# EOS-1D X, Dual Back Button AF



## Steve Todd (Mar 9, 2014)

Having used the back button AF method for several years, I thought I would try the dual back button feature made possible by the recent 2.0.3 firmware update. Until the new firmware update, I separated the AF Start function from the Shutter Button using the normal back button method. My focusing method was to have the AF-ON button set for AI-Servo AF. If I wanted to quickly lock the focus, I would simply focus using AI-Servo AF, release my thumb from the button, reframe the subject and shoot. I could have just switched between the two modes by pressing the AF Drive button on the top deck and use the Main Dial to switch between One-Shot AF and AI Servo AF. However, that just wasen't quick enough for my shoot style. 

Prior to the new firmware update, you could program one of the programable buttons to toggle between AI-Servo AF and One-Shot AF. However, that required me to press the button set to toggle between the two AF modes (I used the Multi-function 2 button), with my second finger (middle finger) while using my thumb to press the AF-ON button to focus and my index finger (pointing finger) to release the shutter. That's not good either. Sure, I could have also left the shutter button to the default setting (AF and Metering Start-Shutter Release), but I still like separating those functions.

With the new firmware update, you can now program the AF-ON button to AI-Servo and the AE lock button to One-Shot AF. Once set, they are then dedicated to perform those functions when pressed and held in regardless of what is set on the top LCD panel. Having used this now for a few weeks, I find it the perfect match for my style of shooting.

To program these functions, use page 343 of the updated EOS-1D X Manual (downloadable from the Canon USA website). Simply use Custon Function 5 (Operation, Custom Controls) To make the programming changes to the buttons. 

BTW, I programed the MF2 button for Spot AF and the DOF button for AE Lock, as I rarely use the DOF button anyway. I also program the M-Fn button next to the shutter button for the Viewfinder electronic level function.

Using the two back buttons for instant AF selection and activation, together with the Shutter button only used for metering and shutter release, add a great new operational capability to the already wonderful camera. I just wish I could setup my 1D4 to do the same!

I realize this was a rather lengthy explanation, but I know I like it spelled out fully when someone suggests a new method to me! Hope this helps! It is definitely worth trying!


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## 9VIII (Mar 9, 2014)

Good post. Sounds nice.

Shooting birds (Magpies and Chickadees, you take what you get) in the bush this week I found myself changing between single shot and Servo a lot. If the bird is moving you want tracking, but if there's a bunch of twigs in the way you need it to stick with your subject and not hop around on all the things between you and it.
I almost wish there were two shutter buttons.


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## StudentOfLight (Mar 21, 2014)

Great feedback. Happy there is added functionality with these firmware upgrades as opposed to only getting bug-fixes and sorting out compatibility issues.


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## wickidwombat (Mar 21, 2014)

can the 5D3 do this?


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## Viggo (Mar 21, 2014)

Just to add another tip in the same category.

I have used a similar setup since the 1dx came out. I haven't used the AE-button for One shot (obviously, but I have used the AE button for a "Case 6 scenario", Case 6, 4 point expansion, faster shutter, framrate etc, and the AF-ON button for Case 1 with single point etc. That way I cover both "normal" movement and stable tracking, but a slight move of my thumb sets the 1dX in "race-mode" ready for erratic craziness. I also use the M.fn button next to the shutter for Level, veryvery handy.


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## mackguyver (Mar 21, 2014)

wickidwombat said:


> can the 5D3 do this?


Nope. Looking at the manual, I think you can set both buttons to start AF, but not to have one do AIServo and the other One-shot AF.

Viggo, I might have to give this a try, but I really don't use one shot AF. I just lock focus with AI Servo and release the back button. For the 50 & 85 f/1.2 lenses, this might help with accuracy for hand held portraits, so maybe I'll give that a try now that I am a proud new 1D X owner


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## Viggo (Mar 21, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> wickidwombat said:
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I also not use One Shot at all. Tried it 4 times since I bought the 1d4 when it was new, lol.


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## 3kramd5 (Mar 21, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> wickidwombat said:
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Weird. Though that's a simple firmware thing they could add.

I am accustomed to using the DOF preview button to toggle one shot, but it would be nice for a tactile option (my thumb is here, therefore I am getting one shot) having to visually verify which mode I am in.


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## mackguyver (Mar 21, 2014)

3kramd5 said:


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LOL and I'm hoping they add at least some of these features to the 5DIII at some point via a firmware update.

Also, I swear I must be the only one that still uses the DOF preview button so doing that is a no go for me. I don't use the AE lock much, but would be reluctant to reassign it, too. Now I have the 1D X and I'm going to have to figure out what to assign to all of the numerous buttons!


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## 3kramd5 (Mar 21, 2014)

I only tend to use DOF preview in live view (manual focus) since the VF isn't really faithful.


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## sanj (Mar 22, 2014)

I do not understand. I have been using back button focus for a long while now and it seems fast enough. On the top lcd I leave it on servo focus.
What am I missing here? In any case I have the 1dx set exposure on the focus point.

Would love to understand this post, I constantly want to improve my technique.


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## Northstar (Mar 22, 2014)

sanj said:


> I do not understand. I have been using back button focus for a long while now and it seems fast enough. On the top lcd I leave it on servo focus.
> What am I missing here? In any case I have the 1dx set exposure on the focus point.
> 
> Would love to understand this post, I constantly want to improve my technique.



Sanj...Steve is still using back button AF-on for servo...no change there.

The change is that he's now using the * button (AE lock) for when he wants to shoot in one shot mode.


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## Viggo (Mar 22, 2014)

Northstar said:


> sanj said:
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> > I do not understand. I have been using back button focus for a long while now and it seems fast enough. On the top lcd I leave it on servo focus.
> ...



If you never use One Shot, try my setup if you often wished you had a different AF-case, but try to make the best of what you already had selected. Or if the situation requires two AF scenarios.


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## sanj (Mar 22, 2014)

Thanks for all the replies. The penny still fails to drop. It will one day, I hope. Currently either I do not know something or brain cells not working. 
Perhaps soon I will have an 'ah ha' moment. Waiting.


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## Viggo (Mar 22, 2014)

sanj said:


> Thanks for all the replies. The penny still fails to drop. It will one day, I hope. Currently either I do not know something or brain cells not working.
> Perhaps soon I will have an 'ah ha' moment. Waiting.



Think of it as having two light switches next to each other for one room, one light switch turns the room yellow (Ai Servo on AF-On button) and the other light switch turns the room blue (One Shot on the AE-Lock).


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## Steve Todd (Mar 22, 2014)

Thanks Viggo for helping Sanj to understand how the method I described works through your great example! I'd hoped my original post had explained the process. However, I guess I could have done a better job of explaining it. That's what happens when you try to describe your thoughts on a technical subject...you know what you want to say, but your explanation doesn't adequately convey your thoughts to others. Thanks again! And happy shooting!


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## Northstar (Mar 22, 2014)

sanj said:


> Thanks for all the replies. The penny still fails to drop. It will one day, I hope. Currently either I do not know something or brain cells not working.
> Perhaps soon I will have an 'ah ha' moment. Waiting.



sanj....you wrote "either i don't know something or"...could it be that you don't know that one shot is better(sharper)than servo for "non action" shots? I'm sure you know this but I just thought i would point it out just in case. (i'm sure you do know because i've seen your awesome images)

the main reason for wanting the set up steve describes is to quickly and more easily switch from servo to one shot by having the buttons right next to each other. ("af-on button" and "*" button) (servo and one shot)


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## sanj (Mar 22, 2014)

Northstar said:


> sanj said:
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> > Thanks for all the replies. The penny still fails to drop. It will one day, I hope. Currently either I do not know something or brain cells not working.
> ...



Northstar: No I did not know that 'one shot' is sharper than servo for still objects. I thought is was about getting focus, not the way one got focus. And I believe that once I get focus and I remove the thumb from the back focus, I am as good as 'one shot'. Am I wrong?

Having said all of this, I am positive that I am missing something... I will get it one day and go 'yeyyyy'.


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## Northstar (Mar 22, 2014)

sanj said:


> Northstar said:
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Hi Sanj...I believe the "predictive" nature of AF servo leads to a lower hit rate on critically sharp images vs one shot...at least that's been my experience. 

Even if you acquire focus with servo and release the AF-on button like you wrote, the focus was acquired using the predictive algorithms that servo uses. The servo system works great most of the time, but if something truly isn't moving, it's better to not have the predictive nature of servo involved.

If I'm wrong about this then someone please tell me.

North


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 22, 2014)

sanj said:


> Northstar said:
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There was another thread about using AI servo and back button AF instead of one shot. The theoretical issue I have with that method is that even with fast lenses, AI servo uses data from the less accurate f/5.6 sensor lines because they are faster. Practically, I don't know how much difference that actually makes in real world shooting.

As Northstar points out, the algorithm is different as well, AI servo is optimized for moving subjects.


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## Viggo (Mar 22, 2014)

My personal experience has been, through testing on all sorts of subjects in all sorts of light, that One Shot is only better when light is VERY poor and it misses just as much or as little as Ai servo if you take 20 shots of the same subject in normal light. This is true for the 1dX, but not the 1d3, 1d4, 5dc, 5d2 and 5d3. IF you miss more still subjects with the 1dx using Ai Servo, try changing the case to Case 1 or 2. Using Case 6 for a non moving subject will give a lower hit rate for sure. I have also used 4 point expansion for still subjects with great results. 1.2, 2.8 or f4 has nothing to do with the hit rate.


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## eml58 (Mar 22, 2014)

sanj said:


> Northstar: No I did not know that 'one shot' is sharper than servo for still objects. I thought is was about getting focus, not the way one got focus. And I believe that once I get focus and I remove the thumb from the back focus, I am as good as 'one shot'. Am I wrong?
> 
> Having said all of this, I am positive that I am missing something... I will get it one day and go 'yeyyyy'.



Hi Sanj, having seen your impressive Images & the things you like to Photograph, this might help to understand what is being suggested (I have certainly set my own Bodies up for this method).

Before the Firmware update Back Button could only be programmed for either AI Servo OR single shot.

That's still the same, but now we can set up the Back Button Focus Button for say AI Servo (Those Cheetahs at 80KPH)

And we can at the same time set up AE Lock Button for Single Shot Focus (Those lovely Bollywood stars I've seen you Photograph)

Under "normal" conditions your in the Bush Photographing a Cheetah @ 80KPH in the Serengeti, so AI Servo works best, but suddenly the most Beautiful Bollywood star on the Planet suddenly appears standing under a Tree 10 metres away (all thoughts of the Cheetah are now completely superfluous at this point), your AI Servo isn't the best way to capture this situation in all it's Glory, single shot is, gives you much better Focus Lock, you can focus on the eyes (or where ever you desire) and be a lot more confident you have excellent focus.

Prior to the firmware update you would have had to go into your menu system & change your Back Button Focus Button to single shot from AI Servo and that takes time, time to allow that Bollywood Star to become skittish and make a break for the tall grass, so now we can programme one button for AI Servo, the other button for single shot, and that Bollywood star is dead in the Serengeti.

Hope that helps, now........ all we need to do is get a Cheetah & a Bollywood Star into the same area......

I'll work on the Cheetah, I'll leave the Bollywood Star to you.


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## expatinasia (Mar 23, 2014)

I think eml58 and others explained it very clearly, but if you are in AI Servo mode you use the AF ON button to focus as you normally do, but if you want to switch to One Shot mode you now simply need to press the * button and it automatically shifts to One Shot and focuses under that system. Some will find it easier than using one of the front buttons to switch.

The only thing is, and maybe this is something I have misunderstood, is you need to keep the * button down because as soon as you release it, your camera switches back to what it was on before - most likely AI Servo.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 23, 2014)

expatinasia said:


> The only thing is, and maybe this is something I have misunderstood, is you need to keep the * button down because as soon as you release it, your camera switches back to what it was on before - most likely AI Servo.



If you're using back button AF, when you release the button the camera simply stops focusing...which is the point of back button AF. So, with that setup, you press one back button to focus with AI Servo or the other back button to focus with One Shot. 

The issue that I have with the setup is that I usually want single point selection with One Shot, but with Servo I want 61-pt auto (for people) or 8-pt expansion (for birds). The dual back button approach won't change the point selection mode, AFAIK.


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## expatinasia (Mar 23, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> The issue that I have with the setup is that I usually want single point selection with One Shot, but with Servo I want 61-pt auto (for people) or 8-pt expansion (for birds). The dual back button approach won't change the point selection mode, AFAIK.



I think you are right, you can choose the AF point but not the setting. Mind you it only takes a second or two to toggle between those three settings and you do not need to remove your eye from the VF to do so. I think mine toggles between single small point, single point, 8-pt expansion and 61-pt auto.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 23, 2014)

expatinasia said:


> neuroanatomist said:
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> > The issue that I have with the setup is that I usually want single point selection with One Shot, but with Servo I want 61-pt auto (for people) or 8-pt expansion (for birds). The dual back button approach won't change the point selection mode, AFAIK.
> ...



I have C2 set to One Shot and single point, C3 set to Servo and 61-pt, and the M.Fn button set to change modes – so it's one button press to go to Servo, two to go back (C1 is restricted).


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## sanj (Mar 23, 2014)

Now I understand. Clearly understand. Thx much ALL!!!

However I am very surprised that servo will not focus on still objects. Everyone is saying that. But that has not been my experience so far. Or perhaps I have not noticed it. Hmmm.

Eml: You not only photograph beautifully but write beautifully as well.


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## sanj (Mar 23, 2014)

And yes, if one did feel the need to have one shot, this is a great firmware update. Very thoughtful of Canon.
I am telling myself: If Canon thought there was a need to do this, then one shot must be 'sharper'.


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## arbitrage (Mar 23, 2014)

This is my favourite new feature of the new FW. I had been fairly happy using AI Servo all the time and just releasing it for static or focus/recompose shots. However the one shot algorithms are more accurate and I recently was photographing perched birds in very low rainforest light and sometimes really needed that more accurate One shot focus with the confirmation beep and flash combined with spot focus mode to get accurate focus. I think in good even average light using the aiservo is fine but it was helpful in f 5.6, 1/60, ISO 20000 type light.


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## RustyTheGeek (Mar 23, 2014)

Since I don't own a 1DX, I think I'll just _heckle_ those more fortunate than myself! 8)

This thread is a _true_ camera geek thread!! 

A bunch of _uber_-camera geeks sitting around discussing the various methods, techniques and strategies of which button method they use to focus with on their fancy expensive cameras! And even going so far as to consider the f-stop and speed of the focus points together with which algorithm is used for the different focus modes! Wow!

Truly, it's an enlightening thread but I just had to step back and joke with you a minute on how truly geeky it is!! ;D


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 23, 2014)

RustyTheGeek said:


> Truly, it's an enlightening thread but I just had to step back and joke with you a minute on how truly geeky it is!! ;D



I knew there was a reason I felt so comfortable here...


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## Northstar (Mar 23, 2014)

RustyTheGeek said:


> Since I don't own a 1DX, I think I'll just _heckle_ those more fortunate than myself! 8)
> 
> This thread is a _true_ camera geek thread!!
> 
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lol...Rusty, you are one funny dude! ;D


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## RustyTheGeek (Mar 23, 2014)

Northstar said:


> lol...Rusty, you are one funny dude! ;D



You think that's funny, check out what I changed my signature to today! _Bwaa Ha Ha!!_ ;D


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## sagittariansrock (Mar 23, 2014)

RustyTheGeek said:


> Northstar said:
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Just noticed it- that is funny!


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## Northstar (Mar 23, 2014)

RustyTheGeek said:


> Northstar said:
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Funny...and I'm sure we would all agree that whatever Surapon said, it surely would be very respectful, friendly, polite, and helpful!


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## eml58 (Mar 23, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> I have C2 set to One Shot and single point, C3 set to Servo and 61-pt, and the M.Fn button set to change modes – so it's one button press to go to Servo, two to go back (C1 is restricted).



Another excellent heads up, I have my own 1Dx Bodies set up in a similar fashion, I have a suspicion a lot of Canon users don't utilise this set up of being able to have 3 different set ups arranged at the flick of a switch (5DMK III) or press of a button (1Dx).

Having had a brief outing a year or so back with the D800 I was hugely surprised to find Nikon hadn't made this feature as easy to use as Canon have. But then of course I haven't heard any Nikon users complain about it either.

I spent a few days recently with a Phase One IQ250 and was pleasantly surprised to see they also have implemented the Canon C1 C2 C3 system as well, only thing unpleasant about the experience was the purchase Price, but 50MP & ISO to 6400, great stuff, 1.2 fps not so great, but those files are amazing.


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## RustyTheGeek (Mar 23, 2014)

Northstar said:


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I also considered, _"If you don't know Surapon, you don't know jack!"_ 

Maybe we should start a thread called _Surapon Field Day - Take Your Best Shot!_ You know, sort of a _Surapon Roast_! All in good fun with more Surapon Photoshopped Photos of course! He would either feel extremely loved or run out of his house screaming, _Nooooooooooooooooooo!_

How many times do we ever have threads about CR members, anyway?

OK, I just realized that I have hi-jacked this poor unsuspecting thread on Dual Back Button AF and turned it into a Surapon joke thread. Ohhhh, the shame! OK moderators, do your worst!! 

I'll be good from now on, honest! :-X


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## sanj (Mar 24, 2014)

Northstar said:


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That is true. But I find you very helpful and polite as well!


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## Northstar (Mar 24, 2014)

sanj said:


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Very nice of you to say,! Thank you .


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## Roo (Mar 24, 2014)

eml58 said:


> neuroanatomist said:
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> ...



Funny this has come up now - I realised shooting at the F1 race the other weekend that there were times when I wanted to switch between shooting action and portraits so I spent last weekend setting up the 3 custom functions  I'm looking forward to trying it out in the next couple of weeks


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## expatinasia (Mar 24, 2014)

eml58 said:


> neuroanatomist said:
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> > I have C2 set to One Shot and single point, C3 set to Servo and 61-pt, and the M.Fn button set to change modes – so it's one button press to go to Servo, two to go back (C1 is restricted).
> ...



I must admit I do not use CF1, CF2, CF3 as much as I should - in fact I would really like Canon to allow us to name then or something. They are all set up as I want them, but I still rarely go to them.

As for the AF system, I find switching the AF system easier using far right button and the MFN to toggle between them. When I am at specific events I reduce what AF selections will be shown in advance to just those I know I will need.

The switch between AI Servo and One Shot is easy using the system as described by the OP, never liked the DOF button.



eml58 said:


> I spent a few days recently with a Phase One IQ250 and was pleasantly surprised to see they also have implemented the Canon C1 C2 C3 system as well, only thing unpleasant about the experience was the purchase Price, but 50MP & ISO to 6400, great stuff, 1.2 fps not so great, but those files are amazing.



Look on the bright side, at least it is not 1.1 fps!


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## 3kramd5 (Mar 24, 2014)

On the 5D3, the DOF preview button is where my right pinky sits naturally, so that works for me. I just wish it were a persistent toggle. It only switches modes while being depressed. It would be far better IMO to have it switch once per press, or alternately to cycle through C modes with that button rather than the dial.


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## Northstar (Mar 24, 2014)

3kramd5 said:


> On the 5D3, the DOF preview button is where my right pinky sits naturally, so that works for me. I just wish it were a persistent toggle. It only switches modes while being depressed. It would be far better IMO to have it switch once per press, or alternately to cycle through C modes with that button rather than the dial.



totally agree about the "persistent toggle" (one press vs holding it) If it did work that way, then this second back button solution wouldn't be as important. But with that said, it's much more convenient to do it the way Steve is suggesting as compared to holding in the DOF button.

north


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## sanj (Mar 25, 2014)

I think it is all about getting used to...


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