Sony a7C II Autofocus Settings: A Beginner's Guide

For moving subjects on the Sony a7C II, a good beginner starting point is Continuous AF, a Tracking focus area, and subject detection set to the kind of thing you are photographing, such as a person or a bird. The camera has 759 phase detection AF points covering about 94% of the frame, plus a dedicated AI processing unit that recognizes humans, animals, birds, insects, cars, trains and airplanes.

Autofocus in plain words

Autofocus is the camera's way of making your subject look sharp without you turning the focus ring on the lens. Think about your own eyes. When you look from your hand to a tree across the street, your eyes adjust so each one looks clear. Your camera does the same job by adjusting the lens.

The a7C II looks for sharpness using phase detection AF points. Picture them as a grid of tiny flashlights spread across your picture. Wherever a flashlight lands on your subject, the camera can check whether that spot is sharp. Sony's a7C II help guide says that when phase detection points fall inside your chosen focus area, the camera combines phase detection AF with contrast AF.

Three settings work together. Focus mode decides when the camera focuses. Focus area decides where it looks. Subject detection decides what it looks for. Like the lines of a short poem, each one has its own job, and they read best together.

Sony a7C II autofocus specs at a glance

Here is how the a7C II focus system lines up with the original a7C, based on Digital Camera World's spec lists and PetaPixel's launch report.

Feature	Sony a7C II	Sony a7C
Phase detection AF points	759	693
Frame coverage	About 94%	About 93%
Contrast AF points	Not listed in these sources	425
Dedicated AI processing unit	Yes	Not listed in these sources
Subject recognition	Human, animal, bird, insect, car/train, airplane, human pose estimation	Real-time Eye AF including animals
Burst with AF/AE tracking	Up to 10 fps	Not listed in these sources

With about 94% coverage, the focus points reach almost the whole picture, so your subject does not have to sit in the middle for the camera to find it. PetaPixel reports that the a7C II can shoot up to 10 fps with full AF/AE tracking, using either the mechanical or electronic shutter.

If you have seen the number 425 in searches, that figure in Digital Camera World's review describes the original a7C's contrast AF points, not the a7C II.

Focus mode: pick Continuous AF for things that move

The focus mode tells the camera when to focus. Continuous AF keeps adjusting focus for as long as you hold the shutter button halfway down. It is like a dog watching a tossed ball: its eyes keep moving with the ball the whole time it is in the air.

Sony's help guide for the original a7C says the Tracking focus area works only when the focus mode is set to Continuous AF. That same guide says a custom button set to Tracking On can switch the camera to Continuous AF and Tracking for as long as you hold it. Those instructions are written for the original a7C, so check that your a7C II behaves the same way on your own camera.

While you are learning, leaving Continuous AF on for kids, pets and anything else that wiggles is a calm, simple choice. If a shot misses, that is not a failure. It is the camera showing you which setting to adjust next.

Focus Area: tell the camera where to look

The focus area is the part of the picture where the camera searches for something to focus on. It is like telling a friend to look over by the door instead of somewhere in the whole room.

The a7C II has a Focus Area setting screen, and Sony's a7C II help guide describes choosing Tracking on that screen and picking the starting area with the left and right sides of the control wheel. For the original a7C, Sony's help guide lists the path as MENU → Camera Settings1 → Focus Area. The a7C II uses Sony's newer touch menu, so the path on your camera may look different.

The focus area options, in simple words

Sony's help guide for the original a7C names Zone, Flexible Spot and Expand Flexible Spot as focus frames you can move around the screen. As a rule of thumb, a smaller frame is more precise and a larger frame is more forgiving.

Digital Camera World's A7C review describes two ways of working. Picking a single AF point keeps things simple and predictable, while auto area AF lets the camera figure out what to focus on, which the reviewer suggested could be the best option for rapid, unpredictable movement.

Moving the focus frame without a joystick

The a7C II does not have the dedicated autofocus joystick found on the a7 IV. On the original a7C, Sony's help guide says you press the button assigned to Focus Standard, then move the frame with the top, bottom, left and right sides of the control wheel. Pressing the Delete button while you move the frame sends it back to the center of the screen.

If your focus box ever wanders into a corner and you cannot find it, re-centering it is a quick way to start fresh.

Tracking: let the focus box follow your subject

Tracking is like pointing at a friend in a busy park and keeping your finger on them as they walk. Sony's a7C II help guide says that when you hold the shutter button halfway down, the camera tracks the subject inside the focus area you chose.

The AF-ON button shortcut

On the a7C II, the AF-ON button is set to Tracking On + AF On by default. Sony's help guide says that while a key with that setting is pressed during still shooting, autofocus works together with tracking to keep your subject in focus.

In everyday terms, your thumb can handle focusing while your finger only takes the picture. A friendly way to practice is with a pet walking across the room or a child on a bike. Hold AF-ON, watch the box follow them, and take a few frames. Some will miss at first, and that is normal practice.

Eye detection and subject recognition

Subject recognition means the camera can tell what kind of thing is in front of it. Digital Camera World lists the a7C II as recognizing humans, animals, birds, insects, cars, trains and airplanes, plus human pose estimation. It says the a7C II gets the dedicated AI processor first seen in the A7R V.

According to PetaPixel's launch report, Sony claims the AI brings a 60% improvement with Eye AF and a 40% improvement for animals and birds compared with the original a7C. Those are Sony's own figures, not independent test results.

Turning on Eye AF

Sony's help guide for the original a7C puts these settings under MENU → Camera Settings1 → Face/Eye AF Set. → Subject Detection. That guide describes an On and Off option that sets whether the camera detects faces or eyes inside the focus area and focuses on the eyes. When an eye is found and the camera decides it can focus, a white eye detection frame appears. The same guide says that with face or eye focus turned on, the focusing frame moves to a face or eye on its own while tracking.

Your a7C II menu may name or place these settings a little differently, since it uses Sony's newer menu. Think of that white frame as a small thumbs-up from the camera: it found the eye and it is ready.

Match subject detection to what you shoot

Set subject detection to the thing in front of you. Choose the human setting for portraits, the animal setting for your dog, and the bird setting at the park. If the camera is looking for a bird while you photograph your nephew, it is a bit like searching for your keys in the fridge. Switching the setting is an easy fix, and now you know where to look next time.

In Digital Camera World's review, the reviewer reported that while following birds around a park, the A7C II held focus on the bird's eyes even when it moved its head quickly or turned away and back again.

A few autofocus notes for video

PetaPixel found that the a7C II has a slight advantage in video autofocus over the more expensive a7 IV, which it credited to newer AF algorithms. The a7C II also offers AI-based Auto Framing for video, which works with a crop.

The camera includes focus breathing compensation, though Digital Camera World notes it only works with specific Sony lenses.

A simple starting setup

1. Set the focus mode to Continuous AF for anything that moves.
2. Set the Focus Area to Tracking, and start with a medium-sized area near the middle.
3. Turn on face and eye detection, and pick the subject type that matches what you are shooting.
4. Use the AF-ON button with your thumb to start focusing and tracking.
5. Watch for the white eye frame before you press the shutter the rest of the way.
6. Take a few frames in a row instead of just one, then check them on the screen.

When a photo comes out soft: friendly fixes

• The wrong thing is sharp. Your focus area may be too large or sitting in the wrong spot. Try a smaller frame and move it onto your subject.
• The eye frame never shows up. Check that face and eye detection is on and that the subject type matches what you are photographing.
• The subject keeps escaping the box. Try Tracking, or a larger area, so the camera has room to follow.
• Everything looks a little blurry, even with focus locked. The issue may be motion, not focus. That is a shutter speed lesson, and a good one to learn next.

Every soft photo teaches you something. Look at where the focus box was when you took it, and you will usually spot the reason.

How the a7C II compares with bigger Sony bodies

PetaPixel reported that the a7C II shares most of its specs with the a7 IV, except for the dedicated AI processing unit and expanded subject detection, and that it outperforms the a7 IV in autofocus. PetaPixel also said the new autofocus system puts the a7C II on par with the much higher-end a7R V.

Digital Camera World's reviewer noted that the A7C II is a very similar design to the Sony a6700, with a full frame sensor inside. If you shoot with both cameras, the Sony a6700 autofocus guide covers the smaller body. For plain-English definitions of autofocus terms, the camera specs explained guide walks through them one at a time.