Canon EOS-1D/DS Dépliant

The Canon EOS-1D/Ds-series offers the broadest 

and most sophisticated autofocus capabilities of all 

EOS DSLRs. For example, the EOS-1D Mark IV 

alone offers 16 different AF custom functions. Many of 

these functions are unfamiliar to new users, yet even 

users who are familiar with them may have trouble 

remembering the full range of options.

This QuickGuide will therefore provide a 

summary of the most popular and useful functions 

related to AF point management, how they work, 

and the photographic problems they’re designed to 

solve. We encourage you to experiment with various 

settings so you can become familiar with how they 

operate and confirm which are most useful and when.
EOS-1D/Ds cameras allow you to control:

•

Whether AF points are selected automatically or 

manually

•

How many manual AF points are available for 

selection

•

Which manual AF point you select to be active

•

Whether the manual AF point can expand if 

necessary to achieve focus

This is the default mode. All 45 AF points are active. 

Whenever you’re set to Automatic AF point selection 

mode, the camera will automatically choose which of 

the 45 available points to use to achieve and maintain 

focus on your subject. This makes automatic AF point 

selection mode ideal for rapid shooting situations 

where the camera can focus more quickly than you 

can. How the AF points are selected and displayed 

in the viewfinder will depend on which AF mode the 

camera is set to.

One-Shot AF Mode: The camera will select the 

AF point(s) that cover the nearest subject with 

recognizable detail. The point(s) it selects will 

light up red in the viewfinder. 
AI Servo AF Mode: The camera will first use 

the center AF point to focus and begin tracking 

the subject. If the subject moves away from the 

center, the camera will automatically transfer 

focus to the outer AF points to continue tracking 

the subject. When Automatic AF point selection is 

combined with AI Servo AF, the active AF points 

will not light up red in the viewfinder. 

This mode allows you to manually select any of 

the available AF points to use for focusing on your 

subject. With any “Mark III” model you can manually 

select 19 of the 45 points, one at a time. With “Mark 

IV” models you can manually select any one of the 45 

points. 

Regardless of whether the camera is set for One-

Shot AF or AI Servo AF, the AF point you manually 

select will be the only one available. It should ideally 

be the one closest to the area of your subject you 

want tack-sharp and that will require the least amount 

of re-framing. To manually select an AF point:

1.  Press the rear AF Point Select Button. You 

will then have six seconds to turn whatever 

dial you prefer to use to select AF points.

2.  Use either the rear Quick Control Dial, the 

top Main Dial, or the Multi-controller to 

navigate from one AF point to another. 

Whenever you’re selecting an AF point, the one that 

is active will appear red in the finder. If a “ring” of 

outer points lights-up red, you’re in Automatic AF point 

selection mode. Either way, you can stop selecting 

when the point (or points) you want light red in the 

finder.

As a rule, professional photographers prefer to 

manually select the AF point closest to the area of 

the subject where they wish to focus. This minimizes 

the need to reframe as well as the risk of focus 

shift caused by reframing. When shooting moving 

subjects, you should set the camera to AI Servo AF. 

As long as you keep the AF point centered on the 

subject the camera will maintain focus.

There may be occasions when the area you’ve 

picked doesn’t have enough detail or it’s difficult to 

keep the AF point centered on the subject. The EOS 

1D and Ds therefore have custom functions that can 

be set to automatically adjust for such situations and 

thereby increase the percentage of sharply focused 

images. Custom Functions allow you to refine the 

AF controls on your camera to suit specific needs, 

preferences, and circumstances.