Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

chaff laugh...

Dik

LittleBit Loc: St. Louis, MO

What was the YouTube video entitled. I don't know what back focusing is and would like to view that video.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Correct

tommystrat Loc: Bigfork, Montana

Yep, and 90% of photography is just being there. The other half is to know your equipment!

Alafoto Loc: Montgomery, AL

A lotta fiber in chaff. That's pretty important to us ol' farts.

bleirer

You mostly need your camera manual. It just involves telling the camera to not focus when the shutter is half-pressed, but telling it to focus when another button of your choosing is pressed.

You can definitely take good pictures without it, but it stops the camera from refocusing when you take the picture. You can do the same pretty much with your focus lock button, but you don't have to keep it held down to lock the focus.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

On the Canon models with an "AF-On" button, the procedure to set up BBF is the same...

In fact, it's already mostly set up for you. In the default settings fresh out of the box, autofocus is started with either a half press of the shutter release or by pressing the AF-On button. Both buttons start AF. If using One Shot focus mode, once started it will run until focus is achieved, then stop, "lock" and give you Focus Confirmation. If using AI Servo mode, AF will continue to run and update as long as you hold either button. There is no Focus Confirmation in AI Servo... nothing to confirm! (BTW, both metering and image stabilization also are activated at the same time and by both buttons.)

To set up "real" BBF, you need to unassign focusing from the shutter release button. That's easily done by going to the button assignment and customization screen (a Custom Function on some models). Navigate to the shutter release button (it's the first item that comes up) and change the selection there from "Focus" to "Meter". This stops the half press of the shutter release from starting AF (but still allows it to start metering and IS).

Cameras without the AF-On button also can be set up to do BBF... Instead the * (AE Lock) button is assigned to start AF. This is done in another custom function. You're given four choices... the 3rd one is usually the preferred setting. It causes only the * button to start focus. Once set this way, that button will also now start metering and IS. The shutter release half press also continues to start metering and IS... but not start AF. This is all done without AE Lock.

With these cameras there's another choice in the Custom Function which provides AE Lock. However, if set that way it do AE Lock on every image and that can lead to exposure problems. AE Lock serves good purposes in certain situations, but isn't something to have enabled all the time. So what about when you want AE Lock, but are set up for BBF and using the * button for focusing? Well, the simplest solution is just to switch to M (manual) exposure mode and lock down your exposure with that. It's much the same effect as using AE Lock in any of the auto exposure modes. Plus it's faster and easier to access M mode using the dial on the top of the camera, than it is to dive into the menu and change a Custom Function to temporarily disable BBF, just so you can use AE Lock for a few shots.

Incidentally, on some models it's necessary to use the * button setup even when the camera has an AF-On button, if using a vertical/battery grip on it. The 40D and 50D both have AF-On buttons.... But they use the same BG-E2/E2N grip that was used on 20D and 30D. As a result, that grip doesn't have an AF-On button. It only has a * button. So to use both a grip and BBF on these models, it's necessary to swap the functions of the camera's AF-On and * buttons, and then assign BBF to the * button instead. With this setup, you have AE Lock with the AF-On button (but only have that button on the camera body, not on the grip).

And, on some cameras with both * and AF-On buttons, the * button is larger, more prominent and less of a reach with your thumb. If preferred, the functions of the * and AF-On buttons can be swapped, in addition to unassigning focus from the shutter release half-press.

The advantages of BBF include that you can use AI Servo as your default mode... both for moving and for stationary subjects. Without BBF that can be problematic at times, such as if you use a "focus and recompose" technique. BBF puts you in full control of when the AF starts and stops, solving that possible problem. It's advantageous to be able to use AI Servo for both types of subjects, rather than have to switch modes frequently.

Being able to use AI Servo as your default (thanks to BBF) also works better with varifocal zooms. Those are zooms that don't maintain focus when the focal length setting is changed... i.e., any time you "zoom" the lens. Varifocal zooms have become more common because they reduce the complexity and cost of lenses. Parfocal zooms that maintain focus when zoomed require more exacting calibration, too. Some zooms are only partly varifocal.... such as maintaining focus during zooming when focused at a distance, but not with close focusing. If not using AI Servo, you must make a point of re-focusing after maiking any adjustments to varifocal zoom. But if using AI Servo (thanks to using BBF), the camera will instantly correct any loss of focus due to the zoom, without any effort by you.

A suggestion: Many (all?) Canon have an option to get an audible "beep" of Focus Confirmation. Focus Confirmation only works... is actually only possible in One Shot focus mode. It doesn't/can't work in AI Servo (continuous focus) mode. I don't care for the noise, but keep it enabled anyway because whenever I hear the "beep", it immediately reminds me I have my camera set to One Shot mode. All too often at sporting events, I hear other peoples' cameras "beeping" while they are photographing moving subjects. One thing I can guarantee is that the majority of their images will be mis-focused (and, no doubt, they'll blame their camera ). In One Shot mode, once focus is achieved the focusing stops and locks. But if the subject is moving, they usually will have moved away from that point of focus before the shutter is released.

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Seriously? 2 whole days consulting the manual? Whenever I buy a new camera I carry the manual with me for months while I learn to get the best out of the camera. I also always make a point of buying at least one of the available guide books. They often help expand upon what's in the user manual.

Most people will tell you that the Canon menus are some of the easiest and most logically organized of any modern camera system. Maybe that 6D Mark II must be your first Canon... Perhaps you're coming from another brand with different controls and menus, so there's a bit of an initial learning curve.



I don't know. That's not a feature I'd ever have need for or know if it's even possible. I just download my images, then arrange them by date and time, if needed. If wanted (which I don't), some downloading software will sort the images into folders it creates (Lightroom, which I use, can do that). That can be by date or whatever other means you prefer. I just create folders myself and use my computer's operating system to copy images from memory cards. I find that easier than using the various downloading software.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

Same here, thanks to those at UHH it led me to pull some utube videos. Love BBF.

twice_shooter

Not sure you do ... it’s separate chaff from wheat. Not weeds.

pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

You’re correct. My bad typing. Said that earlier.

Retina Loc: Near Charleston,SC

Same here. It was some time before I realized that AE-Lock/AF-Lock was really a focusing button in disguise. Thanks, UHH. Sure beats trying to focus and meter with the same control.

Old Coot

May the Chaff be with you

tnste Loc: New Westminster, BC

You mean the 6D Mk II not D6.

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

edit out

User ID

True, the BBF is canceled by "green mode" ultra auto,
but when you hand off a camera to someone totally
unfamiliar with cameras, AF via the shutter button is
all they'd ever understand. BBF would baffle them, so
it's really best that things work that way :-)