D3200 AF inconsistency

Hi all, from this newbie here!

Having tried with all 4 modes of AutoFocus on my D3200, I am realising that AF isn't very reliable or stable in Nikon dSLRs, or am I doing something wrong?!

First, I used the Single-Point AF mode, based in the center of the image; Things work well while you're landscaping, but gets tricky on moving subjects...

Then, I changed to Dynamic Area AF mode; Being center-wheighed, it suffers the same issues of the previous mode, perhaps with "polished corners"...

So I gave the 3D-Tracking mode a spin, and I am realising ~ when portraying my well-behaved(!) and standing kids that I often get blurry subjects against a very sharp background... It looks that this 3D mode isn't that much a 3D thing after all...

Ultimately, I changed it to Auto-Area AF mode, which still gives me the same issues of the previous 3D mode, also gives me the same headaches of the first two modes, although I end up losing a lot less of nice pictures than with the other AF modes.

So I decided to start studying the issue; I even went to the lenghts of testing my camera AF with this article, having found no errors at all.

So this is where I can be dealing with a user error, and your experient thoughts and ideas are now very welcome....

Thanks.

AF-S: for stationary subjects
AF-C: for moving subjects

You may also want to dive into your manual to learn more about the AF modes. Good luck

Oscariotrix said:

...I am realising that AF isn't very reliable or stable in Nikon dSLRs...

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I wouldn't be so quick to discount Nikon as the issue. I understand getting frustrated, but bashing Nikon around here won't get you far! Auto-focus isn't magic, moving subjects against a stationary background is beyond a difficult thing for an autofocus system to deal with, but you will get much better results with a better understanding of the different modes, and when to use what.

AF-S single centre spot focus....never had a problem ..all moving objects are tricky.

You may be getting what I call shoot throughs....focus on the centre of interest ...re frame and fully press

NFA Fabrication said:

Auto-focus isn't magic, moving subjects against a stationary background is beyond a difficult thing for an autofocus system to deal with.

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Yeah, I have a good understanding of the electronic processes involved, what sensor does what, what motor does what and most of the underlying infrastructure. On the flip side, camera electronics don't just read a photographer's mind trying to guess what needs to be sharp and what can be blurred out...

I often whack the camera into Auto mode; Covering a wedding or the like isn't very suitable to play around with M/P/A/S modes when you can't exactly risk losing "that" moment; And it's just in Auto mode I experience this AF inconsistency situation... Setting it to Single Point and...

pistnbroke said:

focus on the centre of interest ...re frame and fully press

Click to expand...

...is what I've been doing for ages, and is what gives me the best results in the long run, if not one or two mis-framed shots. Setting the camera into the other AF modes is a bit of hit-n-miss thing that often gets good results, but occasionally doesn't, and here's where I think it's all due to my own error...

I had a Canon AE1-P some 25 years back, and never experienced this type of problems with their AF modes (well, other woes involved)...

Anyways, thanks for your answers & thoughts.

Oscariotrix said:

I often whack the camera into Auto mode; Covering a wedding or the like isn't very suitable to play around with M/P/A/S modes when you can't exactly risk losing "that" moment

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Oh dear, should I say this out loud?

Holding back..............
Holding back.........
Holding back....
If I paid for a professional photographer and he shot all day on auto, I'd wonder why I paid for a professional instead of getting Aunt Margret to take photos with her compact camera.

Oh bugger, I said it.

Are you using AF-S or AF-C for your moving subjects?

Rexer John said:

...getting Aunt Margret to take photos with her compact camera...

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Will end up giving you a truckload of shaky & lifeless "compact" snaps, because aunt Margret has Alzheimer, but I like your sense of humor. (Y)

Dave_W said:

Are you using AF-S or AF-C for your moving subjects?

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When I jump out of Auto mode, I know what to use and when, and often is AF-C, but I don't (regularly) get any problems in A/S/P/M modes...

Oscariotrix said:

Will end up giving you a truckload of shaky & lifeless "compact" snaps, because aunt Margret has Alzheimer

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How do you know my Aunt Margret has alzheimer's?
I'll tell you this, her shots have great bokeh. She does pictures of weddings with 100% bokeh, very artistic.

It sounds like you may have a back focusing issue between your lenses and camera body. It would be a good idea to send both lenses and camera body to Nikon for adjustment. If you're still under warranty the service is free.

Rexer John said:

Oh dear, should I say this out loud?

Holding back..............
Holding back.........
Holding back....
If I paid for a professional photographer and he shot all day on auto, I'd wonder why I paid for a professional instead of getting Aunt Margret to take photos with her compact camera.

Oh bugger, I said it.

Click to expand...

I would not shoot of Full Auto....BUT.... You are not paying a photographer for how he shoots as much as what he shoots. The photographer who shoots technically perfect photos on manual using 5 point flash lighting can be some of the worse photos in the world because he was to involved in the CRAFT and not involved enough in the ART. It takes a great photographer to know where to draw the line.
We all buy the great cameras that have state of the art electronics for automation and then we don't use them to the best of their abilities. I shoot program most of the time. I use the command dial to change the shutter speed / aperture combo to what I want. I can do that without taking the camera away from my eye. Aperture or shutter priority mode are not needed most of the time for me then. I can look at the scene either before or after to know if I need to over or under expose the shot. Doing it this way lets me concentrate of the ART and not so much on the CRAFT.

Aunt Margret Does not understand things like composition, Shot choices, background distractions, lighting and professionalism.

Off my soapbox now.

Totally agree, photography is an art, both in camera (settings) and behind the camera.
My comment was tongue in cheek.

If a photographer shoots in the modes he's comfortable with and gets the desired results, that's all that matters.

I do think some people like to push themselves to the edge of their comfort zone while other might stay well inside it.
For a paid job you need to do what you have practised, a paid shoot is no place for learning the craft.

Right..., while that tongue in cheek comment was good for a laugh, and Don's point of view is quite valuable, I was here looking for an example of what brought me here with this thread.

View attachment 29348

This snap was actually taken by my missus in full Auto mode, and the Auto-Focus set to Dynamic-area AF.
While a little sharpening could be achieved in Photoshop post-processing, I realised I have quite a good number of pictures with similar results, taken with all 4 modes of AF in full Auto mode.

Funnily enough, most of those pictures were taken by my missus, as I rarely use full Auto. If it was me, I'd have used Aperture priority + AF-S with the idea of playing about with depth of field and bringing the background into focus (or not, in this case), but one way or another, the camera doesn't know who's pressing that button...

So, is this my error or camera error?!