BBF gives me total control on everything from Landscapes (hyperfocal and image stacking) to fast moving tracking of birds in flight. Once you set it up and your muscle memory kicks in, it becomes so fast and efficient that you don't even think of it. Thanks for posting this video as so many people still are unsure of this technique.
Nice, clear video, but it would have been more rounded if it presented the other side of the coin. For me, these are some opposing arguments that have kept me away from BBF. In the end, it is not pro versus neophyte, but personal preference. I am on A7s3, so don't know if this maps to other cameras. - My Record button (behind the shutter button) is set to MF. Allows me to quickly lock focus if I need to when in AF. Don't need BBF to do this. - If you keep the shutter button half-pressed between shots, it doesn't try to reacquire focus every time. This is easy on A7s3 because of the physical feedback from the button. I never accidentally allow the button all the way up. - If you are using Track Focus, it stays locked between shots as long as you keep the shutter button half-pressed. No need for BBF here either. - I use custom assignments for the C1, AF-ON and AEL buttons that lie under my thumb. C1 goes into drive mode, the other goes to 1/250s and the other goes to f8. This allows me to quickly catch a burst of photos, reduce motion blur or expand DOF. I have it like that because I am often shooting in low light with a slower shutter speed and large aperture. It's sometimes worth sacrificing image noise to get more subjects in focus or reduce motion blur. The point is, that I can hold any of those buttons down and still operate the half-press-to-focus shutter button and lock MF, all with one hand. Granted, if I used my left-hand for BBF, then I could still use those custom buttons with BBF, but it wouldn't keep my left hand free for things like tap-to-focus, swivelling the screen, turning the aperture ring, manually adjusting focus after I hit the MF button, etc. I hope this is useful to anyone considering switching to BBF. You may love it, but it's not a win-win for everyone. Try it for a while and see. I just tried it again for an hour after watching this video, but went back. I try it periodically every few years (when triggered by a RUclips video!), but it never fits my use cases. Obviously, it's a good fit for some people (not all pros though!).
I was doing photography since before cameras had electronics. While BBF is fine for some static subjects, it is not so great for things that move a lot. That is why I rely on the shutter button to focus precisely at the moment I am snapping the photo. I tried BBF for a couple months, and never had I missed so many shots. The time delay between pressing the BB and then the Shutter Button almost guarantees a missed focus. And then, if doing handheld micro shots, the extra movement of the camera will guarantee the same result. Instead, I rely on flexi-spot and follow focus nearly all the time. The rest of the time I am using manual focus for one of my "dumb" lenses.
Awesome video, very informative!! I never really knew what that button on the back of my Canon camera was for, I just thought it was something my thumb accidentally hit from time to time. Thank you again for a great video, I will be trying this feature out now!!
Totally disagree. Sure use it if you want, but if your good setting your focal points that matters more. Sharp comes from accurate metering focus. Admittedly, I don't shoot still subjects ever.
Great video as usual. But I'm a bit confused about switching between AF and manual focus and how that works. If we use AF-ON for BBF then you say use it to switch AF on.
Most cameras can be set so that turning the focus ring on the lens turns it on manual focus. Then when you press/hold the AF-On button it goes back to auto focus. Hope that makes sense.
3:26 there’s literally no difference in either method. Either way, you still have to get focus (either button) and snap the shot. Tracking will be activated by either method. Please keep in mind this is still an excellent demonstration of how back button focusing works, but I see no advantage.
Back button didn't work for me for a couple of reasons. I often shoot low to the ground moving shots viewing down through the screen, pressing the shutter using my thumb. There's also a slight weight shift on the right hand with heavier lenses (depending on the camera/lens combo) as you're thumb doesn't support the camera the same way. Also, depending on the camera/AF-ON button placement, camera size and hand size, the ergonomics can become uncomfortable over time. In many scenarios I agree back button is great.
Features related to BBF vary by brand and model, so a lot of these benefits are conditional or non-existent for many of us. AF/AE lock buttons have been around at least since early 90's and the function expanded as AF improved over time. I do use af lock on occasion, but BBF was not very useful to me outside of a few occasions when i was covering motorsports with a long lens on a tripod. One thing I have observed is that people that have a background in hunting with a bow or gun seem to have a grasp of "trigger discipline" that is natural in such a way that BBF is regarded as redundant. The corollary I find is that people that came to photography from a background of touch screen devices that depend on solid taps to take the picture or initiate any action, tend to be most vocal about BBF as a "game changer" for them.
This is also how I feel about BBF, it really doesn't seem to change anything for me at all and a lot of the special situations he brought up are also just solved by pressing the AEL button that both my film and digital SLRs have and/or using a continuous shooting mode. While I don't have a background with hunting, I have done a lot of target shooting growing up so "trigger discipline" right before firing a shot is extremely normal to me.
I am a photographer for 50 years. So I learned focusing manually. For many situations MF is still the best way; macro, through rasters. fixed distance etc.. (Oh not to mention Video!) Switching between AF and MF a problem? Forgetting where the button is? Sorry nonsense. I wish digital (mirror) camera’s like my D850 would have kept facilitating MF as my old Canon A1 from 1979. )
Dude, I am a professional and I have never used the AF button as for what I do, it changes absolutely nothing. Get something interesting to watch at least. Oh and by the way, it’s not a secret function. It’s written AF on the freaking button.
If I will put aside that back button focusing technique has something to do with if your photos are sharp or not I would tell that this entire subject is bit more complicated than presented in the video .. there is additionally one thing that I disagree with that completely - on high MPX count camera you will never get any comparable results to AF with manual focusing ... it is just impossible when you shoot from hand with camera stuck on your eye .. when your camera is mounted on the tripod and you're shooting some slow paced genre like landscape photography where you can zoom in and set your focus while in 1:1 zoom it's absolutely normal to use MF but not the other way around ...
Why would one need to focus then compose the shot? Why does one not compose the shot and then focus? Or is this one of those using the wrong AF things or a DSLR with the 20% focus area coverage? This isn't a secret button and it doesn't improve the focus of the camera.
@@Photography-Explained Using back button focus doesn’t make you a „pro“, neither does the half pressing shutter makes you a „noob“. It’s personal preference
@@Photography-Explained Yes, you can say that. I have watched a few videos from you in the past and I like them, the content is very interesting and well presented. I just think there could be a better thumbnails in some of your videos. I personally automatically skip every video that has „pro“ or „noob“ in it. Thank you too for replying to my comment!
@@Photography-ExplainedI am a professional photographer and I don't use the back focus button. And guess a what, I've already portraited the head of EU, all my countries big politicians, several Prime-Ministers, and I'm one of the European Commission's on site photographers... Heck! Most of my cameras not even have AF, and I get special requests to photograph using them. So no, professionals don't use back focusing buttons. We use the Zone focusing system when it can be applied. As a matter of fact, we tend to see people who "spray and pray" using that button... And we all know where that leads. And on my free time, taking that speeding car example you gave, you know what we do? We half press the shutter, swing the knob to manual focus (as the place is already in focus) and as all the cars will be passing in the very same spot/curb, we just press the shutter once we have it on that zone. Simple as that!
Personally, BBF is a waste of time. If you want the best of both worlds, take the button you would set for BBF, and change it to toggle between AF & MF. If you want to lock in what you're focused on from your AF, switch to MF, and you're locked. Also, "prefocusing" can be unreliable. For that, I use my camera's tracking feature.
@@Photography-Explained Focus Ring... I was being generic... And I grew up with microscopes... And it was a joke anyway... About one third of the time I focus manually anyway, because my autofocus does not work well on stars... It is an FZ2500 that I got about 8 months ago because my house got destroyed and i am living on a friends couch, so have no room to multiple lenses, so I got a camera with a 24 to 480 lens and a 1" sensor... The only problem is that no one has a modern design of a camera like that! I would LOVE for them to come out with a new version with modern auto focus technology, but the only ones coming out are ones with MUCH smaller sensors with, admittedly, much greater zoom range, but I like having a 1"(at least) sensor...
Back button focus is not really a good thing if you're using a lens with no optical stabilisation. If you press the back button to focus and then move the camera, you have to press it again to trigger the camera's in body stabilisation.
I just tested this on my A7R4 as I was interested. I can use back button focusing and then when I put any pressure on the shutter the image stabilisation kicks in.
@@Photography-Explained Thanks for the reply. Sorry, I've just tried it again on my A7R3 and you're right. I don't know what it was yesterday as I tried back button focusing for the first time but I was convinced the stabilisation didn't work as I said. It must be my age😊
How is it a secret button? Mine has even got AF written next to it. Have written to Fujifilm to see if my camera has any more secret buttons just in case. How can people take the content seriously when the title and thumbnail are ridiculous?
Not everyone who watches these videos are pros or even experienced amateurs. I am learning photography and I learnt a hell of a lot from this video and others of this guy. And bloody hell, it's FREE advice! Go moan somewhere else!
Yes, they confirmed that they do not have secret buttons and that anyone who wants to learn how to use their câmeras refer to the manual and not watch videos by peole who invent buttons that already exist. If you need any additional help please feel free to ask, but somehow feel your arrogance will prevent that happening. Sorry if I just revealed your biggest secret . . .
Nope! Just use central point focusing mode, use half shutter pressed, reorganize your photo and press fully. You cannot shoot, that the reason you like this kind of focusing. How many hands you have? 😎 If you use your thumb for back button focusing and your index finger for shooting how good grip you have? Then explain me, please how you fix the blur caused by shaking the camera because of your rubbish gripping the camera?😎😉
1:55 Yes, exactly what I said - you cannot shoot. What you explained just now that is soooooooooooooo hard to do I learned in 2 - 3 minutes with the first camera of my sister, Samsung S500, after that I bought Samsung S850, after that Canon 20D, etc., etc... You are not familiar with the right way to take photos, bro. It's ashame for you to have a RUclips channel and to learn the people how to make photographs by one of the worst ways that possible is. 😎
Nicely put video, but quite misleading. Focus locking only works if you keep pressing the BBF. If you press BBF and let it go, then every time you press the shutter - camera refocuses anyway.
Sounds like you missed the part where you set the camera to Manual Focus, many cameras have a swich to swap between MF and AF, otherwise it is a trip into the quick menu
to @ka3akvideos, It depends on how your the shutter button is set up. With Canon, if using back button auto focus, it's a good idea to go to the 'Custom controls' settings and set the shutter button to 'Metering start' That way the shutter wont auto focus as you have experienced.
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BBF gives me total control on everything from Landscapes (hyperfocal and image stacking) to fast moving tracking of birds in flight. Once you set it up and your muscle memory kicks in, it becomes so fast and efficient that you don't even think of it. Thanks for posting this video as so many people still are unsure of this technique.
Nice, clear video, but it would have been more rounded if it presented the other side of the coin. For me, these are some opposing arguments that have kept me away from BBF. In the end, it is not pro versus neophyte, but personal preference. I am on A7s3, so don't know if this maps to other cameras.
- My Record button (behind the shutter button) is set to MF. Allows me to quickly lock focus if I need to when in AF. Don't need BBF to do this.
- If you keep the shutter button half-pressed between shots, it doesn't try to reacquire focus every time. This is easy on A7s3 because of the physical feedback from the button. I never accidentally allow the button all the way up.
- If you are using Track Focus, it stays locked between shots as long as you keep the shutter button half-pressed. No need for BBF here either.
- I use custom assignments for the C1, AF-ON and AEL buttons that lie under my thumb. C1 goes into drive mode, the other goes to 1/250s and the other goes to f8. This allows me to quickly catch a burst of photos, reduce motion blur or expand DOF. I have it like that because I am often shooting in low light with a slower shutter speed and large aperture. It's sometimes worth sacrificing image noise to get more subjects in focus or reduce motion blur. The point is, that I can hold any of those buttons down and still operate the half-press-to-focus shutter button and lock MF, all with one hand. Granted, if I used my left-hand for BBF, then I could still use those custom buttons with BBF, but it wouldn't keep my left hand free for things like tap-to-focus, swivelling the screen, turning the aperture ring, manually adjusting focus after I hit the MF button, etc.
I hope this is useful to anyone considering switching to BBF. You may love it, but it's not a win-win for everyone. Try it for a while and see. I just tried it again for an hour after watching this video, but went back. I try it periodically every few years (when triggered by a RUclips video!), but it never fits my use cases. Obviously, it's a good fit for some people (not all pros though!).
I knew about the back focus button but your explanation is probably the best I have seen ! Keep up the good work!
I was doing photography since before cameras had electronics. While BBF is fine for some static subjects, it is not so great for things that move a lot. That is why I rely on the shutter button to focus precisely at the moment I am snapping the photo. I tried BBF for a couple months, and never had I missed so many shots. The time delay between pressing the BB and then the Shutter Button almost guarantees a missed focus. And then, if doing handheld micro shots, the extra movement of the camera will guarantee the same result.
Instead, I rely on flexi-spot and follow focus nearly all the time. The rest of the time I am using manual focus for one of my "dumb" lenses.
Awesome video, very informative!! I never really knew what that button on the back of my Canon camera was for, I just thought it was something my thumb accidentally hit from time to time. Thank you again for a great video, I will be trying this feature out now!!
Glad you found the video useful Paul! It took me a good while to wrap my head around back button focusing but I wouldn't be without it now.
Let me save you some time, there is no secret button for razor sharp photos every time!
Totally disagree. Sure use it if you want, but if your good setting your focal points that matters more. Sharp comes from accurate metering focus. Admittedly, I don't shoot still subjects ever.
Great video as usual. But I'm a bit confused about switching between AF and manual focus and how that works. If we use AF-ON for BBF then you say use it to switch AF on.
Most cameras can be set so that turning the focus ring on the lens turns it on manual focus.
Then when you press/hold the AF-On button it goes back to auto focus.
Hope that makes sense.
Great videos. I love your clear explanation of concepts. Subscribed. All the best with your channel. Very well done!
3:26 there’s literally no difference in either method. Either way, you still have to get focus (either button) and snap the shot. Tracking will be activated by either method.
Please keep in mind this is still an excellent demonstration of how back button focusing works, but I see no advantage.
Back button didn't work for me for a couple of reasons. I often shoot low to the ground moving shots viewing down through the screen, pressing the shutter using my thumb. There's also a slight weight shift on the right hand with heavier lenses (depending on the camera/lens combo) as you're thumb doesn't support the camera the same way. Also, depending on the camera/AF-ON button placement, camera size and hand size, the ergonomics can become uncomfortable over time. In many scenarios I agree back button is great.
Features related to BBF vary by brand and model, so a lot of these benefits are conditional or non-existent for many of us. AF/AE lock buttons have been around at least since early 90's and the function expanded as AF improved over time. I do use af lock on occasion, but BBF was not very useful to me outside of a few occasions when i was covering motorsports with a long lens on a tripod.
One thing I have observed is that people that have a background in hunting with a bow or gun seem to have a grasp of "trigger discipline" that is natural in such a way that BBF is regarded as redundant. The corollary I find is that people that came to photography from a background of touch screen devices that depend on solid taps to take the picture or initiate any action, tend to be most vocal about BBF as a "game changer" for them.
This is also how I feel about BBF, it really doesn't seem to change anything for me at all and a lot of the special situations he brought up are also just solved by pressing the AEL button that both my film and digital SLRs have and/or using a continuous shooting mode.
While I don't have a background with hunting, I have done a lot of target shooting growing up so "trigger discipline" right before firing a shot is extremely normal to me.
I asked a service technician from Canon germany about backbutton focusing. His answer: absolutely bullshit 😂
You asked a technician? Curious, why not ask a professional photographer?
@ i am a Professional. A real Professional……..
I am a photographer for 50 years. So I learned focusing manually. For many situations MF is still the best way; macro, through rasters. fixed distance etc.. (Oh not to mention Video!) Switching between AF and MF a problem? Forgetting where the button is? Sorry nonsense. I wish digital (mirror) camera’s like my D850 would have kept facilitating MF as my old Canon A1 from 1979. )
Wow... This was definitely a game changer for me. In the past few weeks, I've upped my photography game and this PRO TIP is a WINNER! Thank you!!!
Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
never thought of that. Pausing the video to get my camera and try.
Dude, I am a professional and I have never used the AF button as for what I do, it changes absolutely nothing. Get something interesting to watch at least. Oh and by the way, it’s not a secret function. It’s written AF on the freaking button.
Rewatch the video and learn about it then even you as „pro“ will know
Who hurt you, man?
I'm an advanced amateur and I tried bbf a few times, but I hate it :-)
It took me a little while to get used to it.
Houston, we have a problem! I can't find this Back Button Focusing thingi?
If I will put aside that back button focusing technique has something to do with if your photos are sharp or not I would tell that this entire subject is bit more complicated than presented in the video .. there is additionally one thing that I disagree with that completely - on high MPX count camera you will never get any comparable results to AF with manual focusing ... it is just impossible when you shoot from hand with camera stuck on your eye .. when your camera is mounted on the tripod and you're shooting some slow paced genre like landscape photography where you can zoom in and set your focus while in 1:1 zoom it's absolutely normal to use MF but not the other way around ...
Exactly. I'm a landscape photographer.
Why would one need to focus then compose the shot? Why does one not compose the shot and then focus? Or is this one of those using the wrong AF things or a DSLR with the 20% focus area coverage?
This isn't a secret button and it doesn't improve the focus of the camera.
Never heard of focus/recompose?
Mountains out of molehills.
Tried it never liked it
Fantastic elaboration about BBF. Thanks
I think the thumbnail is disinformative
How come?
@@Photography-Explained Using back button focus doesn’t make you a „pro“, neither does the half pressing shutter makes you a „noob“. It’s personal preference
I think it's fair to say that most pros use back button focusing and most noobs do not.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
@@Photography-Explained Yes, you can say that. I have watched a few videos from you in the past and I like them, the content is very interesting and well presented. I just think there could be a better thumbnails in some of your videos. I personally automatically skip every video that has „pro“ or „noob“ in it.
Thank you too for replying to my comment!
@@Photography-ExplainedI am a professional photographer and I don't use the back focus button. And guess a what, I've already portraited the head of EU, all my countries big politicians, several Prime-Ministers, and I'm one of the European Commission's on site photographers... Heck! Most of my cameras not even have AF, and I get special requests to photograph using them. So no, professionals don't use back focusing buttons. We use the Zone focusing system when it can be applied. As a matter of fact, we tend to see people who "spray and pray" using that button... And we all know where that leads. And on my free time, taking that speeding car example you gave, you know what we do? We half press the shutter, swing the knob to manual focus (as the place is already in focus) and as all the cars will be passing in the very same spot/curb, we just press the shutter once we have it on that zone. Simple as that!
Obsolete in today’ latest modern camera.
Tried it, didn’t like it.
Personally, BBF is a waste of time. If you want the best of both worlds, take the button you would set for BBF, and change it to toggle between AF & MF. If you want to lock in what you're focused on from your AF, switch to MF, and you're locked. Also, "prefocusing" can be unreliable. For that, I use my camera's tracking feature.
Or you can just, you know, turn the focus knob until it is sharp... 😂😂😂
Focus knob?
@@Photography-Explained Focus Ring... I was being generic... And I grew up with microscopes... And it was a joke anyway... About one third of the time I focus manually anyway, because my autofocus does not work well on stars... It is an FZ2500 that I got about 8 months ago because my house got destroyed and i am living on a friends couch, so have no room to multiple lenses, so I got a camera with a 24 to 480 lens and a 1" sensor... The only problem is that no one has a modern design of a camera like that! I would LOVE for them to come out with a new version with modern auto focus technology, but the only ones coming out are ones with MUCH smaller sensors with, admittedly, much greater zoom range, but I like having a 1"(at least) sensor...
BBF is effective only in cases where the subject and the photographer are absolutely stationery after acquiring focus
Back button focus is not really a good thing if you're using a lens with no optical stabilisation. If you press the back button to focus and then move the camera, you have to press it again to trigger the camera's in body stabilisation.
I just tested this on my A7R4 as I was interested.
I can use back button focusing and then when I put any pressure on the shutter the image stabilisation kicks in.
@@Photography-Explained Thanks for the reply. Sorry, I've just tried it again on my A7R3 and you're right. I don't know what it was yesterday as I tried back button focusing for the first time but I was convinced the stabilisation didn't work as I said. It must be my age😊
No worries! It was a good question as I didn't know the answer until I tested it either.
How is it a secret button? Mine has even got AF written next to it. Have written to Fujifilm to see if my camera has any more secret buttons just in case. How can people take the content seriously when the title and thumbnail are ridiculous?
Not everyone who watches these videos are pros or even experienced amateurs. I am learning photography and I learnt a hell of a lot from this video and others of this guy. And bloody hell, it's FREE advice! Go moan somewhere else!
@@antonburger01 👍👍👍👍👍
Did Fuji get back to you?
Yes, they confirmed that they do not have secret buttons and that anyone who wants to learn how to use their câmeras refer to the manual and not watch videos by peole who invent buttons that already exist. If you need any additional help please feel free to ask, but somehow feel your arrogance will prevent that happening. Sorry if I just revealed your biggest secret . . .
Yeah... I don't think Fuji got back to you did they.
clickbait
Nope! Just use central point focusing mode, use half shutter pressed, reorganize your photo and press fully. You cannot shoot, that the reason you like this kind of focusing. How many hands you have? 😎 If you use your thumb for back button focusing and your index finger for shooting how good grip you have? Then explain me, please how you fix the blur caused by shaking the camera because of your rubbish gripping the camera?😎😉
Nonsens!
I use a tripod…
1:55 Yes, exactly what I said - you cannot shoot. What you explained just now that is soooooooooooooo hard to do I learned in 2 - 3 minutes with the first camera of my sister, Samsung S500, after that I bought Samsung S850, after that Canon 20D, etc., etc... You are not familiar with the right way to take photos, bro. It's ashame for you to have a RUclips channel and to learn the people how to make photographs by one of the worst ways that possible is. 😎
Criticism can also be expressed without insults! Idiot(🤣)
Oh dear.
Nicely put video, but quite misleading. Focus locking only works if you keep pressing the BBF. If you press BBF and let it go, then every time you press the shutter - camera refocuses anyway.
That's not how it works. What camera are you testing that on?
Sounds like you missed the part where you set the camera to Manual Focus, many cameras have a swich to swap between MF and AF, otherwise it is a trip into the quick menu
to @ka3akvideos, It depends on how your the shutter button is set up. With Canon, if using back button auto focus, it's a good idea to go to the 'Custom controls' settings and set the shutter button to 'Metering start' That way the shutter wont auto focus as you have experienced.
Back Button Focus is only usefull if you set your Camera to Manuel Focus.