How can I keep a moving subject in focus with a Panasonic FZ70/FZ72?
Asked 8/25/2014
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When photographing moving subjects such as animals, airplanes, or sports with a Panasonic FZ70/FZ72, I usually half-press the shutter to autofocus, then follow the subject and take the shot. Will focus stay correct while I pan with the subject? What if the subject moves closer or farther away after I lock focus? Does changing composition after focusing affect sharpness?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
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When you've focused the lens at a certain point you've actually focused an entire plane (that includes the point you've set your focus at) called the focal plane. This plane is perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens. Objects that are close to this plane (but not in it) may be acceptably in focus depending on the depth of field.
The left diagram below shows a subject that the camera locks it focus at. The red gradient shows the current depth of field where the more saturated the colour the better the focus. The area outside this gradient is out of focus.

Recomposing (as shown in the right diagram above) creates an angle between the new extension of the optical axis and the old one causing the focal plane to move. This throws the subject you focused the lens out of focus and the greater the angle, the greater the focus shift.
If the subject is moving this complicates things even further. If the subject moves towards the new plane of focus it will be moving into a more focused area, whereas if it moves from the plane of focus it will be even more out out focus than if it hadn't moved (like in the left diagram below).

You can increase you chances of nailing the focus by using a smaller aperture giving you a larger depth of field (the red gradient will stretch out further). You can also try to mentally visualise how the plane of focus moves in order to press the shutter at the exact time your subject moves into focus like in the right diagram above.
Originally by user21986. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user21986
11y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Focus is primarily related to subject distance. When you half-press and lock autofocus, the camera focuses on a specific distance, creating a focal plane. If the subject then moves closer or farther away, it may no longer be sharply focused unless it remains within the depth of field.
Panning left or right to follow the subject does not automatically change focus distance, but recomposing after focus lock can shift the focal plane relative to the subject and reduce sharpness. Whether the subject still looks sharp depends on depth of field, which is affected by focal length, aperture, and subject distance.
If your camera offers continuous autofocus or focus tracking, use that for moving subjects, since it can keep updating focus as distance changes. If not, sharpness will depend on having enough depth of field to cover small distance changes.
So: if the subject stays at the same distance, focus may remain fine; if it moves toward or away from you, locked focus can become inaccurate.
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