From a moving tour bus. Auto focus or off?

[Pecheurs]

Using an a6400 from a moving tour bus. What is the best focus setting? Auto off with fixed group setting using Auto?

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

iT all depends on your group seating arrangement...I assume you are asking for taking shots inside the bus of friends, colleagues, family etc.

Widish angle lens(20 or 24 mm lens) at F5.6 to f7 (dependant on the lens sweet spot) and high shutter speed(moving possible bumpy bus ride) with IBIS on, standing as far back from the group as possible and , with auto focus continuous on, focussing on a position of people at the front if the group seating plan is not too deep but focussing at the center if the grouping is deep seated.

I havent used the A6400 but the above general settings should work.

If you mean taking shots out from the bus window then auto focus continuous, with a high shutter speed and group area focus setting to freeze outside subjects(it will be difficult using a spot focus setting) or low shutter speed if you want to introduce relative speed blur.

The above would be what i would go for based upon the limited info you provided .........I am sure others in the forum will offer alternative settings that may work equally.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Using an a6400 from a moving tour bus. What is the best focus setting? Auto off with fixed group setting using Auto?

I think @Deleted Member 5003 is correct in both scenarios. I would add that the burst/continuous shooting mode will be helpful because you might sway in your seat or hit a pothole, or another car/pedestrian gets in your shot... so its good to have a series of pictures to review later on. Hopefully you're using a lens with OSS, as it helps a bit with the vibration (both the 16-50 and 18-135 kit lenses come with OSS)

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

I think @Deleted Member 5003 is correct in both scenarios. I would add that the burst/continuous shooting mode will be helpful because you might sway in your seat or hit a pothole, or another car/pedestrian gets in your shot... so its good to have a series of pictures to review later on. Hopefully you're using a lens with OSS, as it helps a bit with the vibration (both the 16-50 and 18-135 kit lenses come with OSS)

 

[Pecheurs]

My question could have been more precise which might have solicited a better response. I'm shooting outside of a windowed, moving bus through the glass. What settings on the Sony a6400 wouild be best using this camera?

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

My question could have been more precise which might have solicited a better response. I'm shooting outside of a windowed, moving bus through the glass. What settings on the Sony a6400 wouild be best using this camera?

Please see my original response wherein i covered both scenarios of shooting inside and to the outside of the bus.....or did i miss something....?

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

My question could have been more precise which might have solicited a better response. I'm shooting outside of a windowed, moving bus through the glass. What settings on the Sony a6400 would be best using this camera?

If you mean specific settings as in ISO, Exposure, or Aperture values; its not really possible to tell you that without being there, at that exact time, right beside you in the bus.
Best guess would be to use Shutter Priority or Manual so you have control over the amount of motion blur through exposure settings, with auto focus set to AFC, both mentioned by Deleted Member 5003, then round out your settings with burst/continuous shooting mode, and Auto ISO (since you can go from shadow to bright light often and quickly in a moving vehicle within city limits).

I will add this since your original post, and thread title, asked about autofocus off: The only time having the autofocus off has worked for me in a moving vehicle, is when driving parallel to large subjects in the distance (such as a specific mountain) and I was able to roughly focus manually on the subject as the foreground wizzed by in a blur (my intent). Your situation may vary, but I don't recommend this if your touring inside a city.

 

[Unframed Dave]

Only to add that the 6400 doesn't have IBIS, that came in with the 6500 onwards.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

One of the problems i have experienced whilst panning left to right to shoot object speed blur (which is effectively the same as taking a shot
of a static subject outside from inside a bus) and particularily for distant subjects(motor sport etc, speed boats etc)) is that as you start to pan when the subject is distant the focal distance is changing rapidly whilst as the subject nears the point of being directly opposite your camera this is not the case and if you have ISS engaged in mode 1 panning you will find, if shooting in burst mode, it will only be the shots as the subject approaches the
direct opposite point , at the direct opposite point and shortly after the direct opposite point that you will get the object in clear focus, although
if you have followed the track throughout your speed blur will always be present.

To counteract this i often engage my lens steady shot for erratic subjects (mode 3) which addresses 3d focus tracking in the "z" direction and with this i can achieve more subject shots in focus throughout the panning distance because the rapid change in focal distance in the "z" direction are compensated for by the mode 3 .

If at fairly close distances the change in the focal length is not as great as the subject approaches and moves past and you will tend to see a greater burst shot success rate even with mode 1.

Hope this helps......