The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D Companion

Focus Modes

Canon calls the type of focusing we've been doing so far one-shot autofocus. No matter which focus point you're using, you set focus once for your shot and then take the picture.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: USING ONLY THE CENTER FOCUS POINT

Some people like to set the focus point on the center point to gain better control of the camera's autofocus mechanism. The technique works like this: Set the XS to the center focus point, and from now on you'll know that the camera will always focus on the center. If you have a tricky composition, you can place the center focus point on your subject, press the shutter button down halfway to lock focus, and then reframe while continuing to hold down the shutter button.

Figure 6-5. To guarantee that the gravestone was in focus, I switched to center-point focusing, focused on the stone, and, with the button held down, reframed my shot to get the composition I wanted.

As you know, once you've locked focus, the camera will hold it until you release the shutter button or press it the rest of the way to take a picture. So, once you've locked focus, you can reframe as much as you want without losing that focus. When you have the image composed the way you want, press the button the rest of the way to take the picture.

The advantage to this technique is that you don't have to pay attention to where the camera is focusing. Instead, because you've made the ...