3D image tracking - The camera and lens working together.

Female northern harrier photographed using 3D image tracking and continuous focusing.

A camera may have 3D image tracking, but that doesn't mean it can do a good job.  There are many aspects to tracking an image.  Here are some of the issues to consider:

• How fast is the subject moving?  Is the subject erratic in its movements?  
• You can often alter the refresh rate of your continuous focusing in menus, making it longer or shorter depending on various factors.  I keep mine as short as possible.
• Is there empty space before the subject?  How about behind?
• Many tracking functions have a problem with clutter, especially if the subject is partly concealed by it.  
• What model of camera do you have?  Newer/higher-end models will have faster processors and therefore can apply focusing algorithms that much faster than other cameras.  
• Although I have fairly good equipment, it is not the best, and I know many of my shots could be better in terms of focus and the number of images acquired on the maximum frame rate.
• What lens are you using?  The lens makes an enormous difference in how fast it can focus.
• Internal focus lenses (the lens does not change length with focusing) and ultrasonic motors (vibrations are used to turn focus rings, but at unprecedented speeds) combine to make excellent lenses that focus almost instantly.
• Does your camera have wildlife/bird detection?
• Cameras like the new Nikon Z6iii have the ability to detect birds and can ignore non-bird distractions in the image.  Pick a focus mode in conjunction with 3D to maximize your chances of getting a good shot.
• If your camera does not have 3D, or it does but it is slow, you may want to try using a wide area autofocus option with continuous focusing. 
• Some wildlife photo shooters have found that wide-area continuous focusing choices are faster than using the camera's 3D focusing.
• Remember to turn off horizontal anti-vibration technology when tracking so that the lens doesn't lock the lens in and you end up with a blurred image.

The truth is that you can only use what you have and you can only have what you can afford.  If you are very interested in 3D focusing, you can always rent equipment either for a short term shoot or to learn about the ins and outs of a system before committing.

The more you play with your features and experiment with them in real-life situations, the better you will be at understanding what you can do and what your limitations are.  You don't always need the best stuff.  I have taken many good 3D tracking images with my current equipment and stuff that is much older.  You can see some of my images below - all the equipment is Nikon except the 150-600 lens, which was a Tamron.

Nikon's D7000 series cameras have 3D focus tracking and have worked well for me in the past.

My current go-to camera and lens is my Nikon D500 and 500 mm PF prime.  I took the top image with that system less than a week ago.  And, although it is a good system, there is better out there.  The rub, of course, is that it doesn't come cheap.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com