Focus Mode and Release Mode

SRCSRC
edited October 2015 Posted in » Nikon D3200 Forum
I'm new to photography in general, and I recently purchased Moose's cheat cards for the D3200. In general I can't figure out the last two steps - changing the focus mode and the release mode. I can't locate them on the menu. Am I looking in the wrong spot?

In particular I'm setting up for fast sports (high school football).

Any help is appreciated.

Comments

  • brutobruto
    edited October 2015
    For focus mode, use the [i] button on the back (bottom left). If the regular display is up, press the button once. If it is blank press it twice, to get the settings along the right side and bottom of the display. Use the up down and sideways arrow keys to get to the different entries (highlighted in yellow). Use the [OK] button to access the choices for whatever is highlighted. Make a choice with the arrow key, and then hit [OK] again to register it. You can just touch the shutter button to exit the menu or the [i] button to return to the regular data display.

    You can also select "AF area mode" in the shooting menu, but the [i] button is the only way to select AF mode. I don't know just why that is, but in any case, the [i] menu is the easiest way to do both.

    Focus mode is fifth down on the right, and focus area mode sixth down.

    For release mode, you have two choices. As long as you're in the [i] menu, it is the fourth down on the right, and you can choose it the same as you do the focus settings. There is also a dedicated release mode button on the back of the camera, second up on the right side of the screen, just above the trash can icon. Same choices either way. Use the arrow and [OK] to select.

    For sports you want the continuous release function, whose icon is three little boxes on top of each other.
  • SRCSRC
    edited October 2015
    BRUTO - Thanks a bunch!

    And thanks for such a fast response. I can't wait to try the new settings. I'm seriously brand new to taking pictures and have been covering high school football. I've just been turning the dial atop the camera to the sportsperson on the dial and clicking away.

    One question: will the continuous release function provide more pictures per second than the sportsperson mode I've been using?
  • brutobruto
    edited October 2015
    I believe the sports setting also sets continuous release, and there is only one speed for that.

    If you are shooting in Raw mode, the camera will begin to bog down after about 8 shots, and may then stall and resume at a slower pace. If you only shoot a few at a time, and wait between bursts, it will work better, and you may never notice a problem. If you must take many shots in a hurry, you may have to switch to JPG only. Keep the JPG size and quality as high as you can, and lower one or the other only if the camera still bogs down.

    Faster cards can help, but even with a dog slow card, the first burst of shots will occur at top speed, however many it takes to fill the camera's buffer. That's somewhere between 8 and 10 Raw shots, or 16 or 17 large fine JPG, etc., The speed after that, when the camera is writing to the card, will depend on the card's speed. Medium size "normal" jpg files will probably never slow down at all. Any time you interrupt a burst, the camera will continue writing to the card, and recover some speed.
  • MooseMoose
    @src - It looks like @bruto gave you some wonderful advice, as always! Just a heads up, if you scroll to the very last cheat card, you'll find a quick reference card that has the instructions for adjusting the focus mode, release mode, etc...

    Also, you mentioned high school football, are you shooting primarily at night or during the day?
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