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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nickt" data-source="post: 102103" data-attributes="member: 4923">Just to further babble on....  I think I finally have this straight in my head....AF-S, AF-C, and AF-A are servo modes. They decide how the camera will control the focus motor in response to the focus point data it is receiving. Basically it is the decision of will it focus once and stay put (AF-S) or will it refocus as needed (AF-C) during the half press. AF-A will try to determine which of those two servo modes is more appropriate. AF-S and AF-C can be individually tweaked in the focus menu for release or focus priority.The AF Area Modes (Single Point-AF, Dynamic Area-AF, 3D-Tracking, and Auto-Area AF) are methods for acquiring and/or maintaining a focus point. Some are better for action than others and some are unavailable if AF-S servo mode is selected. The details of each area mode are in the manual. These modes do not directly determine what the focus motor will do with the focus point. AF-S or AF-C servo mode will determine if it is a one time focus event or if focus will be updated.  So to the OP, try various AF area modes to see what best puts the point on the moving subject. Single point may be the fastest if he is heading right at you or you are panning. Whatever mode you choose to acquire a focus point, stick to AF-C servo mode for action shots as it might make the decision to refocus quicker than AF-A. Be sure to set a3 to off for the quickest response. A3 'on' might be helpful if you are following a sports player and distractions like back of someone's head might enter the frame. In that case, the delay from a3 will ignore a brief intrusion into the frame.</blockquote>

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