5D MK III Focusing Question

[pippaappip]

Hello!

This is my first post here and apologies if it makes me sound like I'm completely clueless, however...

I'm relatively new to the 5D Mk III having used a 60D previously. My question is this: when I am using AV mode, how can I see what points of the image are being focused on? With my 60D, this was clearly apparent through the viewfinder with it demonstrated the elements of the picture that were in focus (which is of course, very helpful!) however, despite trawling the internet I'm not entirely sure how I amend the settings on the 5D so that it enables me to see what sections are in focus.

If anyone could help, I'd be very grateful!

Many thanks.

 

[Loswr]

Sounds like you're used to automatic AF point selection, aka letting the camera pick your subject. You are the photographer, and you're smarter than your camera. I suggest you tell your camera what to focus on, rather than the other way around. Use single point selection mode, moving the active point around with the multicontroller and putting it over your chosen subject.

 

[pippaappip]

That's great, thanks for your reply. You're right in that I have been so used to automatic AF point selection that it was completely daunting picking up the 5D, especially as I'd read so much about how advanced this camera is.

Thanks again.

 

[Loswr]

With the 60D's 9 AF points, auto selection wasn't terrible - if it picked the wrong subject, you knew. But with the high density 61-pt array, you can get a lot of shots that are just a little off, it'll grab the shirt instead of the eyes, leading to OOF shots. Combine that with the thinner DoF you get with the same aperture on FF vs. APS-C, and you've got even more slight misses.

Spend time with the AF system. In Custom Controls you can set the multicontroller so it directly selects AF points. You can specify a default point, even a different default point depending on camera orientation. Pressing in on the multicontroller takes you to the center.

Have fun!

 

[sanj]

I think you should ensure you set the camera on 'show all focus points'. Try that. Regards.