Should I be using back button focus?

Crotal Bell

Crotal Bell

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Keith
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Seen a few nature photographers on Poo Tube saying BBF is far better for sports and wildlife?

Before I labour away for weeks on end to try and perfect it, thought I would see what the collective think of it's pro's and Con's?

And how does it work? Do you keep your finger firmly pressed on the BBF while using auto focus constant ?
 
It’s the way to go. once you have focus, let go of the button, then shoot away without the camera refocusing. Give it a go!
 
I use it all the time but it is not for everyone. If you do try it give yourself time to get used to it.
 
PJH99 said:
It’s the way to go. once you have focus, let go of the button, then shoot away without the camera refocusing. Give it a go!
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So I'm trying to understand the advantage.
If you half press the shutter, you don't shoot until you have focus, so how does pressing and releasing a back button make the process better?
 
Back Button Focusing is an alternative way to activate the cameras focusing system, so to take a picture you will need to press two buttons instead of just one. It does NOT improve the speed of the focusing system, and it does NOT make the focusing system more accurate. However, on the proviso that you have disabled focusing from the shutter button, you can use BBF to pre-focus, or, to stop the camera from continually focusing whilst in the middle of a burst. Will it improve your keeper rate, I doubt it.
 
I switched over to it 6 or 7 years ago and haven’t looked back. It gives me better control of how and when I activate focus tracking and separately when I take pictures. Takes some getting used to.
 
PJH99 said:
This explains better than I could :)

photographylife.com

What is Back Button Focus and Why You Should be Using It

photographylife.com photographylife.com
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A very helpful read, and not too sure if BBF would be that useful to me. I tend to be in AFC nearly all the time and find my still shots are fine, and the article suggests that if you shoot a lot of BIF you may want to stick with the normal focussing mode, and I was hoping it was advantageous for BIF really.
 
TimHughes said:
I switched over to it 6 or 7 years ago and haven’t looked back. It gives me better control of how and when I activate focus tracking and separately when I take pictures. Takes some getting used to.
Click to expand...
So do you stay in AFC and press-release for static images and then press-hold down for moving Tim ?
 
If I understand correctly, yes. Put another way. For moving subjects I’m using my thumb on the back of the camera to select the subject to track and activate tracking, resetting as needed, while the finger activates the shutter when there is a good composition and moment worth capturing. For static shots, ie on a tripod and subject also stationary, it’s the same method the only difference is fewer frames
 
Back button is good for moving subjects. Especially now when AF is so good with a green box showing it's locked in. You press 1 button to focus, to lock, another to shoot the photo.

It can also help with using it as a pure focus lock too for landscape. 1 button to focus then it's locked and then shoot with the other.
 
For many years I only ever used back button focus for landscapes as it separated the focus activation from the shutter button (I used to have to swap between manual and auto focus when using filters like 10 stop ND filters. The number of times I lost focus trying to focus through one of those filter was a pain). With a DSLR I never really saw the benefit for wildlife as I was happy with half press shutter button focus activation and liked to move the focus point around with my thumb on the joystick control, but since moving to a canon mirrorless I have started to use back button focus. The reason is because I sometimes want to use eye AF and its a pain to change it in the menus so I have the back AF-on button set for normal focus activation and the one next to it set to eye AF activation. This set up works for me now.If it wasn't for eye AF I'd still be using normal shutter half press focus and likely be getting along just fine.
 
Crotal Bell said:
So I'm trying to understand the advantage.
If you half press the shutter, you don't shoot until you have focus, so how does pressing and releasing a back button make the process better?
Click to expand...


Because you don't release the back button.. You keep hold and it keep focusing as the bird flies along and you can press the shutter anytime wihtout losing focus . for moving subjects its got the advnatage.. if you half depress while tracking then shoot... but want to shoot again quickly you have to focus again.. with a good system if its gone behind a branch your camera should hold focus and you can keep shooting but if you lost half depress by shooting) then ?

I am NOT BIF shooter I am sports but the same logic applies
 
I think I'm starting to understand the benefits.
A Heron is sitting across the river, I use single point to focus on the eye and let go, I can now move the composition so the Heron is off centre but when I take the photo the eye is sharp, the background is bokeh. Even though the centre focus point is off the bird when I shoot, it's already been locked on the birds eye. Clever.

The bird starts to fly, so I press and hold the back button and track with a constantly focussing burst.

I'll need to improve my tracking skills, I've been using a 9 grid block in the middle of the Pana G80 for BIF, which no doubt won't be great for locking on the eye of the bird at rest.

To be honest from my session today, the centred larger 9 grid didn't seem to grab more focussed shots than the smaller centre point anyway, but that could have been just me on the day.

I'll give it a try for a while, starting with the next trip out.
 
Crotal Bell said:
The bird starts to fly, so I press and hold the back button and track with a constantly focussing burst.
Click to expand...


juts track and keep your thumb pressed.. if your camera is good you are locked on.. you can fire shots off whenever you like and juts keep on tracking rather than shoot and then attain focus again

Crotal Bell said:
I'll give it a try for a while, starting with the next trip out.
Click to expand...


its takes some getting used to.. not something people switch between but once you gte used to it you wont look back.. I remember i tried it.. gave up.. then went back to it a year later and stuck wiht it ever since.. too many years to remember now :) some try it dont like it and dont go back.. theres no rules :)
 
Once tried, you'll probably never go back. ;)

There are some people that don't get on with it, but I've only known of a few.

It may feel a little strange to start with, but it only takes a few days to get used to.

If I'm not using BBF it's because I'm using a remote release . . .
 
KIPAX said:
juts track and keep your thumb pressed.. if your camera is good you are locked on.. you can fire shots off whenever you like and juts keep on tracking rather than shoot and then attain focus again




its takes some getting used to.. not something people switch between but once you gte used to it you wont look back.. I remember i tried it.. gave up.. then went back to it a year later and stuck wiht it ever since.. too many years to remember now :) some try it dont like it and dont go back.. theres no rules :)
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Thanks buddy
 
Sky said:
Once tried, you'll probably never go back. ;)

There are some people that don't get on with it, but I've only known of a few.

It may feel a little strange to start with, but it only takes a few days to get used to.

If I'm not using BBF it's because I'm using a remote release . . .
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I'm really looking forward to trying it, I was running late today and didn't have time to change it before dashing out for a walk.
 
I'm one that didn't get on with it, but gave it a good go. I think decades of doing it via the regular button means I quite like doing it that way... But definitely give it a try and see how you get on.
 
cymruchris said:
I'm one that didn't get on with it, but gave it a good go. I think decades of doing it via the regular button means I quite like doing it that way... But definitely give it a try and see how you get on.
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Thanks Chris
 
Oddly I find it completely necessary on my DSLR but never found the need on my mirrorless as it has all the fancy tracking and eye tracking functions anyway!
 
I'm another who tried it and didn't get on with it. Not a huge wildlife or sports shooter though.
 
Brazo said:
Oddly I find it completely necessary on my DSLR but never found the need on my mirrorless as it has all the fancy tracking and eye tracking functions anyway!
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Similar, used it on all my Canons, but found it wasn't necessary on the Panasonic M43s, would almost say it slowed things down a bit
 
I’m going to have to re read this threads, Ive never been able to grasp it.
i rarely use the tracking features in the camera, and know i should.
does it work as with say bird tracking?
 
Wookie65 said:
I’m going to have to re read this threads, Ive never been able to grasp it.
i rarely use the tracking features in the camera, and know i should.
does it work as with say bird tracking?
Click to expand...
It works well.

I don't often use it, the hardest for me often is to keep the bird in the viewfinder, and if I can do that, it focusses well anyway.
There are certain times when it is great, like a bird circling, and I am sure there are other times people can mention.

Maybe once I can always and easily keep the bird in the viewfinder, I could use it more and get better results
 
BBF is better with AF-C modes, with my D850 I simply select focus point place over eye of subject and press bbf button and then I basically have a scene where the subject is in and they are being focused upon. I can then hit the shutter when I’m ready.

Really no point with mirrorless as eye tracking will just find the eye and focus on it basically just doing the af-c bbf for you!!
 
Sangoma said:
It works well.

I don't often use it, the hardest for me often is to keep the bird in the viewfinder, and if I can do that, it focusses well anyway.
There are certain times when it is great, like a bird circling, and I am sure there are other times people can mention.

Maybe once I can always and easily keep the bird in the viewfinder, I could use it more and get better results
Click to expand...
Yes I know the feeling, no wonder many of my BIF are OOF when the bird is in the far corner of the image outside of the focus grid.
Tracking BIF is hard !
 
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