AF Point Expansion with 5D II and Sports?

[ElCapitan]

I've been shooting high school basketball for about a month now, and I am really enjoying it. I have gotten some great shots, but I have also missed quite a few. I shoot full manual and use only the center focus point. I saw someone mention the AF expansion point function is great for tracking subjects. Does it make a difference when using only the center point, and would it work great for shooting basketball?

[jdepould]

I can't speak to that particular camera. I do know people who have used it for sports in a pinch, but it doesn't work as well as other bodies. It simply isn't designed for sports.

For basketball I usually set the camera to continuous focus (I think Canon calls it ai-servo), and lock my focus point selector to the center point so my nose doesn't change the AF point on me. I usually compose a little loose so I have some wiggle room for cropping and straightening in post.

[ElCapitan]

Originally Posted by jdepould

I can't speak to that particular camera. I do know people who have used it for sports in a pinch, but it doesn't work as well as other bodies. It simply isn't designed for sports.

For basketball I usually set the camera to continuous focus (I think Canon calls it ai-servo), and lock my focus point selector to the center point so my nose doesn't change the AF point on me. I usually compose a little loose so I have some wiggle room for cropping and straightening in post.

Yeah, the 5D II isn't the best for sports but it gets the job done. I am thinking about getting a 7D perhaps for the upcoming $200 rebate starting the 20th.

[BCampbell]

AF expansion on the 5D and MkII enables six "invisible" AF points that are clustered around the center focus point. They're used pretty much exclusively for AI focus tracking, and yes, will function when only the center point is enabled.