think about what happens when you are using the camera in AF mode. you have to push a button to say when to focus, usually the shutter button. the interface works quickest when the time you set focus is when the scene is composed. the manuals for the beginners all assume this too. besides, a modern AF camera will let you set metering and focus points separately. an evaluative metering system won't need to worry about individual focus points anyway. as you read earlier, i have yet to switch any of my cameras equipped with it from the evaluative mode and prefer to use the exposure compensation button.
i'm not sure why the connection between spot metering and shallow depth of field. they sometimes are related in a scene, but frequently not. i care about exposure of out of focus objects too. i frequently turn off AF when i am doing macro work because there could be too many possible things to focus on at varying distances under the same AF point, and i turn if off when i need the hyperfocal setting on my lens. Rob Studdert and i have had a private exchange of our macro flower pictures taken strictly in AF mode. both of us are satisfied that AF works well a very large percent of the time and that the critical thing on an AF camera is how easy is it to override the camera when it is clear it isn't doing what we want. this applies to exposure too. Herb.... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Whaley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 06:39 Subject: Re: On Manual and Auto Focus > Is that right, Herb? > If it is, obviously I don't use one regularly...but, when I have used > AF, if the depth of field is going to be narrow, I always use spot > metering, and I see no way one could compose first, and focus second. It > won't work that way.
