Back Button Focusing

I have covered this before but i think its worth going over again as i see it come up time and time again on forums, The last few years have seen cameras coming out with an AF-ON button on the back of the camera, This is so you can focus by using your thumb and use your shutter button just to take images when the time is right rather than have one button do all so to speak, Before the AF-ON button appeared many people would use the AE-L/AF-L button on the back of a camera and reprogramme it for AF using the custom functions and this is what i have had to do to the Nikon D7000 as the body is too small for the extra button, If you use AE-L/AF-L button then you can reprogramme another button for that feature, I used to use the back button focus when i shot Canon but when i first started using Nikon for some reason i stayed with the traditional way of using the shutter button for everything but for the past 2 years or more i have converted back to back button focusing, I prefer it for various reasons, One being that my camera is pretty much set to continuous focusing all the time, If i want to focus and recompose which is rare as i prefer to move the AF point i can simply focus using the back button then take my thumb off of the button and recompose and take an image with the shutter button, if the subject moves i can quickly hit the back button and focus is quickly regained, So in essence you have continuous focus and single shot all in one, People new to photography may find it a strange way of doing things but once you get used to using the camera in this way you wont go back, Just remember when handing your camera to somebody else to take a shot to explain how to focus, One feature that i liked from my Canon days is that the image stabiliser is activated using the back focus AF-ON button but for some reason on the Nikon its not, You have to lightly tough the shutter button, Its no big deal but i would really like Nikon to change it or at least give the photographer the choice in the custom functions and whilst i am at it can Mr Nikon please add the blinkies to the histogram image just like Canon and not have to move to a different screen shot, So if you have not yet tried shooting using back focus then we highly recommend it

Dave

Tips & Techniques - Back Button Focusing

Every once in a while you find out a little tip that makes a big difference to camera handling.

Back button focusing was one for me about four years ago now.

On the Canon cameras before the the 1Dmk3 and 40D you could make the * button on the rear panel your Auto focus button by selecting the appropriate Custom Function in the sub menu system.

From the 1Dmk3 and 40D onwards, Canon fitted an AF-ON button next to the * that would do the same job.

However, being used to the position of the * button I use another tool in the sub menu to switch the function across.

So why do this though?

At the time, I was doing a fair bit of shooting of moving subjects, mostly birds of prey in flight amongst other things.

By using the * button with the AI servo function, it is possible to pick your subject up early, press the * get focus, maintain focus and the press the shutter button when you want to get the image.

Now of course you can do the same with the shutter button, but I found a different level of control and feel when set up with back button action.

Now my cameras have been set in this mode for four years now and just taken for granted but it can be remarkable when you explain the technique to somebody else, they go away and use it and come back and tell you what it difference it has made.

So Dinah, I am glad that you have found this to be a useful function.

As a quick reminder for 1Dmk3 users on set up.

Go into the Custom Function menu to C.Fn IV.1. Select No. 2 and save. Then if you want to focus using the * button rather than the AF-ON button, go to the next page to C.FnIV 2 and select No.1.

I prefer to use the * button as it is less of a stretch for my thumb.

Dave will let us know how it works for Nikon bodies at some point

So how about telling us if there are any tips or techniques that you have found that you wouldn't be without now.

Martin