Having a photograph in focus is one of the most important things to remember when taking pictures. An out of focus picture distracts from your actual shot. Even if everything else is perfect, lack of focus can ruin a shot.

The Pentax K-x has four different focus point settings. Auto AF 5 point, Auto AF  11 point, Select and Spot.

Auto AF 5 point

In this mode the camera automatically selects a focal point from the 5 central AF points. This is also the default setting of the Pentax K-x. In this mode anything that comes into focus in the center or the four surrounding points of your composition is going to be focused on. The only problem with this, is that your camera is really determining what it wants to focus on, not you the photographer.

Auto AF 11 point

This mode is the same as the 5 point mode but expands to a wider range with 11 points. In my opinion this gives you even less control over your photograph. Your camera is again selecting the focal point for you, but this time from a much larger span of possible focal points, all 11 different ones. The only time I find either of the two auto modes helpful is when I know that something moving is coming through my frame. Then I let the camera quickly decided on where to focus. Although with no visible confirmation I don’t really know where the camera is focusing.

Select

Just like it is called, this mode allows you to “select” your specific focal point from the 11 different presets. This gives you great control over where you are focused. Set it to the far right focal point, and your camera focuses there. Plain and simple. Good for setting up shots when you know that you only want the left side, or right side in focus, the only drawback is that it takes time to change your focus point.

Spot

This is my preferred method of choosing a focal point. Whatever is in the center focal point, is focused on. Now of course you don’t always want whatever is in the middle of your composition focused on, so that is where focus and recompose comes in. You place whatever you want to be in focus in the middle of the viewfinder, press the shutter button halfway and hold once focused (to focus), then recompose your shot.

I find that setting my k-x to the “spot” setting gives me the most control over focus on my images. It also cuts down on the time your camera will be searching for a focus point. Instead you are telling it what to focus on, not the camera guessing. Although the auto modes are convenient if you are shooting action shots. Try it out!

Related posts:

1. Explaining different exposure modes
2. Using older lenses with the Pentax K-x
3. Using old Pentax lenses
4. Basic photography terms – Depth of field
5. Manual white balance on the K-x