tnwaltz Loc: Sarasota, FL; Chattanooga, TN

I have reviewed the various posts and links on UHH but can't grasp the back button focus procedure for my Nikon D-810, so would greatly appreciate responses from D-810 users.

Let's say, for example, I want to focus on a bird, and keep that bird in focus while it is flying. From what I am gathering, the process is: Focus on the bird by using the back button focus; release the back button focus; as the bird begins flying, press the shutter release button keeping the bird within the focus area.

If the above is accurate, as long as I have the focus on the bird and the shutter release pressed, should not the camera click continuously until I remove my finger from the shutter release button? This is where I am having problems because I am only getting one frame when I hold down the shutter release button, and I want to have continuous frames of that bird, keeping it in focus as it flies away.

I have my back button focus setting on AF-C. My menu settings are:

a1 - Release
a2 - Focus
a3 - Normal
a4 - AF-ON only
a5 - On
a6 - Auto
a7 - Off
a8 - 51
a9 - Off
a10 - On
a11 - All selected
a12 - Off

If there is anything additional I should be doing, or a setting I am missing, in order to get continuous frames using the back button focus, will someone please advise?

Thank you

bjprovo Loc: Northeast CT

If you are using BBF you need to continually hold it down to maintain focus on a moving object. Do not release it while you are taking pictures.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Is it necessary to do that with Group Area AF?

Trentc Loc: Denver, CO

Not a Nikon guy, so I can't speak to your camera specifically, but on my Canons, continuous focus and continuous shooting are two different functions. Not being a Nikon person, I don't know what you are referring to with your list of functions, so you may have already set that up, but, if not, you might check that.

tnwaltz Loc: Sarasota, FL; Chattanooga, TN

Bjprovo, thank you. Are you saying I have to hold in the BBF button and the shutter release button at the same time and keep them held in during shooting in order to get continuous frames?

larryjphoto Loc: Phoenix

Canon guy here too, but I'm pretty sure they are two different functions on Nikon's as well. You need to enable continuous shooting. This is the function where the camera continues to fire when you hold the shutter button all the way down.

Back button focus is the setting where initial auto focus is "removed" the the shutter button (the half press), and resigned to a different button on the back of the camera.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

I would go with ALL FOCUS, not initial focus...Once BBF is used, any auto focusing is done by the BBF button, not with the shutter button.

larryjphoto Loc: Phoenix

I stand corrected. Although I believe my Canon has the option for both.

bjprovo Loc: Northeast CT

Shouldn't need to hold the shutter release button at all for focus. If you have set up the back button correctly that is all you need.

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

do you have Cl or Ch selected or are you in S?

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

no, but you have to hold them both down if you want continous focus and continous frames

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Really, an option to have BBF initially and any more done by a half shutter press? To me that would be tough to get used to and negate the purpose of BBF, but that is me. I would wonder if that option is used much?

tnwaltz Loc: Sarasota, FL; Chattanooga, TN

Oldtigger, I have the dial on top set to S, not Cl or Ch. I know in order to shoot continuous, it must be set to either Cl or Ch, but did not know you had to set it on either of those two settings if you are doing BBF. Looks as if that is my problem. I tested it by changing from S to Ch, and it worked! Hooray! You just solved my problem. Nowhere in all of the sites I have read or videos I have watched did anyone mention setting the continuous dial on the top of my camera. Thank you so much, Oldtigger, and thanks to all the others who took time to respond.

tnwaltz Loc: Sarasota, FL; Chattanooga, TN

Oldtigger, I have the dial on top set to S, not Cl or Ch. I know in order to shoot continuous, it must be set to either Cl or Ch, but did not know you had to set it on either of those two settings if you are doing BBF. Looks as if that is my problem. I tested it by changing from S to Ch, and it worked! Hooray! You just solved my problem. Nowhere in all of the sites I have read or videos I have watched did anyone mention setting the continuous dial on the top of my camera to Cl or Ch. Thank you so much, Oldtigger, and thanks to all the others who took time to respond.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

tnwaltz...You might want to pick up Mastering the Nikon 810 by Darrell Young. While the manual is very skimpy on focus issues, the book will take up 26 or more pages (I have the D800 version of the book). It's a 550 pg. book vs. a dinky manual. It goes into much more detail on every area of the camera than the manual does.