# new dslr advice



## mtnman (Mar 2, 2014)

Hey all new here. I have a t2i and am looking to upgrade and have a question. On the 70D can you pick which focal point(s) you want to use? For instance when i was on Vacation in Ecuador last Christmas i was taking pictures of Parrots in trees. My t2i wouldn't give me a clear pic of the parrots because it was focusing on all the branches and leaves in front. Can you choose one focal point or multiples on a 70D to focus on just the parrot in that situation?
thanks


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## Nevermore1 (Mar 2, 2014)

You can choose one onthe 70D.  If you are seriously looking at the 70D go to Canons site and download the owners manual, that way you can see exactly what it can and can't do.  I recently purchased one as an upgrade from a 20D and love it.  I am still learning how to use all the different settings.  For me personally I prefer being able to change the settings  on the live view screen as I was never really able to get the hang of changing them using the switches and dials on the 20D.


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## tecboy (Mar 2, 2014)

You have to read T2i manual.  It is on page 68.  You can choose one of the nine AF points.  70D has 19 AF points and can be choose one of them.


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## vimwiz (Mar 3, 2014)

Yes, you can do that on your T2i also...
Even my film EOS from like 1989 lets me choose between the focusing points.


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## Lumens (Mar 3, 2014)

I have a T2i and use only the center single focus point.  I don't remember the path to set it but it was easy, figured it out in just a few minutes of pushing buttons.  You may need to be in a different mode than "Auto" to get there.,  I believe "Auto" may use all the focus points.  With your T2i you can set most the same settings as you can with the 70D.  

The 70D does do more than the T2i, but if you are not into video save your money until you have learned the equipment you have.  The T2i is still a very good camera; the sensor on the 70D is said to be a little better than the T2i but not much and definitely not worth the cost if you already own a T2i.  Move up from the T2i when you have learned what your camera can do and find it cannot do something you want.

I did move up to a 7D, but only because I found I was losing shots of Birds in Flight like I really enjoy. The processor speed just wasn't enough to keep up with the continuous shots I needed for Birds in Flight.  Now I keep both my T2i and my 7D with me as the 7D is set for wildlife with a telephoto lens and the T2i is set for walk around with the EF-S 15-85.  The T2i takes just as good an image quality as the 7D, it just can't keep up with the Auto-focus and processing speed of the 7D.

If you do not have a specific reason to move up learn how to use the equipment you have first.  My son is a professional photographer and that is the advice he gave me - I believe it is the best advice I have received.


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## mtnman (Mar 3, 2014)

Lumens said:


> I have a T2i and use only the center single focus point.  I don't remember the path to set it but it was easy, figured it out in just a few minutes of pushing buttons.  You may need to be in a different mode than "Auto" to get there.,  I believe "Auto" may use all the focus points.  With your T2i you can set most the same settings as you can with the 70D.
> 
> The 70D does do more than the T2i, but if you are not into video save your money until you have learned the equipment you have.  The T2i is still a very good camera; the sensor on the 70D is said to be a little better than the T2i but not much and definitely not worth the cost if you already own a T2i.  Move up from the T2i when you have learned what your camera can do and find it cannot do something you want.
> 
> ...



You are right i need to learn what i have. Honestly i bought it when they first came out and rarely use it only when on vacation twice a year. After i first posted this i googled it and found out i can select a focus point. I wish i knew that when i was taking pics of parrots, but live and learn. Thanks for the advise, i am learning that without the right light, the camera doesn't matter as long as its a modern good camera like the t2i, at least for my tastes. A buddy that went their with us had a 7D and a 60D and none of his pics where any better than mine except for the long range shots as he brought a 12k dollar lens, was kind of stupid lugging that thing around a 3rd world country...


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## TCampbell (Mar 3, 2014)

The button which allows you to select focus points is in the upper-right corner on the back (btw, this is where it's located on most Canon bodies).  Poke that button and you can roll the main dial (the wheel just behind the shutter button) and it will move from point to point to let you pick the focus point you want.  BTW, if you keep rolling, it will eventually go back to lighting up all points again -- which is auto-select mode.  In auto-select mode a Canon camera will always pick the focus point which able to lock focus at the nearest/shortest focusing distance.  

The 70D has the same arrangement of 9 focus points, but on the 70D each point is a "cross type" (two axis" phase detect auto-focus) which tends to be more accurate provided the point is ON the element in the scene that you want to use to lock focus.  On the T2i only the center point is two-axis... the remaining 8 points are single axis only. 

Achieving good focus does rely on you knowing the how the focus system works and learning to exploit it.

Here's a video series by Rudy Winston of Canon -- explaining how the autofocus thinks and works.  It's in 3 parts (each part is about 30 minutes if I recall) but it IS worth investing the time to learn the nuances of how the focus system works on any camera.

Part 1 of 3: A Look at The Canon Autofocus System - YouTube
Part 2 of 3: A Look at The Canon Autofocus System - YouTube
Part 3 of 3: A Look at The Canon Autofocus System - YouTube


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## mtnman (Mar 3, 2014)

thanks, Ill check it out


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## Lumens (Mar 3, 2014)

mtnman said:


> A buddy that went their with us had a 7D and a 60D and none of his pics where any better than mine except for the long range shots as he brought a 12k dollar lens, was kind of stupid lugging that thing around a 3rd world country...



Exactly, every Crop Frame camera Canon makes (T2i to 7D) except a small improvement on the 70D is the same sensor.  Therefore Image Quality is pretty much the same.  Each version has its own bells and whistles making it stand out like the 7D that is designed for Outdoor Action Sports or the 70D designed more for video, but getting a better image requires better knowledge of the tool and simple experience using the tool.


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## JerryLove (Mar 3, 2014)

Except in live-view where the 70D has, what, 10 million focus points?


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## grafxman (Mar 3, 2014)

The best thing you can do in the situation you describe is to have your camera set up to use the back focus button for all your focusing. That way when you get things in focus they will stay in focus unless you or your target moves. You can use any focus point to get the target in focus then, if necessary reframe the image, and snap the photo. The camera will refocus on any thing it sees first, usually foliage, when you try to take a photo when the focus is set with the shutter button. Here's a sample image:

IMG_0752 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Note that the bird's eye is in focus while the intervening foliage isn't in focus. I simply focused on the bird's body then reframed the shot and took the picture. Of course it's nice to have a lot of focal points available but when using the back focus button it often isn't necessary.


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## mtnman (Apr 26, 2014)

Well i just got back from a trip to the sonoran desert and still want to upgrade from my t2i, mostly for size because i hate lugging around a dslr, i am ready to pull the trigger on a sony a6000. Opinons?
thanks


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## KmH (Apr 26, 2014)

JerryLove said:


> Except in live-view where the 70D has, what, 10 million focus points?



The technology used in the 70D for Live view is like having 20 million phase detection AF modules in the camera, but you don't get to choose which one(s) get used.
Canon U.S.A. : Dual Pixel CMOS AF.

With AF points and regular phase-detection AF, regardless the focus and area mode chosen only 1 of the AF points can be used to determine the plane of focus.



> http://www.imaging-resource.com/new...-autofocus-secrets-of-the-canon-70d-explained
> 
> Note, though, that I said phase detect operation, as that's only part of the process the EOS 70D uses in live view AF, at least for still-image focusing. Part of the reason the 70D's Dual Pixel AF isn't as fast as the conventional separate-sensor approach is that the 70D only uses Dual Pixel technology to achieve rough, initial focus; it then switches to contrast-detect focusing to check focus accuracy and, if necessary, fine-tune focus. (The other part is that data most likely can be read out from the dedicated AF sensor more quickly.) This means that the slightly lesser accuracy of Dual Pixel CMOS AF doesn't affect ultimate focus accuracy, just the speed with which you achieve it.


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## Lumens (Apr 27, 2014)

mtnman said:


> Well i just got back from a trip to the sonoran desert and still want to upgrade from my t2i, mostly for size because i hate lugging around a dslr, i am ready to pull the trigger on a sony a6000. Opinons?
> thanks



I can relate to the bulk of the DSLR, I picked up a G16 myself for when I  want my photography to be a bit more discreet and easier to carry.

The mirror-less Cameras are getting better and better, but do not yet match the IQ of DSLR.  I understand the sensors are there but the lenses are not.  I believe Fuji and Sony are in the lead for mirror-less innovation.  I have been told by a good friend the Fuji XT1 is phenomenal with the 18-55 lens but the 55-250 not so much.  He loves his XT1 and was about ready to get rid of his DSLR until he really put it to the test.  He still relies on his 5DIII for professional Quality.


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