David Young offered: Subject: Leaving through the side door... >>>Like most of us, I try to post only photos which are technically very good, if not excellent. But this shot is testimony to the pitfalls of auto focus. The action moved so quickly, that the camera simply could not find the subject and so it focused on the only non-moving thing it could find ... the ground in front of the subject matter. Still, in all my years of watching rodeos, I've never seen a rider leave his steed in such a spectacular manner. Thus, technical flaws and all, I could not resist sharing the shot with you. As the cowboys would say, he was "leaving through the side door". http://www.furnfeather.net/Temps/SideDoor.htm<<<<< Hi David, I don't think this is the pit fall fault of auto focus not being quick enough, it's a super fast action that would more than test the ability of any photographer focusing manually! No matter who it is or who thinks he could focus fast enough to catch it pin sharp! I always prided myself at being able to manually focus very fast with long Leica glass, certainly covering sports of any kind. That was until I was given a Canon to try at the Olympics some years ago with a 300 2.8. Then I learned "just how slow I was" compared to the auto focus. Yes auto focus will pick the wrong spot if you if you don't make the camera do what you want it to do. Just the same as allowing the camera to pick and set the exposure without ones knowledge of what's right and wrong when looking through the view finder. Quite frankly I'm being weaned from my manual focus Leica SLR glass on my Canon digi cameras while using Canon glass, simply because it allows me easier faster handling of the camera with auto focus. Not to forget some failing eye sight in my 80th year. It also affords, in some cases, a better hit ratio of in focus images on moving subjects. I turn off all the extra focusing points, working only with the centre spot as this increases the speed of the auto focus action. By the same token you have to be right on the mark what you're shooting at, but that only means you make the camera do and go where you want it to. And in the case of the rider being dumped at such an unsuspecting speed and angle is an added factor at missing the shot. Not you nor cameras' failure! It's just one of those things in this kind of situation. Cheers, ted