Understanding the focus modes on your camera and knowing when to use each is key to obtaining sharp photographs of wildlife. If you are unfamiliar with your camera’s various focus modes, here is where you take the camera to your backyard, local park or zoo and practice with each. Don’t go on an expensive safari and hope to learn these modes in the field.
The first important setting is focus mode. Focus mode determines how the focusing system behaves. In single-shot focus, the focus will lock on the subject when you either press the shutter halfway or use the back-button focus. Focus will remain fixed, even if the subject moves, unless you release and re-press your focus button. Nikon calls this Single-servo AF (AF-S), Canon calls it One-Shot AF and Sony refers to it Single-Shot AF (AF-S). This focus mode is almost never appropriate for wildlife which moves unpredictably.
Continuous focus is the correct focus mode for wildlife. As long as you are holding down your focusing button, the camera will continue to focus on the subject as it moves. Canon calls this AI Servo AF, Nikon calls it Continuous-servo AF (AF-C) and Sony refers to it as Continuous AF (AF-C).
Many camera models also have an automatic focus mode where the camera begins in single-shot focus but switches to continuous focus if it detects that the subject has started moving. Sony calls this Automatic AF (AF-A), Canon calls it AI Focus AF and Nikon refers to it as auto-switch mode (AF-A). While this mode will likely give good results for wildlife, our preference is to always remain in continuous focus mode since wildlife will almost always have motion of some kind.
Focus Area Mode
The second focus setting is the focus area mode. Different camera manufacturers have different configurations and abilities for each of their focus area modes. Also, newer and more expensive cameras tend to have more options and more focus points. This is an area where expensive cameras demonstrate their superiority over cheaper models.
The simplest focus area mode is single point. You manipulate the positioning of the focus point using a thumb control and place the focus point exactly where you would like in the scene. For wildlife, this will often be on the eye closest to you. This mode is simple and quite effective for stationary or even slow-moving animals. Sony calls this Flexible Spot, while Nikon and Canon call it Single-Point AF.
Multi-point focus modes enable your camera’s focusing system to track a subject as it moves across various focus points. You place the main focus point on the subject and then define how many of the surrounding focus points will participate in tracking the subject. There are various names and numbers of focus points available that vary both my camera manufacturer and model, but the concept is the same across cameras. For manufacturers with both DSLR and mirrorless cameras, you will find different focus area names and capabilities as well. Here is a list of some recommendations for various cameras.
Large slow-moving or nearly stationary animals of various sizes
Nikon DSLR - Dynamic Area AF with 9 or 25 points (the exact number of points will vary by camera model)
Nikon Z mirrorless - Dynamic Area AF with 9 or 25 points selected
Sony - Flexible Spot Small, Medium or Large with Tracking on
Canon - Single-point AF
Large animals, moderate-speed action
Nikon DSLR - Dynamic Area AF with 9 or 25 points (the exact number of points will vary by camera model)
Nikon Z mirrorless - Dynamic Area AF with 9 or 25 points selected
Sony - Zone with Tracking on
Canon - AI Focus AF mode, the camera automatically switches between One-Shot AF and AI Servo AF mode depending on whether the subject is moving or staying still. This is very useful when shooting pictures of subjects with unpredictable movement
Birds in flight
Nikon DSLR - Single-point AF mode is my go-to for most wildlife photography. Dynamic-area AF with 25 points selected is also a good selection.
Nikon Z mirrorless - Single-point AF mode is my go-to for most wildlife photography. Dynamic-area AF with 25 points selected is also a good selection.
Sony - Flexible Spot Large with Tracking on
Canon - AI Servo AF mode is probably the most frequently used mode for capturing birds in motion. Once the focus is set, it will remain fixed even if the camera moves.
Very small animals where the focus is difficult to achieve
Nikon DSLR - Dynamic Area AF with minimal points selected (the exact number of points will vary by camera model)
Nikon Z mirrorless - Dynamic Area AF
Sony’s latest models have a feature called subject detection that has an animal mode for detecting the nearest eye of an animal. Nikon’s mirrorless cameras have a similar feature that is advertised as supporting eye detection on cats and dogs. Panasonic also recently introduced an animal detection mode. On paper, these features sound outstanding for the wildlife photographer. However, the feature relies on reasonably-sized eyes. This means that you have to be photographing a larger animal or you are at a relatively close distance so that the camera can pick out the eyes. When it works, it can seem quite magical, but in wildlife photography, we’re not always at a distance where the eyes are big enough to focus on, so your results will be mixed as distance increases and animal size decreases.
Some very new camera models support a pinpoint focus mode as well. It shrinks the size of the focus area to a very small spot. It is primarily useful in landscape or macro photography when absolute precision of focus point is required, but can occasionally be useful for wildlife. Pinpoint focus could be used to focus through the wires of a cage or fence.
Canon - AI Focus AF mode, the camera automatically switches between One-Shot AF and AI Servo AF mode depending on whether the subject is moving or staying still. This is very useful when shooting pictures of subjects with unpredictable movement
