# Back Button Focussing and AF Points



## Sabaki (Apr 16, 2014)

I just attended a Canon Roadshow over the weekend where one of the speakers was extolling the virtues of Back Button Focussing (BBF). 

The presenter explained about using BBF to gain sharpness on your subject and then recomposing your frame before engaging the shutter. It seems so logical and more precise to me!

His presentation finally made me 'get' BBF and I've decided to convert. Well, once the muscle memory kicks in


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## J.R. (Apr 16, 2014)

Yes it is great to be able to have the two functions, AF and shutter release work with separate buttons when you need time between locking focus and releasing the shutter. 

However, personally I use both methods depending on what I am shooting. I also believe that benefits of the BBF are overhyped. For most shooting, it makes very little difference which method you use - there are situations where using BBF does little except exercising the thumb


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## privatebydesign (Apr 16, 2014)

I tried it several times and never got the point, what I do find very useful though is AF button for AF OFF, this does the same thing in that it disconnects the AF from metering when you want, but I found I want them linked much more often than I don't want them linked.

Give both methods a try, most people I have demonstrated the idea to have found it makes more sense than the normal BBF.


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## Deleted member 91053 (Apr 16, 2014)

It took me quite a while to be convinced to try BBF, I was very skeptical! Well now I am happily eating my words, it is much more flexible - once you get used to it!


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 16, 2014)

johnf3f said:


> It took me quite a while to be convinced to try BBF, I was very skeptical! Well now I am happily eating my words, it is much more flexible - once you get used to it!



Agreed. I've tried the AF-OFF approach, but I don't find it as useful.


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## privatebydesign (Apr 16, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> johnf3f said:
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> 
> > It took me quite a while to be convinced to try BBF, I was very skeptical! Well now I am happily eating my words, it is much more flexible - once you get used to it!
> ...



I think its usefulness depends on your general subject matter, if you regularly shoot sports, BIF and other dynamic subjects it makes much more sense and once you are used to a way of doing it it makes sense to just use that approach for everything. If you shoot less dynamic subjects and have a camera with good off center AF points then it becomes less important, indeed it is the focus recompose scenario where I want to place the focus point out to the edge of the frame that I use BBOFF most. (I just registered BBOFF as a trademark  )


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 16, 2014)

privatebydesign said:


> I think its usefulness depends on your general subject matter, if you regularly shoot sports, BIF and other dynamic subjects it makes much more sense and once you are used to a way of doing it it makes sense to just use that approach for everything.



That makes sense. Most of what I shoot is pretty dynamic (birds, kids, etc.), and when I'm shooting static subjects, I'm often on a tripod and using Live View anyway.


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## AcutancePhotography (Apr 16, 2014)

Like most things in photography, there is no best technique. A lot of togs use BBF and a lot of togs never use it. Both groups are happy.

Since I do must of my stuff on a tripod, I find using the BBF and EL buttons easier to use. The advantage of using the shutter button is that one button does two separate functions. The disadvantage of using the shutter button is that one button does two seperate functions. ;D


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## mackguyver (Apr 16, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> privatebydesign said:
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> > I think its usefulness depends on your general subject matter, if you regularly shoot sports, BIF and other dynamic subjects it makes much more sense and once you are used to a way of doing it it makes sense to just use that approach for everything.
> ...


+1 though I use BBF so much for wildlife that it feels alien to me to press the shutter to focus now, even for static subjects. There is one huge danger to using BBF. If you hand someone your camera the shots will be out of focus. I have lots of blurry photos of me & my wife to prove it!


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## cid (Apr 16, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> neuroanatomist said:
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> > privatebydesign said:
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I have one custom mode registered that doesn't use BBF, in AI servo mode, zone focussing and switch to it when I want someone to take a photo of me


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## mackguyver (Apr 16, 2014)

cid said:


> mackguyver said:
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> > neuroanatomist said:
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Yep, that's what I did, too


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## cid (Apr 16, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> cid said:
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> > mackguyver said:
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Oh and I should mention I use it primarily for handheld closeups/macro


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## JPAZ (Apr 16, 2014)

I'm "hooked" on BBF. Not better or worse, just what now works for me. I recently got more aggressive using differing focus points, as well (had been center focus then recompose) and really appreciate the versatility this brings to the 5diii. Still training my fingers to find the button I want when I want it, but it is getting to be second nature.

And, I've gotten used to switching to the green square when I hand off the camera for someone to take a shot of us. Yeah, DOF not always ideal but the camera does a pretty good job of setting it up and exposing.


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## Sabaki (Apr 18, 2014)

Thank you everybody so much for your feedback. 

I am predominantly an action photographer, BIF, macro and other wild life so I'll keep an open mind as I go forward. 

Quick question: Using BBF, is the camera's AF performance still relevant? Number of AF points etc?


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## AcutancePhotography (Apr 18, 2014)

Sabaki said:


> Quick question: Using BBF, is the camera's AF performance still relevant? Number of AF points etc?



For all practical purposes the only thing BBF does is, if set up this way, to deactivate the shutter button from activating the AF and set up the back button.

There are some differences depending on how you set the AF servo mode, but the performance of AF and the number of AF points should not change whether you are using the shutter button or BBF.


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## JPAZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Sabaki said:


> Quick question: Using BBF, is the camera's AF performance still relevant? Number of AF points etc?



You can still choose zones and focus points on the fly it just separates the focusing form the shutter button.


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## climber (Jul 9, 2014)

Hi.

I would like to ask something those of you, who are using back button focusing.

Do you always have set to AI Servo (also when shooting stationary subjects) or do you toggle between One Shot mode (for stationary subjects) and AI Servo (for moving subjects)?

PS: I understand that, in case you use AI Servo for everything, you probably focus stationary subjects with a single press on a back button.

Thanks


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## Menace (Jul 9, 2014)

JPAZ said:


> Sabaki said:
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> > Quick question: Using BBF, is the camera's AF performance still relevant? Number of AF points etc?
> ...



+1

I'm so used to BIF that it's pretty much 2nd nature, in fact the first function I change on a new body is the BBF.


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## Tarkkaamo (Jul 9, 2014)

climber said:


> Do you always have set to AI Servo (also when shooting stationary subjects) or do you toggle between One Shot mode (for stationary subjects) and AI Servo (for moving subjects)?



AI Servo all the time. One Shot mode means just lifting your finger from focus button.


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## tdrive (Jul 9, 2014)

I use BBF all the time but i find a lot of times i have let go of the back button before pressing the shutter. In essence this is much like manually focusing and then i read this article which makes me wonder whether it is interfering with the metering (usually evaluative).
I guess the moral would be to not let go of the back button until you have successfully taken the shot?

http://www.foto-biz.com/Canon/7d-limits-of-evaluative-metering


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## tculotta (Jul 9, 2014)

Here's a quick primer on the benefits, as one person describes them, plus how to set it up (Canon and Nikon.)

http://www.naturettl.com/back-button-focus-game-changer/

Cheers,
Ted


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## GaryJ (Jul 9, 2014)

My macro is mainly rocking focus[MP-E 65] all other work,BIF,landscapes,portraits and stuff are all BBF ,after talking with a Canon service rep[hard to find in QLD Aus]I was shown the algorithms involved that convinced me of the benefits


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## mackguyver (Jul 9, 2014)

privatebydesign said:


> neuroanatomist said:
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> > johnf3f said:
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When I had no choice (older film bodies) I was very used to the half press focus and recompose, and I was mostly shooting portraits. When I moved into DSLRs and wildlife, that just didn't cut it for me and I tried BBF. I've been in love with it ever since!

Now we have the best of both worlds with the new 1D X firmware. You can set the back button AF button to AI Servo and AE lock button to One Shot, or vice versa. You can even customize the focus points and how they are selected for each button! As I don't use AE lock a lot, I did just this, and then moved AE lock to the custom buttons on the front.

I'm still getting used to it a bit, but for me, I use AI Servo 90% or more of the time, but will use One Shot when the light is low, subjects are still, etc. 

As for shutter+AF button, it drives me insane after using BBF for so many years. I have everything perfectly focused and then I push the shutter and wait (arghhhh!) for the focus then realize it's off after the shot fires. The delay and potential to re-focus make me crazy. 

That's just how I feel, but I completely understand other people's feelings to the contrary


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## pdirestajr (Jul 9, 2014)

The reason I love BBF so much is that it really allows you to take advantage of full time manual focus. Otherwise, when you touch the shutter again you are fighting yourself.
It really shines with weaker AF cameras like the 5DII, as I use center point AF to grab focus, then recompose and tweak focus manually while shooting. Really increases hit rate with shallow DOF shots.


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