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How many do the Back Button Focus thing?
- Thread starter nyer82
- Start date
Olga Johnson
Forum Pro
I've used back focus for quite a few years. It is particularly helpful in action and wildlife photography. Also very helpful to me personally because of a tremor in my hands and fingers which makes it difficult to hold the shutter button down half way in a steady manner. Using my thumb for focusing makes things much easier.
Jonathan Brady
Veteran Member
After reading a lot about it and seeing so many advocate it, I decided to give it a try. It took a few weeks, but it began to be second nature to me (now when I pick up cameras that aren't mine, I immediately try to focus with my thumb - doesn't work obviously).
I like it in combination with AI Servo focusing and high speed continuous shooting. This combo is an absolute game changer when it comes to nailing focus - especially of moving subjects. I just hold my thumb down all the time and press the shutter when ready to capture a picture (or a burst of images).
This also makes focus/recompose incredibly easy. You focus with your thumb and once focus is achieved, take your thumb off the button. Then, recompose your shot and press the shutter when ready.
This setup on my 70D is AMAZING. I just pulled my macro lens out this past weekend for the first time since I started using this setup and also for the first time since getting my 70D (upgraded from the 60D) and I've never in my life had SO MANY in focus macro shots. I'm used to taking dozens or even hundreds of pictures of a subject in the same pose to ensure I get critical sharpness. NOT NEEDED ANYMORE! I needed no more than 2-3 and usually the in-focus difference between the three was MINUSCULE, even when viewed at 100%. Often the deciding factor was a very slight difference in composition due to my body/camera swaying while shooting.
I HIGHLY recommend this setting for anyone who's interested in it. Test it out for a month so that you get used to it. The first day you'll probably hate it because it's so different, but it gets better and eventually, you prefer it and realize it's advantages.
I totally agree. Once I read about it and tried it (and got used to it), I was hooked. I like to do handheld "artsy" type of macro work with wide open apertures......sharp objects with creamy bokeh. At 1:1 macro work, the slightest movement (either me or my subject) will cause me to miss focus. So I use back button focus in conjuncture with AI Servo and center point focus (Canon 6d/100mm macro). My keeper rate has improved considerably. I'm sure there are reasons that others would prefer the factory defaults, but I can't see myself ever changing back (except for special situations). It does take some getting used to, but most that do, love it.
I've been using it for years now, it took a few weeks to make it second nature but after that there's no looking back.
For me the biggest reason to use bbf is that you don't have to reacquire focus whenever you remove your finger from the shutter button. Just focus using the back button and recompose and shoot away as many shots you like. With fast lenses I will refocus a couple of times to make sure I've nailed focus in at least one set of shots, just to be on the safe side, but usually end up with a lot of extra equally focused shots, go figure
Another reason is when you use AI SERVO and you're tracking a small subject like a bird and you see in the viewfinder something closer coming up, you can release the back button focus and continue tracking once the shot is clear to the subject. You're much better able to control when the camera must focus and when not to. This can net you a lot of keepers in tricky situations when speed is of the essence.
On the 7D it is especially useful as there are two back buttons to focus with using different AF points for each so you can easily switch. When a bird swivels around and fly in the other direction, you could have more space on the other side by switching to the other AF point for example. This is going by the idea that a bird needs compositionally space to fly into. Putting it in the middle using the middle AF isn't always the best one.
WilbaW
Forum Pro
Not trying to talk anyone out of it, just giving a different perspective...
The main reason I don't use it is it hurts my thumb (I have some permanent soreness in the middle joint). I also find it hard as a left-hander to make the right thumb and fore-finger do independent things at the same time.
The more I read about people doing it, the more it seems that many like it because it avoids holding the half-press of the shutter button. If you are comfortable doing that, a lot of the stated advantages are equally easy with just the shutter button, but I think overall it is the most versatile and adaptable way to go.
The main reason I don't use it is it hurts my thumb (I have some permanent soreness in the middle joint). I also find it hard as a left-hander to make the right thumb and fore-finger do independent things at the same time.
The more I read about people doing it, the more it seems that many like it because it avoids holding the half-press of the shutter button. If you are comfortable doing that, a lot of the stated advantages are equally easy with just the shutter button, but I think overall it is the most versatile and adaptable way to go.
Jonathan Brady
Veteran Member
snofox
Forum Enthusiast
How do you set up a Rebel (T5i/700D) for back button focus? Can you? I can't find anything in my manual or book by David Busch on the topic. I just assume it isn't capable of it.
EDIT: FOUND IT! I WASN'T UNDERSTANDING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE FUNCTION IN THE MANUAL VERY WELL. SORRY.
--
Pete
https://www.flickr.com/photos/plovell42/
EDIT: FOUND IT! I WASN'T UNDERSTANDING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE FUNCTION IN THE MANUAL VERY WELL. SORRY.
--
Pete
https://www.flickr.com/photos/plovell42/
Last edited:
nyer82
Senior Member
Canon makes things confusing. I'm pretty sure the T5i can do it. See this video. http://www.autofixinfo.com/AOjvhHoW...g-with-the-Canon-T4i(650D)-and-T5i(700D).html
ThorkildC
Well-known member
I've just begun using the BBF-thing' - and I really like it so far. I'm right-handed .. so the only modification i've had to make on my SL1/100D is to 'soft'-switch the buttons on the back. Just feels more comfortable on the small SL1/100D body.
It's an advantage when you are going after flying birds - or macro shots of insects, who have a tendency to move fast
Shot below was made with SL1/100D and 100mm, f2.8 non-IS - and using Back Button Focusing
You looking at ME ?
made with BFF, using SL1/100D with EF 100mm, f2.8 non IS.
It's an advantage when you are going after flying birds - or macro shots of insects, who have a tendency to move fast
Shot below was made with SL1/100D and 100mm, f2.8 non-IS - and using Back Button Focusing
You looking at ME ?
made with BFF, using SL1/100D with EF 100mm, f2.8 non IS.
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snofox
Forum Enthusiast
R2D2
Forum Pro
Big +1. +2 to AI Servo macro focusing also!
R2
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Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.
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nyer82
Senior Member
There are a few downsides to back button focus.
- On Rebel series cameras you will lose a separate button for exposure lock. You could map that to the shutter as well, but then you won't have three button ultimate control for exposure lock, shutter, and focus. --To me that's not such a big deal.
- No real advantage with my m42 lenses and af confirm adapter. AF has to be in one-shot mode for af confirmation beep to work with those adapters. Having the focus button mapped to something different than the shutter makes things more complicated with no upside. So I switch back to the default layout when I use these lenses.
- Be wary when giving the camera to other people. Change it back to default because otherwise it's likely the other person won't know how to focus.
Last edited:
007peter
Forum Pro
Yes/No. I have experimented with both. Here are my own conclusion:
Back Button [*] not that useful for Short/Wide lens from 10mm~75mm:
You're mileage may vary. I don't find [*] back button focusing a cure all as some Youtube video/Professional video are suggesting.
Back Button [*] not that useful for Short/Wide lens from 10mm~75mm:
- Wide angle lens have very Short Distance Travel, so there is little to no difference in AF speed between using
- back button vs standard single shot
- In practice, I find that I actually shoot faster using standard Single Shot AF (using the standard shutter) over
- button in most daily shooting situation
- Its a Canon thing, having use other brands, I find canon's single shot AF to be ridiculously fast that
- back button is rather unnecessary for daily task
- Telephoto Lens have Long Distance Travel, so a missed focus would often result in a precious 1/2 sec ~ 2 second lost waiting for the camera/lens combo to find focus again
- back button focusing eliminate this problem. The lens stay fixed @its prefocus area, when a player come into my viewfinder, I press the
- to engaged AF
- Another reason why I used
- back button is to reduced FPS drop when engaged in CPU heavy AI Servo focusing. This is something I observed about my canon DSLR. If I leave my camera in continuous AI Servo, the entire camera SLOW down and I never achieve the advertise 8fps on 7D nor 6.3 fps on 50d. But if I disengage focusing from shutter, and only hit
- back button when I actually need the AI Servo, I find canon dslr becomes more responsive.
You're mileage may vary. I don't find [*] back button focusing a cure all as some Youtube video/Professional video are suggesting.
David Sices
Member
According to Canon online support, there is no way to get back-button focusing with the SL1. How do you do it?I've just begun using the BBF-thing' - and I really like it so far. I'm right-handed .. so the only modification i've had to make on my SL1/100D is to 'soft'-switch the buttons on the back. Just feels more comfortable on the small SL1/100D body.
It's an advantage when you are going after flying birds - or macro shots of insects, who have a tendency to move fast
Shot below was made with SL1/100D and 100mm, f2.8 non-IS - and using Back Button Focusing
You looking at ME ?
made with BFF, using SL1/100D with EF 100mm, f2.8 non IS.
Custom Function 6 - change to 1 to put focusing on the * (ae lock) button and take it off the shutter. Shutter will AE lock instead
ThorkildC
Well-known member
Exactly! ..And you can even switch the place of the AE-lock and the Focus Point chooser' - I did as I found it a bit uncomfortable on the small SL1/100D body. So now I'm focusing with the top-most button on the right.
David Sices
Member
Thank you! It really works… Now why was Canon support not able to tell me that (rhetorical question not necessarily calling for reply)?
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