I’m going to the Arctic to photograph polar bears and other wildlife with my D7200 and Sigma 150-600mm lens. What’s the best autofocus mode to use?

Roger Slennett

Jason says... If you or the animals are moving, it’s best to use AF-C (AutoFocusContinuous) mode, which includes ‘predictive focus tracking’. This continues working while the reflex mirror is flipping up, right until the moment that the shutter opens. For erratically moving wildlife, try using AF-C with its Dynamic-area option, selecting either 9, 21 or 51 AF points to best suit the size and movement of the creatures. Larger numbers of AF points cover more of the frame for tracking, but there’s greater risk that autofocus might switch to a different object in the frame.

Another option is 3D-tracking, which uses colour information to differentiate the main subject from its surroundings. Naturally, that wouldn’t be ideal for polar bears against a snowy background.

Continuous AF with Dynamic-area tracking is a good place to start, whereas the 3D tracking won’t work well for a polar bear against snow or ice