5. Focusing

Canon offers seven focus points, which can be selected manually or automatically. Auto-focus can operate in two modes: spot, where you choose the point you want to focus, and predictive (AI Servo) where the camera attempts to stay in focus continuously, even if the subject is moving. All this is fairly standard nowadays. Nikon offers only five focusing points, and also has spot or predictive focusing, but there are three modes for selecting the focusing point: manual, dynamic (the camera uses all the focusing points) and on the closest subject.

Note that Canon also has a new "A-DEP" (Automatic Depth-of-field) mode that automatically optimizes the adjustment of the focus and aperture to keep the entire subject in focus - when that's possible, obviously!

Overall, we'd put the Nikon slightly ahead where focusing is concerned, especially since the optics (which are more elaborate, as we'll see) contribute to its slightly better responsiveness. In practice, the auto-focus is very fast on both cameras, and doesn't often make mistakes. For focusing in very low light, Canon uses the flash to facilitate operation, while Nikon uses a small lamp. On both cameras, the small lamp next to the shutter release serves as the self-timer indicator and is also used for red-eye reduction for flash shots. In low light, neither system performs very well; there is perhaps a slight advantage for the Canon, which sees a little better in the dark.

Naturally the autofocus can be disabled so you can focus manually, but the viewfinder doesn't always allow a high level of accuracy due to its small size. Of course autofocus is pretty much in general use these days, and amateurs rarely have to deal with manual focus situations. And you can always use the focus confirmation indicator in the viewfinder, except with very small-aperture lenses.

The indications provided in the viewfinder of the 350D are adequate overall, while Nikon offers a little more without becoming confusing. The big advantage of the Nikon viewfinder is its optional grid lines, which can be enabled via a menu. These really make life easier if you're into technical or architectural photography, and can also be a helpful aid to subject framing in general.

Both models give you a depth-of-field preview to see what will be in focus when your shot is actually taken. You press a button to stop down the aperture to the current setting.