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Focus/Exposure Lock

To compose photographs with off-center subjects:

  1. Focus: Position the subject in the focus frame and press the shutter button halfway to lock focus and exposure. Focus and exposure will remain locked while the shutter button is pressed halfway (AF/AE lock).

    Focus and exposure can also be locked with the AF-L and AE-L buttons, respectively (if AE/AF LOCK is selected for BUTTON/DIAL SETTING > AF-LOCK MODE, pressing the AF-L button will lock both focus and exposure).

  2. Recompose: Keep the shutter button pressed halfway or keep the AF-L or AE-L button pressed.

    Focus and/or exposure will remain locked while the AF-L or AE-L button is pressed, whether or not the shutter button is pressed halfway. If AE&AF ON/OFF SWITCH is selected for BUTTON/DIAL SETTING > AE/AF-LOCK MODE, focus and/or exposure lock when the button is pressed and remain locked until the button is pressed again.

  3. Shoot: Press the button all the way down.

The roles of the AE-L and AF-L buttons can be reversed using BUTTON/DIAL SETTING > AE-L/AF-L BUTTON SETTING.

Autofocus

Although the camera boasts a high-precision autofocus system, it may be unable to focus on the subjects listed below.

  • Very shiny subjects such as mirrors or car bodies.

  • Fast-moving subjects.

  • Subjects photographed through a window or other reflective object.
  • Dark subjects and subjects that absorb rather than reflect light, such as hair or fur.
  • Insubstantial subjects, such as smoke or flame.
  • Subjects that show little contrast with the background (for example, subjects in clothing that is the same color as the background).
  • Subjects positioned in front of or behind a high-contrast object that is also in the focus frame (for example, a subject photographed against a backdrop of highly contrasting elements).
See Also