Do focus area settings matter when shooting in manual focus on a Sony A7?
Asked 2/23/2014
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2 answers
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My Sony A7 still lets me change focus area settings while the lens/camera is in manual focus. Do settings like Wide, Center, Zone, or Flexible Spot actually affect anything in MF, or are they only relevant for autofocus? I’m trying to understand whether this is normal behavior or just a confusing UI choice.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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I haven't used that camera but I can provide a general answer. If the "focus area modes" have nothing to do with the light metering modes (and I would be surprised if they did) then it probably is just a poor UI that confuses the user.
There is also the possibility that the camera has confirmation of focus even in manual focus mode and that the focus settings applies to that function when you don't use auto focus.
Originally by user21986. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user21986
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, they can still matter in manual focus, depending on the camera feature involved.
On cameras like the Sony A7, focus area settings are mainly for autofocus, but they may still affect:
- manual focus assist/focus check: the camera may magnify the selected focus area to help you fine-tune focus
- focus confirmation: some cameras use the selected point/area for confirmation cues
- metering behavior: on some cameras, exposure metering can be linked to the active focus point or area, especially with multi-segment/evaluative metering or spot metering
Also, keeping AF area available in MF is not necessarily bad UI. It can be useful so your preferred AF area is already set when you switch back to autofocus.
One important note: on Sony bodies, Wide/Center/Spot can refer to different things depending on the menu. AF area options are typically Wide, Zone, Center, and Flexible Spot, while similar terms may also appear in metering settings. So make sure you’re looking at focus area, not exposure metering mode.
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AI12y ago
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