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If you have a DSLR camera and want to take crisp photos of moving and stationary subjects, you need to know which autofocus mode to use. The following AI Focus vs AI Servo guide helps you understand the difference between these modes and which might suit your scene best.
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If you are shooting real estate interior photos of objects such as kitchen cabinets, you need a camera that can shoot crisp photos where the background is soft and the main subject is sharp. Most modern Canon cameras have three autofocus modes and a manual focus mode.
The difference between manual and autofocus is that manual focus allows you to adjust the focus manually when you want precise focusing results, especially in bad lighting. On the other hand, the autofocus mode allows you to conveniently and effortlessly focus on your subject. The modes include One Shot, AI Servo and AI Focus.
Although the same autofocus motor powers these modes, they use different algorithms for their Artificial Intelligence analyses, making them perform differently. Understanding the differences between the Servo and AI Focus modes can help you choose a mode that suits your situation best.
AI Focus refers to Artificial Intelligence focus, a type of autofocus system used in Canon DSLR camera to automatically detect the subject you are shooting and maintain a sharp focus. Generally, the AI focus is more of a general mode that helps to switch back and forth between the AI Servo and the One Shot mode.
AI Servo refers to Artificial Intelligence Servo Autofocus, an autofocus system in Canon cameras that focus continuously on moving subjects. This system uses Artificial Intelligence to analyze the scene and the subject and predict the subject’s next move.
The AI Servo mode works like the One Shot mode, only that it’s designed for moving subjects rather than stationary ones. That means it locks focus on moving subjects, just like how One Shot operates.
Keeping in mind that the two systems are designed for Canon cameras and use Artificial Intelligence to analyze the subject and automatically focus, they have the following similarities and differences.
Even if the two modes use distinct algorithms, they are designed to recognize the type and state of the subject, making them have the following similarities.
Although the two systems are used in Canon DSLR cameras and can perform well even in poor lighting, they are different modes with the following usability and flexibility differences.
The accuracy of an autofocus system refers to how precisely the system can recognize the main subject in the frame and keep a sharp focus on it. Usually, most systems lose the main subject, especially when shooting real estate interior photos in bad lighting.
As a result, the photo might have some elements in the background or foreground in focus, with the main subject soft and out of focus. Keeping in mind that the AI Focus is not an autofocus mode by itself, it tries to analyze the subject and decide whether to engage the One Shot mode or the Servo mode.
This creates a bigger room for error as the system might engage the One Shot mode when the subject is slightly moving or engage Servo mode when the subject is still, resulting in less precise results. On the other hand, the Servo mode is designed for moving subjects and can accurately track the subject's movement.
Generally, autofocus is easier to use compared to manual focus, especially for beginners. However, even with the autofocus system, you might need to look at the scene and decide whether the subject is stationary and engage the One Shot or the subject is moving and engage the Servo.
Usually, this can be challenging when shooting slow-moving subjects, such as flowers in the backyard being swayed by the wind, as you might not know whether to consider the subject to be moving or stationary. As a result, you might keep switching back and forth between One Shot and Servo.
On the other hand, the AI Focus helps to detect whether the subject is in motion and decide which mode to use. This makes it easier to use as the camera can switch between the Servo and One Shot modes on its own.
The camera needs power for the autofocus motors and Artificial Intelligence electronics to function. Usually, more electronics means more power consumption and shorter battery life. When using the Servo mode, you will have manually switched to the Servo continuous shooting mode.
That means you will have done a part of the Artificial Intelligence analyses by deciding whether the subject is in motion or stationary, saving on the battery power. On the other hand, the Focus mode is not an autofocus mode by itself.
As a result, it will consume battery power to analyze the scene and detect whether the subject is moving, and then allocate the focusing duty to either the Servo or One Shot mode. Generally, this is a double Artificial Intelligence, resulting in higher power consumption and shorter battery life.
The major distinguishing factor between AI Focus and AI Servo modes is speed. Usually, when you manually switch to the Servo settings, the camera knows you are dealing with a moving subject and instantly starts to continuously track and focus on the subject.
On the other hand, when using the AI Focus settings, the camera doesn't know whether the subject is moving or not, and it takes time to detect the subject's state before engaging the appropriate focus mode. This makes AI Focus much slower compared to the Servo.
Keeping in mind that the AI Focus helps you to switch between the other two modes, it's the best mode to use in the following situations.
Keeping in mind that AI Servo is specifically designed to help focus and track moving subjects, it's the best autofocus mode to use under the following circumstances.
The AI Servo is generally better than the AI Focus as it can instantly focus and lock the focus on a moving subject. Usually, this allows you to capture sharp photos of moving subjects without missing the best compositions.
The fast autofocus performance also allows you to take crisp photos even when using the continuous shooting mode. However, it's not the best mode for beginners unfamiliar with complex controls.
The above AI Focus vs AI Servo guide helps you understand how to use the Servo settings when shooting moving subjects and the AI Focus settings when taking photos of a subject that frequently alternates between moving and stopping.
