repleo Loc: Boston

I set one of my cameras (A7Rii) to BBf about a year ago. It took less than two minutes to get used to it and I use it for everything.

I left my other camera (Sony A6000) on shutter button focus because I use the back button for eye focus. I find shutter button focus awkward now, even though I use the A6000 a lot. Someday, I'll get around to setting that to BBF also and use one of the memory settings to change it back to eye focus when I need it. On the A7Rii I mostly use a 24-105 G which has a programable button that I have set to eye focus which leaves the back button free for BBF.

Just do it. You won't regret it.

Katydid Loc: Davis, CA

I am a relative newby to photography but still, I waited way to long to try it. I use it mainly for birds and wildlife and plants. It took me a week or so to get used to it. Pretty quickly it became second nature and for a while, I felt like my camera was focusing all by itself, as I wasn't even aware of focusing. I don't do birds in flight but it is great for ducks and shore birds that move along eating or swimming.
I have no plans of going back to shutter focus. Why would I? My tip is, don't put off trying it!

Shutterbug57

Been using BBF since I set up my brand new D70s. I had wanted to try it before that, but my N90s won’t do it. It took less than 1 soccer game for it to be one second nature. Been using it ever since. Never shot a DSLR without it, so can’t opine on keeper rate in DSLR, but my keeper rate went up versus film - but that could be due to the format and ability to shoot more and improve. I have no desire to go back to the multifunctional shutter button.

User ID

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Has it helped or hurt your keeper rate?
Letting the shutter button trigger refocusing
gives me a near-zero keeper rate.

How long did it take you to get used to it?
I could never get used to letting the shutter
button trigger refocusing.

After trying it did you go back to shutter
button focus?
I could never get used to letting the shutter
button trigger refocusing.

how do you know where to lock in focus if you
are waiting for action to happen?
I estimate and intuit and use DoF.

Any other pros, cons
Con-wise, some cameras simply feel awkward
due to locations of available buttons i.e. 5D-II.
Pro-wise, AF-C is only "C" while user-assigned
AF button is kept pressed.

Misc: If you're left eyed, cameras with the VF
at the left corner are preferable to a centrally
placed VF ... so you don't poke your right eye
with your thumb when focusing.

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foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

It's the ONLY way to focus. I use it for everything. Practice with it around the house. Once you get used to it you will NEVER go back.

User ID

That one person's comment does look ridiculous
on the face of it. But it's just poorly worded. As
a constant user of BBAF I have no doubt about
what he means there.

I'm rather sure he means that he never hasta
switch the AF control away from AF-C when he
wishes to operate in an AF-S manner. IOW just
leaving the control set to AF-C full time he now
gets BOTH AF-C and AF-S simultaneously. It's
AF-C while the BB is held pressed, and when a
subject only needs AF-S he just presses the BB
briefly and lets go, which locks focus without a
finger dedicated to lingering on an AF-L button.

-------------------------------------------------

We BBAF users find that last bit preferable to
maintaining a half-press on the shutter button
to prevent AF-S from refocusing between shots
or while we are re-framing the scene.

This is VERY important with cameras that have
the "release shutter at half-press" menu option.
If you're using that "hair trigger" option, you've
forfeited the the half-press method of freezing
AF activity while you re-frame the scene.


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Wilhan

I've used back button focusing for two years now thanks to Steve Perry - link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzqQskGoURE
It took a little time to get used to it but there is no way that I would return to shutter button focusing.

VTMatwood Loc: Displaced Vermonta in Central New Hampsha

I use it on all my cameras for everything I shoot. It took me a few hours to get used to it, and has definitely helped.

david vt Loc: Vermont

Based on Steve Perry’s book and comments, I set up BBF shortly after getting my DSLR. Shoot mostly sports and other moving subjects.

For me, being able to activate AF-C with that button and keep it there is much easier than holding the shutter button half way down. Further, there are often times where I need to recompose quickly (2 players on a soccer ball, for instance), and removing my thumb from BBF to lock focus and recompose quickly. BBF is intuitive to me here with the speed I need I need to compose. Push to focus, let go to lock. Sure, I could set up the AF/AE button to lock when pushed, but, to me, it does not feel as natural. But, I can concede Bill’s point - it is a personal choice

Took me minutes to get used to it, and I think, with my type of subject, it works well - for me.

The only downside I have is that I am left eye dominant, so on my D7200 the AF/AE button is right in front of my right eye. I tried one of the front buttons, but ergonomically my thumb was better, so I live with it. In addition, I shoot portrait composition quite a bit. When I added the grip with its own AF/AE button, it is no longer in my right eye :).

ToBoldlyGo Loc: London U.K.

Am I the only one who finds that back button difficult to use? I have tried bbf, but gave up because of it. I still use the button to change focus mode, and still find it awkward. I have to search for the button every time. Besides, most of my photography is fast moving, so I want af to be tracking constantly. Best way to do that is to have it all in one button. Really can't work out why action shooters do it differently, but then we all have different preferences.

lowbone

I have my cameras set up so focus locks when I push the back button for two reasons. I use my thumb mainly to change focus points. The second reason is that in Wisconsin’s frigid winters my thumb would freeze and then lack the sensitivity to tell if it was on the button or not. To those of you who use BBF in the traditional way I am happy for you but after many tries it just did not work for me.

fergmark Loc: norwalk connecticut

If it fits the way you take pictures you should recognize it pretty quickly. Once I tried it I never went back.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I use the back button focus button for single spot focusing. WHY? Good question. My keep rate using the factory shutter button is 98% so you cannot improve much on that. The reason my keep rate is so high is that on my Nikon my default focusing system is GROUP AUTO FOCUS, I use the center spot and Nikon puts four more around that for a total of five. That is my setting for all wildlife photography, for birds in flight and sitting still. When a bird is in branches or bush your focusing system will tend to focus on the branch and not the bird. SO, enter my back button focus button, I have it programmed for single spot focusing, if the bird, animal is in the bush I push the button and go to single spot, I put that single spot on the bird/animal and it is in focus, 100% of the time. SO, I use the factory shutter button and I usually out shoot those who profess back button focus. IMHO.

shutterhawk Loc: Cape Cod

I'm basically a bird photographer with an emphasis on birds in flight and for me back button focus is a godsend. My Nikon D500 allows me to program the sub selector as a second back button focus control so that I have two back button focus buttons next to each other, one for group area focus for birds in flight and one for single point focus for perched birds. Works like a charm. In terms of presetting focus for birds in flight, I prefocus on something I think is about the same distance away as birds I'm likely to see and then hit the back button when I've got the bird in the focus area. It takes a little getting used to but soon becomes automatic.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Use it all the time for every kind of shooting, very rare for me to use single shot focus. Give yourself a little time to get used to it and you will probably be like me too...