Back-button AF - inevitable?

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vaizki

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Jukka
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Since switching to Canon bodies with a distinct AF On button on the back, I've been toying around with the idea of removing AF from the shutter button. Gathered up my courage, changed the C.Fn today and played with it for a while... it's definitely feeling weird and having a lot of trouble remembering it :gag: I understand the pros of switching especially with FTM lenses and shooting the same subject over and over again.. and I already use it with close up tripod shots using live view (using AF to get close and then MF for the fine tune).

I used to shoot much more One Shot before getting the 7D, now I'm seeing more and more AI Servo use and not sure how well that would work, keeping 2 buttons pressed all the time.. My backup body is a 400D which doesn't have a dedicated AF on button (but it can be combined on the AE lock) but having gotten used to the 40D and later 7D the 450D is such a horror to operate anyway and the AI Servo is much worse so I'm not overly worried about one more detail :)

Is the switch to back button AF inevitable in my progression to develop a better technique and I should start as soon as possible, or is it more a matter of taste and I won't be held back by not adopting it?

Also does anyone use the AF on button in the "AF off" mode where it operates in reverse from back button AF? This would definitely be an easier sell to the wife who is already struggling with me not remembering to reset some more exotic settings on the camera before putting it back in the bag :bonk:
 
vaizki said:
Is the switch to back button AF inevitable in my progression to develop a better technique and I should start as soon as possible, or is it more a matter of taste and I won't be held back by not adopting it?
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taste.. lots use it.. lots tried and hated it.. i fall into the latter :)
 
whenever i give the camera to my wife i have to constantly say use 'use your thumb to focus' lol its second nature for me now, but using the af button just seems so natural i dont see why id ever want to use the shutter focus again
 
If I can get my 12 yr old nephew to use in on my S5 Pro then it must be easy :D
 
I find it so much easier! ... Just feels right to me and and leaves fingers free for twiddling the dials and pushing other buttons :D
 
i've never tried it, ive always had the back button tied to AE lock, which i like, maybe ill experiment with it one day (if the camera allows it, ive never checked!)
 
I've tried it and am with Kipax - hate it. I have my AF-ON button set to AF off. So I can do a focus and recompose if necessary whilst running AI servo but I normally select the appropriate AF point and run servo all the time.
 
No idea why you removed it.............

........just leave on both and use as the fancy take you!
 
I use back button AF, I love it, it makes recomposing so much easier when using AI servo on still objects :)
 
purpleclouds said:
I use back button AF, I love it, it makes recomposing so much easier when using AI servo on still objects :)
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Not sure I understand using AI Servo on still objects...............

...........in fact, I don't!
 
Mikesphotaes said:
And even more, I don't understand what that has to do with AI Servo?
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eh?

I can simply/easy with my thumb change my focus point to somewhere other than center point so dont need to recompose as purpleclouds does
 
Mikesphotaes said:
Not sure I understand using AI Servo on still objects...............

...........in fact, I don't!
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if you have the rear af button set to autofocus and not af on the shutter, you can leave it in ai servo or afc focus on the subject and take your finger of the af button(focus locked) then to recompose finger back on af button, then when your happy finger off, also saves having to change from afs to afc for moving subjects.:thumbs:
 
Mikesphotaes said:
No idea why you removed it.............
........just leave on both and use as the fancy take you!
Click to expand...

Well because in some situations I don't want the camera to start looking for focus when I press the shutter :) That's the whole point.. For example if I adjust manually after AF, I will lose that adjustment each time I press the shutter. If I shoot a singer on a stage in poor light, I want to focus once with all the hunting etc over with, then wait for the right facial expression etc and shoot. Also no way to stop AI Servo from changing focus.

KIPAX, the 7D also has the same joystick + 19 cross-type focus points so quite good for manual selection. Not a fan of focus + recompose myself either.

GB, sounds like AF off might be what I need.. I'll have to try out both ways extensively on my vacation in 2 weeks though. The wife's going to kill me for the back button focus so I will have to get a 5d2 and keep the 7D muahahaha
:nuts:
 
scottthehat said:
but which is faster.
also how do you change focus modes.
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never timed it.. but moving the focus point with your thumb doesnt take long :) also you can have a preset and also you can have it set at different points for holding the camera portrait or landscape.. it will remeber the last point you had it and revert to that when you go portrait... nifty stuff :)
 
KIPAX said:
never timed it.. but moving the focus point with your thumb doesnt take long :) also you can have a preset and also you can have it set at different points for holding the camera portrait or landscape.. it will remeber the last point you had it and revert to that when you go portrait... nifty stuff :)
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so how do you change focus modes from shooting cont focus to single point focus.
 
cannockwolf said:
whenever i give the camera to my wife i have to constantly say use 'use your thumb to focus' lol its second nature for me now, but using the af button just seems so natural i dont see why id ever want to use the shutter focus again
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I agree. Tried it and I will never go back. It's also convenient as theres another button right next to the AF * button on my camera that is centre point only focus, so by simply moving by thumb a bit I have a choice between all 45 AF points or just centre point with a press of the thumb.
 
Gnngh just realized that my 1D doesn't offer the AF off function for the back button.. so I can't use the same setup in all my cameras. The AF-on can be assigned there in all the cameras.. so I'll give it a try and take a beating from the wife.
 
What 1D do you have? I'd be mortified if I had a camera that didn't offer rear button AF, have you checked in the custom functions?
 
I tried it on canon and hated it, button was to small and found it very awkward to use. Tried it with nikon, can't shoot without it now :)
 
I've started using it recently, when I remember I've set it (and don't just shoot out of focus with the shutter button cos I forgot), and in some conditions it's so much more flexible. As has been said, you can set AIServo mode and still get AF lock and shoot away without refocusing all the time. I turn it off for macro, as having the AF confirm on the shutter button is way to handy.
 
trencheel303 said:
What 1D do you have? I'd be mortified if I had a camera that didn't offer rear button AF, have you checked in the custom functions?
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The original 1D .. and it DOES offer rear button AF via C.Fn but not the AF _OFF_ functionality.. so that I could keep AF on the shutter button and turn it off with my thumb when needed. Was thinking of using that combo to avoid a beating from the wife :D
 
right, i have never used AF-OFF functionality so I was getting confused and i didn't see you wrote AF off. Also what does your wife have to do with it?????
 
Well she takes more pictures than I do.. technically it's her work camera, although she works for our own company so.. :) But I digress.
 
purpleclouds said:
I use back button AF, I love it, it makes recomposing so much easier when using AI servo on still objects :)
Click to expand...

+1 on this.
Someone suggested I try it, almost gave up on it, switched back, then tried it again. Now I've got to grips with it it seems more 'natural'. Also, its difficult for someone else to pick your camera and take a shot with it! :)
 
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