What type of AF points to use for airshows?

[3enrique]

I've got a Canon eos 80D if that helps.

Thank you!

[wallace]

I could be totally bitchy and say RTFM - read the flaming manual and leave it like that.

You ask a wonderfully rhetorical question, static or flying shots?

The best advice that I can give is just take the camera out to your local airport and practice. You don't even need an airport photograph any thing, learning from your mistakes is a good way to learn.

Personally I use the group of nine right in the center with back button focus, moving them around when circumstances dictate. AI servo for the moving stuff and one-shot for the not moving stuff.
When all else fails P for Panic and hope for the best... it works for me!

[3enrique]

I could be totally bitchy and say RTFM - read the flaming manual and leave it like that.

You ask a wonderfully rhetorical question, static or flying shots?

The best advice that I can give is just take the camera out to your local airport and practice. You don't even need an airport photograph any thing, learning from your mistakes is a good way to learn.

Personally I use the group of nine right in the center with back button focus, moving them around when circumstances dictate. AI servo for the moving stuff and one-shot for the not moving stuff.
When all else fails P for Panic and hope for the best... it works for me!

Thank you, I was indeed referring to the flying display. I had read about using the centre points but was afraid that that would lead to all shots having the same composition, with the aircraft in the middle and no way of taking photos with the rules of thirds also.

[flashman8]

I always use the centre focussing point, if you want to recompose so that the aircraft has space to fly into, then zoom out to give more space all round then crop.

[wallace]

Most aircraft photos usually have the same composition; close cropped and centered, so I wouldn't worry on that score

The center points work best, especially when tracking fast movers, when it takes effort to keep the thing in the frame. I sometimes off set the AF group, if I am shooting a formation flypast but this goes out the window of the formation closes and bunches together. In that case an auto selection of the AF points would work better.
As mentioned before - Frame it with plenty of space and crop to suit.

[alisdairanderson]

I normally use centre point (or centre zone), but if photographing a 'pair of aircraft in formation', watch out that the 'centre spot' isn't on the sky between them.... I tend to switch the focus spot for this type of display..... (either left or right, onto the closer aircraft, or 'all focus spots' if unsure of how they will display....)

eg:
DH88 Comet G-ACSS 20180519 OldWarden by steam60163, on Flickr

Cheers
Alisdair

[3enrique]

Thank you very much to everyone, you all have been of great help!

[wallace]

Every day is a school day.
I was curious to learn why I was losing shots due to poor focus and it turned out that what I thought was the camera using a group of nine Auto Focus points on the center was actually one with a little help from the others around it and when it came to AF on the grey of a Typhoon things started to be less than perfect.
So having gone back and taken my own advice to, RTF'nM, I now know that I should have been using a group of cross points.

It just shows one how it pays to question and revise standard practices.

[tom tiger]

Maybe this will help,

https://snapshot.canon-asia.com/article ... -af-points

All the focuspoints on the 80D are cross type, but the middle focuspoint is a dual cross type. Personally I set it to 1 focus point, just group (middle 9) or with formations I switch to middle zone.

There are also a couple of tips in there which I need to try out... esspecially Tip 2: Use “AF point selection movement – Continuous” for more flexible AF point selection.