As mentioned in previous pages, the Infinity setting locks the focus at infinity. Thus, only autofocus and Close-Up will actually activate the autofocus capability of the lens. The autofocus system has two modes, Continuous and Single, which operates in both the A-REC mode and the M-REC mode.
Under the Continuous mode, the camera continually adjusts focus, and, as a result, you will hear noise from the lens unit. Once the shutter release button is pressed halfway, focus is locked. Under the Single mode, camera focuses only if the shutter release button is pressed halfway down, and then focus is locked. So, what are the differences?
AF mode | Pros | Cons |
Continuous | Minimize focusing time. There is a time lag between pressing the shutter release button and recording the image. At least, the camera has to focus first. Therefore, if the camera is in the Continuous mode, focusing time is minimized because the camera will focus continually. | You cam take photographs even though the camera is in focus. Thus, in the Continuous mode, always check the the AF indicator to make sure the camera is focused before taking a photograph. Check here for the details. |
Single | Since the camera is not continually adjusting focus, the focus motor is not in operation until the shutter release button is pressed. This saves battery power. Under the Single mode, photographs can only be taken when the camera is focused, providing us with a more secure way of photo taking. | Because the camera starts its focusing activity only when the shutter release button is pressed halfway down, there will be a time lag between pressing the button and the camera being focused. As a result, your camera may not react fast enough. |
In A-REC and M-REC, the camera is in the Continuous mode if the LCD monitor is on; otherwise, the camera is in the Single mode if the LCD monitor is off. You can use the MONITOR button, shown below, to turn the LCD monitor on or off:
In the M-REC mode, we can instruct the camera to stay in the Single mode even though the LCD monitor is on. Note that when the LCD monitor is off, only the Single mode can be used. To activate the Single mode when the LCD monitor is on, follow the procedure below:
Note that once this option is chosen, it will stay there even after turning off the camera. Therefore, you need to go through the above procedure again to reverse the setting..