and recomposing before taking the shot. And remember
that Custom Setting a6 allows you to limit the number of selectable points to 11 to make
this process more manageable.
If the In-Focus Indicator does not light up and the camera does not take the photo, the
camera may not be finding something to focus on or you may be too close to your
subject for the lens to focus. Autofocus works in part by looking for contrast, so try
focusing on a detail with a strong line or strong contrast between light and dark. It may
not be able to focus on a large area of consistent color or a subject that is too dark. It
can be disrupted by regular patterns or confused when looking through close objects to
objects farther away, such as looking through a fence. When photographing people,
always try to focus somewhere on the face, ideally on the eyes or eyebrows (see Figure
3).
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