Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

If I set the AE-L/AF-L button on my Nikon D600 to AF-ON, does AE still work? Do I still push the the shutter button half way to AE? Can AE be be assigned to the Fn (or some other) button? Does it make sense to do so?
I have trouble seeing the viewfinder information in bright light so I have to rely on the auto functions. I have a Hoodman eye cup for glasses, but it doesn't help much.

davefales Loc: Virginia

My understanding is that your auto exposure works as usual through the shutter button. I am a BBF user and believe my exposures have been fine.

RetiredPhotog Loc: South West Ohio

Mac I have a D7100 with AE button set up for back button focusing and the 1/2 way push on shutter button sets exposure. You should be able to set up another button for AE but for me I don't know that it would make any sense. I love using back button focus which I have been using for some time but still in an excited moment to catch a shot I will find my self forgetting to press the back button focus.

Another thing to remember is shutting off back button focus if using a cable release.

steveg48

What is the reason for this?

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Thanks Dave and RetiredPhotog. I'll give it a try.

RetiredPhotog Loc: South West Ohio

I like using back button focus as it gives me more control over the focus. You don't have to press the shutter button 1/2 way down and re-frame.

I also find it very useful for birding and moving shots.

photon56 Loc: North America

I'm assuming you mean AE-Lock on the Shutter. The 1/2 push of the shutter button should still lock the AE unless you override the setting in the menu (C1 on my D7100).

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

I thought the main reason for BBF was so you wouldn't accidentally fire off the shutter when you were were pressing the shutter button halfway to activate the AF. But if you still have to push the shutter button halfway to activate AE, I don't see what's being gained by using BBF.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

Reframing your shot after focus is set and not worrying about tripping the shutter. The other night I couldn't lock onto a darkly subject, so I focused on something to the side but lit, at the about the same distance from my subject. Then framed and shot my dim subject perfect. I could have shot 10 pictures without refocusing each time because focus was set.

houdel Loc: Chase, Michigan USA

My old eyeballs have the same problems as you. On my D610 I reprogrammed the DOF preview button to AE Lock-ON". I don't use DOF preview since the image is generally to dark to be of any use anyhow, at least for me.

Two points - If you use AE Lock-ON, the exposure remains locked at that value for all subsequent shots until you turn it off by pressing the AE Lock-ON button a second time. Which means to use AE Lock-ON for two photos with different exposures, you have to press the AE Lock-ON button three times - Once to lock the exposure for the first photo, a second time to clear that exposure setting, and a third time to lock exposure for the second photo (and presumably a fourth time to set AE Lock-ON to off).

Second, after you turn AE Lock-ON to off, the camera reverts back to the normal AE Lock mode activated by the 1/2 shutter button press. Gives you the best of both worlds. I wish BBF could be programmed the same way.

houdel Loc: Chase, Michigan USA

I ALWAYS use BBF with a remote shutter release, I don't understand why you would recommend otherwise.