A7IV w/ FE 70-200 - Focus Issues with Action Dog Shooting

[Embeeous]

I’m struggling to get consistently focused shots of my dog running at me. My setup can handle the fastest flying birds coming in from all different directions, it should be able to handle this scenario, so I’m not sure what’s going on.

My setup and settings:

- Sony A7IV with Sony FE 2.8/70-200 GM OSS
- Manual (“M”) shooting mode
- AF-C
- 1/4000 - 1/5000 (she’s fast :))
- F4.5
- ISO Auto
- Face/Eye Subject set to Animal
- Face/Eye Priority in AF On
- AF Tracking Sensitivity 3 (Balanced) - I’ve also tried 1 (Locked), no apparent difference 
- Focus areas - I’ve tried Wide, Zone, Large Spot, Expanded Spot; Large spot seems to yield best results, IF it locks on
- Lens switch settings - AF, Full, OSS On, Mode 1. I’ve been using Mode 2 for years (for birds), but decided to switch to 1 last week because I’m really not panning side to side. 
- Lens barrel side button set to AF On + Tracking On
- Center dial button on A7IV set to AF On (Back Button Focus)

The process:

I put my dog in a sit and walk away from her maybe 20-30 yard. With the dog staring at me, I first use BBF to establish focus (big green box on face or little green box on eye), then release BBF button and depress lens barrel side button which is set to AF On + Tracking On. With the lens barrel button depressed and the green box still visible in A7IV screen on dogs head or face, I call her and start shooting. I generally do not see the box following the dog as I’m shooting but she’s quick and I’m focused no pun intended on keeping her in the frame and taking shots. 

The results:

Most of my shots are way out of focus, or focused all over the place but not anywhere on the dog. I have the Focus Frame Display turned on and it’s showing little and bigger green focus point boxes all over the place but usually not on the dog and almost never near its head or face where I thought I established focus. Tbh it seems like the shots are often not in focus where the Focus Frame Display says they are, but I’m making that judgement looking at shots on camera. I have a way of looking at larger shots on computer with focus spot identifiers but that’s not the point here.

The bottom line: 

I’m not getting consistently focused shots in what I’m thinking is a relatively simply albeit action oriented shooting situation. Something in my setup is wrong, or it’s user error, or both. 

My guesses:

- One or more settings are wrong or are conflicting with one another
- Something is getting messed up in the hand off from BBF (AF On) to AF On + Tracking On on the lens barrel, maybe I shouldn’t be using both one after another, again, user error, my settings, or both.
- Tracking is not staying locked on, again, something in the way I’m engaging or mistakingly disengaging it, ir there’s an actual issue with my camera or lens. Doubtful but possible.
- Maybe shooting a dog running at me versus side to side like a flying bird is not a simple shot after all🙂 

The attached is a straight transfer from camera to iPhone so I could share for illustrative purposes. Aside from making it brighter, I haven’t processed it yet. Just an example of what I’m trying to shoot. This was one decent shot out of maybe 50 lesser ones.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you in advance.

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[Cameratose]

So many variables.

One thing of note, almost every lens manufacturer recommends turning stabilization off above 1/1600-2000. You simply don't need it with higher shutter speeds, and the camera could misinterpret your movement as something that needs to be corrected. 

It sounds like you know what you're doing, so if you can follow the dog without tracking, then turn tracking off. 

Turn off all the fancy focus crap and try the shutter button half-press. Why make it so complicated?

I shoot racing, 200-300mph, Manual, never use a shutter speed above 1600. Med spot, shutter button half-press, tracking off, AF-C, sensitivity to 1. When the A7 IV was my main camera, I used a Minolta A-Mount 80-200 2/.8 HS AF G. Shooting a burst of 20 or so, I would typically get one or two out of focus and the rest were good. Usually, it was when the car passed something like the Christmas Tree and it tried to focus on that instead. On your OOF shots, is there anything in the frame that's in focus? Something the camera is trying to focus on?

I would simplify the setup and try again. If you think you have some conflicting settings that you can't identify, you could try a factory reset and start over.