Sony A77II autofocus tips and tricks
- The new Sony A77II autofocus capabilities are probably one of the significant improvements over the A77.
- Its advanced AF system has 79 phase detection AF points and includes 15 cross points within the central area of the sensor.
The recent A6000 represents better value-for-money and has an autofocus system that in some ways exceeds the capabilities of that in the A77II. But the added flexibility and customizability of the latter will appeal to many action and wildlife photographers. 
We’ll go over some settings that influence the performance of the focus area settings first.
Autofocus functions and focus Mode dial of the Sony A77II
- AF functionality is quickly set by the dedicated Mode Dial on the bottom left front of the camera.
- The usual choice of Single-shot AF (S), Continuous AF (C), Automatic AF (A, which switches automatically between S and C) or Manual Focus.
Tip: Set this to Continuous AF for action photography.
AF track Duration
The extent of subject-tracking duration can be fine-tuned in five steps in AF-C mode.
- A low setting is best for slow-moving subjects with predictable movements.
- A high setting delivers more responsive focusing for shooting different subjects at different distances, such as wildlife or sports photography.
These settings are also available in Full HD movie shooting. Tip: It might be a good idea to assign this to a button you don’t use much, or at least adjust this setting depending on the shooting conditions.
AF Drive speed
AF drive speed is switchable between slow and fast.
Slow mode
- This mode is best used for critical focusing. It’s linked to the speed at which the camera acquires critical focus, either when the lens has to bridge a big change in focus distance, or when the conditions force the camera to hunt when trying to lock-on.
- Different lenses behave differently, for instance; a wide prime lens has much less travel than a telephoto.
- The main advantage of slow mode is to cut down on hunting in low light and with tricky subjects. Overall focus speed is only slightly affected.
- Slow mode just takes a tiny bit more care, when approaching focus lock, not to overshoot or miss minor details in certain conditions.
Fast Mode
- Sports and action photography might benefit from using Fast.
- Note that switching from slow to fast does not necessarily mean you’ll get better results, as focus acquisition might differ only in the order of microseconds, which may be insignificant.
Drive mode settings
Much depends on your drive mode settings.
- I found that in Continuous Shooting Lo, the camera performs better with AF Drive Speed set to Fast.
- In Continuous Shooting Hi, I got the best results when AF Drive Speed was set to Slow.
AF range control
This feature is accessible via the C button.
- The AF range control allows you manually to select a foreground and background distance to which the AF system will not respond.
- This is similar to the focus limiter on some zoom lenses that restricts the range of distance the camera will attempt to focus on.
Tip: This in-camera feature is especially useful for shooting fast-moving subjects with a complex background that commonly distract camera AF systems.
Center Lock-On AF
- Turning on Center lock-On AF in the menu enables a feature where you can use the Multi-controller centre button to tell the camera on what to focus.
Procedure: frame your image so that your subject is in the center, press the Multi-controller to select that is what you want to focus on, and it will follow your subject.Pressing the Multi-controller middle button twice will cancel your selection. This software can recognise and track a subject based on colour and position.The active AF area is illuminated in white upon focus lock as a visual reminder of which point was manually selected.
- Tip: An interesting aspect of this feature is that if you lose track of the subject, it can resume the Lock-on AF function when the subject re-appears on the screen.
- Activating the Center Lock-on AF with the Multi-controller centre button (when Center Lock-On AF is set to ON) will override your selected Focus Area when your subject moves beyond the area and reverts to the Wide Focus Area.
- Deactivating it will go back to your selected Focus Area. It is not always dependable for fast moving subjects, but it is a great way of reverting to Wide Focus area in whatever Mode you are (except Lock-on AF Wide), when your subject moves beyond that field.
This does change the function of the Multi-controller middle button in all modes (except Lock-on AF Wide) as when it is OFF, it acts as a center focus button.
- Tip: After some experimentation, I found that switching it OFF yielded better results, as I prefer having the option of a dedicated center focus button as opposed to a lock-on follow focus button. Before going to the selectable Focus Area settings, you should know that all selective zone Focus Area settings are easily adjustable on-the-fly to other areas using the Multi-controller.
Focus areas
- There are a six different Sony A77II autofocus area settings selectable.
- For subject tracking in action photography, the Expanded flexible spot placed in the centre and physically tracking your subject after locking on with a half-press of the shutter button will generate the most number of in-focus images.
Tip: This mode activates adjacent points if it is in danger of losing focus, a very useful feature.
Wide focus area
The default option is the 79 point Wide Focus mode.
- When using this mode, the camera decides which of the focus points to use to set the focus.
- This mode is somewhat random, in the sense that it will lock-on to any movement in your image.
- If you have a lot of activity going on with different subjects, it will switch to any of the 79 focus points depending on what the camera thinks you want to lock-on too.
Great if you don’t mind what is in focus (as long as something is) but not so great if you want to track one subject.
Zone
-
- One of the 3 horizontal zones
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- One of the 2 vertical zones
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- One of the 4 corner zones
- The 72 AF points are divided in 9 zones.
- The three horizontal zones count 9 points while the two vertical zones adjacent to the centre each count 7 and the four corners each have 8.
- Zone mode lets you choose one of these 9.
- The camera will autofocus in the same way as wide focus area, but only in the selected zone.
Tip: Works well if you find the wide focus area setting too unstable in focussing on what you want , but you still want the camera to do some follow focusing without physically moving the A77II itself too much. Remember that you can always easily switch to different zones using the Multi-controller.
Center
- Setting your focus are to one center spot, limits it to focussing on that centre spot in the middle of the frame.
- If all else fails, using centre spot focus and tracking the subject yourself (keeping it in the centre of the frame ) is a proven technique of keeping focus.
Tip: Expanded flexible spot does the same with the added benefit of switching to adjacent points.
Flexible spot
- Flexible Spot is a manual AF area selection mode and lets you manually set the main AF point by using the Multi-controller to highlight one of the 15 points.
- This is comparable to the Center mode, except without the benefits of the dedicated centrally mounted AF sensor.
Related: Flexible spot points
- A related setting For both Flexible Spot and Expanded Flexible Spot is Flexible Spot Points.
- You can select if you want to use all AF area points or just 15 points spread out over the entire AF area.
Tip: I’d recommend setting it to 15 points and Expanded Flexible Spot if you want to use a Flexible spot zone, as this area setting activates surrounding AF points if it loses focus anyway.
Expanded flexible spot
- Expanded Flexible Spot mode keeps focus steady even if the selected AF point loses track of the subject, by activating eight surrounding AF points that recognise the subject.
- This is my favourite setting for action photography, as it gives you the most control over what the A77 MII is focussing on
It’s easy to run through the flexible spots (more so if you’ve set the limit to 15 Flexible Spots). Tip:
- switch to other zones by using the Multi-controller
- pressing the Multi-controller buttonputs focus on the centre of your frame
Lock-on AF: Wide
- Using all AF points, the camera will try to identify your target and follow it as the target moves in all directions.
- It adjusts target frame size based on subject characteristics and makes use of the optimal AF point for the smoothest possible autofocus. Just press the shutter to activate it.
Tip: Works well if your scene is not too busy, and is what I would call one of the advanced functions of the A77 M2.
Very nice website! (small typo under lens reviews: you wrote SEISS instead of Zeiss on one of the bottom zeiss lenses…)
I was wondering about this: “You can select if you want to use all AF area points or just the 15 central points.” Are you sure about the “central points” part?
On a few YouTube movies I saw 15 AF points spread over the entire AF area…maybe only when you use wide AF? (which wouldn’t make as much sense as in flexible spot modus)
S basically my question is: can you get 15 AF points over the entire area (not only in the center part) when you use flexible spot? Or only 15 central AF points??
I don’t want to toggle between 79 AF points 😀
Yes you can use 15 points spread over the entire AF area.
I’d suggest using though ‘expand flexible spot’, that also uses the surrounding AF points (think of it like a circle of extra AF points surrounding the flexible spot). If the A77M2 loses focus on the selected ‘spot’, it will automatically switch to one of these surrounding spots.
Thanks for the heads up on the typo, I’m on it 🙂
Thank you kindly for this information: I’m still trying to figure out all of the new focussing modes and this is really helpful!
Happy to help Richard!
Great article. I’m wondering how you came by the information contained in the article given the lack of information in the camera instruction manual.
Hi Ken, thanks! Yeah the manual isn’t very informative unfortunately.
I took my time to study the AF system and basically wrote down my findings.
For the more technical stuff, I browsed through all Sony’s worldwide literature on the A77II, and gathered bits and pieces of info here and there.
Thanks for the help. I had the A77 and now I have the A77ii. I am finding the AF control very very complicated and still can’t find a good guide on how to use it. For example turning on the Lock-on AF in the menu disable the Lock-on AF features in the AF menu. Then there are all the Object Tracking and Eye-AF features which may be available or mostly not available depending on all the other settings of the camera, like the Continues AF vs Single AF setting. Trying to figure out what setting has to be adjusted in what menu in order for a feature to work properly is getting really stupid. I know the camera has a lot of features and is very intelligent, but if I can’t ‘easily’ control the camera then it is actually not understanding what I want and it just hunts everywhere in a very intelligent but clueless way. I wish someone could actually create a guide for the A77ii AF system that shows EACH setting AND what all else needs to be adjust for it to actually work. I don’t shoot weddings or soccer games. What if I just want to shoot my dogs running. It doesn’t seem to have a tracking capability for that. I could be wrong though cause I can’t figure it all out.
Hi Kyle, I understand your frustration. I’d rather have a camera that has mor basic AF functionality, but is easier to use than all these features where you have to dive into the menu system at times when you don’t have the time for it.
The good news is that you do get used to the features after some time. I have it set up in a way that shoots my shooting style, and I’m very pleased with how it performs.
A workaround for now could be resetting your A77II, and use the Expanded flexible spot set to center and track your dog running, keeping the dog centered.
Nice guide, thanx a lot! I upgraded from A77 to A77M2, but how to use the Eye-Autofocus? Which AF setting to adjust, that it focuses on the eyeball?
Hi Michael, You’ll need to assign the eye-AF to a custom button
MENU → Custom Settings – Custom Key Settings – assign the Eye AF function to a button
1. Point the camera at a person’s face, and press the button to which you have assigned Eye AF
2. Press the shutter button while pressing the assigned button.
Thank you for this information!!!
happy to help Ron!
Thanks a lot! That is the solution. I searched all menu items for that feature, quite hard to find 🙂
Hi Michael, yes it’s what they call an advanced feature. Although all features are pretty advanced 🙂 Perhaps I should do an advanced features post!
Hi. Thanks this has been a big help. One thing I’m not sure of though is what you wrote.
“Drive mode settings
Much depends on your drive mode settings.
I found that in Continuous Shooting Lo, the camera performs better with AF Drive Speed set to Hi.
In Continuous Shooting Hi, I got the best results when AF Drive Speed was set to Lo.”
On my A77ii my AF Drive speed has fast and slow not hi and lo maybe that’s due to the area I live in?
I generally shoot in Continuous HI and wondering why changing AF drive speed to Lo/Slow would be more beneficial over using AF Drive Speed set to Hi?
Any help with this will be much appreciated.
Cheers.
Howie
Hi Howie, no that is a typo, I’ll change it: Drive speed hi is fast, Lo is slow.
Drive speed refers to the speed at which the camera achieve critical focus. Setting it to slow means the camera will take a bit more care in getting the focus right, resulting in more and better in-focus images.
The difference in overall speed when setting it to slow is minimal, you’ll hardly notice it.
You can try it out, but if you’re happy with the results ‘fast’ is giving you, no need to change of course.
Best, Wim
Ah that’s great and thanks for the explanation and now it makes sense. This has been very helpful as I’ve just moved over to Sony from Nikon so as you can imagine, it feels a bit alien to me at the moment. I wondered what would be the best focus system for action/wildlife photography so its nice to know that Expanded Flexible Spot is generally the best choice. There is the new Lock on Af: expand flexible spot which I would imagine would be good for hockey, football and anything that has a chance of something going in front of your subject at random times.
Thanks again for the help and explanation.
Happy to help Howie. Yes migrating to another brand is always a challenge. Sony hot a home run with this AF system, but it takes some time to learn all the features, and it doesn’t work as well for all scenarios straight out of the box. Enjoy your A77 M2!
Wow Wim,
I have this camera for just over a week and had opted for the body only version and got the DT 55-300 lens since I was primarily interested in bird photography and stuff.
I was a bit overwhelmed by the controls and realised it would be a real trial and error journey till I can master even a little bit.
Have seen numerous videos on the product and never came across a better compilation on the tips of this camera.
I had a Sony HX100V earlier (superzoom) which had a help button that explained each and every icon and its function on the LCD itself. Wish Sony could have added the same on this brilliant camera!
Thanks a ton!
I get a lot of views on this posts, but in this selfish world, rarely people take time to give me some feedback, thank you for that!
The A77 II is a complex camera, the AF features are fantastic, but it’s a steep learning curve. Did you know this camera isn’t selling that well? Seems like it looks too much like it’s predecessor, and consumers would like to see a redesigned body. A pity, as I think we’re sending the wrong signal to Sony: i.e. it’s better to make first generation ‘new’ cameras like the A7 with lots of bugs instead of something that is actually useable like a second generation A77.
Hi Wim and let me say thank you for offering up this info on the AF system of A77ii. I’ve got the original A77 and my A77 ii will be coming later today. Am looking forward to giving it a workout with the tips you’ve offered.
Hi Steve, you’re very welcome. Have fun wilt your A77m2!
I am still having trouble working out thA77ii – when I lock on a face with the white square around it, how do I make the double green square appear – I have watched Gary Fongs videos numerous times, but still cannot work out how to use this tracking feature properly. Can you help?
Hi Sue, firstly, have you tried half pressing the shutter button?
Secondly, Face recognition and tracking are 2 different features. You’ll see a white square appear when the camera detects a face, pressing the shutter button will focus on the face.
AF tracking will remember whatever you’ve selected to track, even if your subject moves out of your frame. The A77M2 will lock-on to your subject again when in reappears in the frame when you press the shutter.
Is there any way to assign the focus function to one of the buttons on the back of the camera and separate it from the shutter button? I got used to shooting this way with my Canon 5D mk II and I would like to continue working this way with my A77ii.
Hi Tim, yes there is. Go in the menu system, and look for “custom key settings” ( The gear/wheel symbol, on page 6). Choose the desired button and change the functionality to “AF lock”. You might want to change “Focus Area” to “Center” or “Expanded Spot” if you’re used to the “focus and recompose” technique.
Hi, I’ve not seen anywhere online yet about back button focussing on this camera, surely this would be better especially for sports and fast moving subjects and in conjunction with the new flexible spot af?
Hi Andy, I agree, it is an excellent way to use the A77II for sports. Different photographers use the same camera in different ways, if this suits you, go for it.
Wonderful collection of information! I’ve just gotten the A77ii and have started to dabble with the focusing modes and this is very helpful. Thanks, and all the best for 2015!
Hi Rob, it’s a fantastic camera, with a bit of a learning curve. But that only makes it more interesting! Have fun shooting.
Hi Wim,
so I got myself the new A77 II. I’ve been a Sony Alpha shooter for some time, but this is my first “advanced” body and there is a lot to learn, especially in the AF department – thank you very much for the very helpful info on the site.
The camera is fantastic by the way!
Tomas
Hi Tomas, I agree, it is a fantastic camera. It does work quite well straight-out-of-the-box too, but as different photographers have different needs, you’ll quickly find the urge to customise 🙂 Have Fun! Best, Wim
Thanks so much for writing this. Someone shared it in the “Sony Alpha SLT- A77 and A77II ” Technical Discussions about using the Sony SLT A77 community in Google Plus.
Hi Martin, good to know that my work is appreciated! Best, Wim
Thanks for putting so much information down in writing. I have watched numerous videos but its good to have a page to go through at your own speed. I have been doing sports photography for some time and recently upgraded to an A77ii. I have only tried it at one football match so far but first impressions (and results) were very good. I will try out the suggested combination of Hi continuous shooting rate with low AF drive next time with interest. I never thought of that one. Cheers.
Thanks for taking the time to write a comment Dave. Have fun with your A77M2, it’s an excellent camera.
Thank you so much for this clear & concise article! I just got my a77ii and OOB i was able to test its AF “intelligence” using the 55-300 SAM lens. It was smart enough to focus on the ducks behind the huge fallen tree trunk as they were playing in the lake. Set to aperture priority and in spite of being back lit the focus was very good. I will try out your other suggestions soon. Cheers!
Happy to help Michael! Enjoy your camera and photography. Best, Wim
Thanks for these tips. I am a long-time owner of the A77 and recently upgraded to the A77II. Both are fantastic cameras but the A77II in my opinion is the BEST in it’s market niche. The image quality is outstanding and the AF system is EXTREMELY powerful.
As you mentioned, there is a learning curve with the AF system… especially coming from the A77. These tips help tremendously. They help me utilize this fantastic camera to it’s fullest potential though I think the best is yet to come with more experience and practice. THANKS!
Hi Cholly, I totally agree. It’s currently the best APS-C camera when it comes to AF capabilities and general performance. Thanks for taking the time to write a comment.
Hi Wim, thanks for the review, very useful, especially when there isnt much good info about alpha cameras. Im planig to get 77ii or A7s. Can I ask you sir, what you thing about a77ii video performance. Is it really any better than 77 original, or could you comment on a77ii vs A7s, 7Dii, 7100. TY. Daniel
/ I have a77 a99 +ninja2+xlr-k1k+bag of glass and doing wedd foto-video combo jobs /
Hi Dan,
Yes, the A77M2 is much better than the original in every way. But, the A7s would be my preferred camera if you’re doing video too. Especially since you’re working in dimly lit places for weddings and such.
I don’t know if you’ve ever tried any of the A7 range cameras, but you should be aware that the autofocus performance isn’t up to par with what you have now.
thank you for your opinion 🙂
Talking about video – the AF on a77, 99 is almost useless for proper work, like most of video dslr /got to be good light, contrast-isch subject, and f about 5,6 and more…/ so I prefer, and Im happy to pull it manually, but there are moments where good AF would help me – and this is one of the reasons I,d like to try a77mk2 /not to mention all my lenses are alpha mount/
A7s is certainly better than a77II for video but there is lot of “buts” at this moment for me – eventually I might end up there.
/Or maybe a99 mk2 will get born :)/
Dan, The AF on the A77M2 is better and more flexible, in good light :). I’m not sure if this would be that much of an improvement for your shooting style. Although you can find them at bargain prices.
You could try the A7s with an LEAE4 adapter for now, but I agree there are a lot of buts with FE cameras for the moment.
I need help with my a77ii. I cannot figure out from the manual to get a good way to focus on taking nature shots. I have always used sony cameras and wore out two a700’s.This was suppose to be a great focusing camera. What am I doing wrong and what is the best setting it. Thanks
Hi Suzette, van you give some more info on what type of nature shots you do? Birds in flight? Larger static animals? I would definitely set AF drive speed to slow, that way the camera has some more time to reevaluate focus between shots. Try experimenting with tracking duration on low, and use AF range control set to your shooting distance.
Very good article. I’ve been shooting action with SLT’s since SONY first introduced them, but have had awful problems with the DT SAM 55-300 on my a77ii. At a recent airshow, shooting at 1/1250 sec and above, using every mode of continuous focus, af speed and duration, around 85% of all photos were fuzzy and the lens would also not focus between 55-90mm if I set it up accurately with af micro adjustment. I have now switched to 70-300 G SSM in the hope of getting results. Have tried using this G lens for shooting gulls gliding over but results are still fuzzy and out of focus. The G lens needs no micro af adjustment as it delivers perfect pin sharp photos on static subjects. Either my continuous af settings are wrong for action shots or the camera has an issue with tracking?
Hi Zas, i would advise you to play around with the CAF settings, see what works for you first. Good luck!
Hi thanks for your reply. I’ve had no help at all from other forums, it seems I’m the only one with this issue. I’ve been outside in strong sunlight for two hours this morning, shooting high shutter speed with gulls gliding over, and nearly every shot is fuzzy and unusable. I think there is an issue with the cameras af sensor. It is fine in single shot mode on a static subject, but anything moving it will not capture no matter what af settings I use and I’ve been doing sports photography or years. Very frustrating…my older a57 captured moving subjects beautifully.
Hi there – I am having exactly the same issue. I just upgraded from the a57 to the 77ii, thinking I would absolutely love it, but am finding the autofocusing issues to be so cumbersome and frustrating! I take mainly action/sports photography (soccer/football/basketball) and the a57 took beautiful shots, but unfortunately I dropped it. My first weekend shooting with the 77ii, the majority of shots were out of focus, even on the automatic settings (I got so frustrated I thought I’d go to the “sports mode” setting to see if that was better – nope). In any case, Wim, thank you very much for this. It is extremely helpful, and as you’ve noted, the learning curve is steep with this camera, even for dedicated Sony users. I was so frustrated after my last game, that I considered returning the camera and going with something else entirely.
I look forward to trying some of these settings at the matches I shoot this weekend.
Hi Elise, thank you and good luck!
Hi Elise…hopefully Zas will see this too. And hopefully it will still be useful to you even several months after posting your comment.
What you’re describing has not been unusual for a number of people trying out the 77ii. I shot a lot of bird photography with an a65…a very simple device compared to the 77ii. Yet I got better results with it, by a long shot.
I became quite frustrated, thinking I got a faulty camera…yet on static subjects and when testing the micro focus…things were about as sharp as you could hope for. So something just wasn’t jiving.
I tried many different settings but it was kind of a crapshoot how I went about it and I should have documented various steps but ended up getting to where I was literally ready to sell everything sony and move over to canon.
I by chance found a post on dyxum that outlined much of what I was seeing and I’ve included that below for you.
In a nutshell, there are two steady shot settings in this camera…the standard one, and the steady shot with shutter release. They are not on the same “page” in the settings so you’ll have to look for the latter.
Anyway I, and others, have found a significant improvement in the sharpness of bird photos by leaving the standard steady shot on (which matches what the a65 had) and turning the steady shot with shutter release to off. This affects how the viewfinder looks and tracks things, but by doing this, it improved image quality a lot.
Also some older lenses may not work as well with the af drive speed set to fast..and as Wim noted, he uses the slow setting here and that may work better with some lenses.
Beyond that it’s a matter of finding what focus mode works best for your needs. For birds I am finding an AF track duration of 2 to be good and use expanded flexible spot or expanded center spot most of the time. Seems to work best for what I do.
For those who have struggled with AF issues I think this thread from dyxum will be helpful and I hope reassuring!
http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/a77ii-ss-with-shutter-important_topic118469.html
I am disappointed that the AF range control does not work in movie mode. I guess the only option is manual mode. The idea is when filming sports events like basketball you don’t want to loose focus because some guy stood up and moved in front of the lens.
I would not recommend this camera,I am sorry I bought it. My issue is that I find what ever you choose what ever mode you are in you seem to fight with the camera they built to much into the focus system to much to remember.From the point when you have to choose the different modes with lenses how hey react.I do no have the time when I shooting .what happened to th good old days a camera body that lasted for 20 years great film great lenses if the digital world can just find a way create cameras that give everyone what they need.I luv the digital age but I feel it’s a rip off the costs are nuts,.I guess I am getting away from the topic.Getting back to the Sony a77mkii its to much built for focus system. Sony and all camera co. Wake up.
Hi…I had posted a fairly lengthly comment here to Elise and Zas…who had some focusing problems with the 77ii. Maybe the first comment is in moderation and if so you can delete this one. If it failed to go through I simply wanted to share this thread from the dyxum forum…I found, as many did here that simply leaving the main or standard steady shot on, and turning the other “steady shot with shutter release” to OFF, that it greatly improved the image quality and focus. Try that if you’re still struggling with good focus on moving subjects.
http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/a77ii-ss-with-shutter-important_topic118469.html
thanks Mark, looks good!