DharmaDude Loc: San Mateo, CA

Been shooting a Nikon D7K, thru a Nikon 18 x 300 6.3 VR lens, and just started using Back Button Focus (BBF) about a week ago. Been reading everything and realize that the BBF activates continuous focus if held down, and holds focus if you release the button. Here's a catch; only read one time that when using the BBF you must also hold down the shutter button half way to activate the Vibration Reduction feature... true ( ) or false ( )??

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

False!

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

BBF adjusts focus only. VR or IS is only applicable when actually taking the picture and that is handled by the shutter button. So, do your BBF then concentrate on the shutter button. BBF comes before, and has nothing to do with the other.

Bill_de Loc: US

I believe it is true. Since bbf should disable the shutter button focus, you should be able to feel the vr only when pressing the shutter button. Try it, and you will know for sure.



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ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

True, which I didn't know. http://www.nikon.com/about/technology/rd/core/software/vr_e/

DharmaDude Loc: San Mateo, CA

Thanks one and all for this discussion. I tried a suggestion from one of the posts, and that is; I pushed the BBF and then the shutter button half way down...in a very quiet room, and could hear the lens compensating for the shake. The compensation could not be heard with just the push of the BFF. I do not know how fast the VR is, maybe it will react quick enough so pushing the shutter half way down for a moment isn't necessary?? This is surely an issue since not having the benefit of VR is not welcome.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Unlike focusing with the shutter button, you don't have to hold the shutter button down for a set length of time to have VR complete it's work. It keeps compensating from the time the button is pushed down half way until the picture is taken, since there is some movement of the camera all that time. I never allow extra time for VR to do its work.

SueMac Loc: Box Elder, SD

I'm on a Nikon D810 and I use BBF most of the time and when hand holding the big 80-400 lens the VR kicks in as soon as I press the BBF button. Once composed I press the shutter button. So I don't need to depend on the shutter button for VR.

Mark7829 Loc: Calfornia

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

brjomd Loc: Carlsbad, California

I have a Nikon D80, D700 and D800. All are set to BBF. All focus and activate VR by pressing the back button only. Other manufacturers may differ.

brjomd Loc: Carlsbad, California

How do you delete a post here? I accidentally duplicated my post above. I have edited it to this question, but could not simply delete it.
Sorry for the duplication, and thanks.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I do not shoot with Nikon... I use Canon. But I use BBF by default, use a number of stabilized lenses, and have done so for many years.

Here's how it works on Canon cameras (and I really can't imagine it working any differently on Nikon)...

BBF starts autofocus, metering and image stabilization.

Half-press of the shutter release button also starts metering and stabilization... just not focus.

Whenever a shot is taken, the shutter release must always be half-pressed first anyway, on the way to fully pressing it and taking the shot.... which causes both metering and stabilization to work on every shot made, regardless of what I do with BBF (unless I separately and deliberately turn off stabilization, which I almost never do... metering always remains active, although if I'm using Manual exposure mode it doesn't directly effect anything... only would do so when I'm using one of the auto exposure modes).

However, I gotta say I'm in the habit of half-pressing the shutter release most of the time anyway... often starting metering and stabilization in advance and while I'm "tracking" the subject... then using my thumb to control AF with BBF. One reason that I use stabilization this way is because, in addition to stabilizing my shots, it also acts to stabilize the image in the viewfinder which can be quite helpful when tracking moving subjects, especially when using longer telephoto lenses.

Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio

Not sure on the D7K, however, newer Nikon bodies will activate VR with BBAF, older ones require you to half-press the shutter release. The D7K was kind of in-between, so not sure which way it works.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I followed the link provided above and read the Nikon white-paper on VR and it doesn't appear to say anything one way or another about BBF and VR. Unless I overlooked something, it only describes VR function when using the camera without BBF set up.

It does note that there are "Normal" and "Active" modes (at least with some lenses.. I don't know which or how many or if that's with all Nikon cameras) that can be selected whether or not you want full time VR to help stabilize the viewfinder image such as when tracking moving subject (Active), or if you only want VR to acknowledge and respond to camera shake/movement right at the instant of exposure (Normal). Canon IS doesn't commonly offer this choice, per se, however some more recent IS lenses have a "Mode 2" which is an "instant IS" only at the moment of exposure... in addition to "Mode 1", which is used for panning shots where only the vertical axis is stabilized so that IS isn't counteracting deliberate background movement blur... and "Mode 0" which is normal stabilization on both vertical axis and horizontal axis, full time, including stabilization of the viewfinder image.

I also found it interesting that that web page actually talks about using VR on a tripod to correct for the fine, internal vibrations of the camera, even in the absence of other more dramatic camera shake. Most users here and elsewhere seem to feel VR should always be turned off on a tripod... but Nikon seems to suggest just the opposite. (It's similar with Canon... with most IS lenses there is no need real to turn it off on a tripod, it cancels itself in the absence of any movement... only a fairly short list of older and simpler Canon IS lenses "freak out" on a tripod and require it be manually turned off. Despite this, Canon recommends turning off IS when using a tripod in most of their lens instruction manuals, but really only to save a little battery power that it consumes when working, according to Canon's tech guru Chuck Westfall. In my experience using various IS lenses for 15 years, it really doesn't use much power so I almost never turn it off.)

DharmaDude Loc: San Mateo, CA

Wow, thank you all for your insight, I'm surely gathering some great knowledge regarding BBF. I'm just a guy who loves to snap away and read lots about photography. Have blown up some for family holiday gifts that are always appreciated. The D7K has been fine, haven't seen a need to upgrade, maybe later. Thanks again for all the input.