Help With The Nikon Z50: I shoot with the Z50, have been for several, months. I had it set to back button focus. IO was watching a video by Ken Rockwell and the settings he uses and...

leftyD500 Loc: Ocala, Florida

I shoot with the Z50, have been for several, months. I had it set to back button focus. IO was watching a video by Ken Rockwell and the settings he uses and made a few changes. Now I cannot set up back button focus. I deactivated the shutter button focus, went into the shooting menu and enabled the AEL-AFL button to AF ON, but it will not focus. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?

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Not having your exact camera, the one thing Ive noticed about nearly all cameras is that you cant use BBAF in the "Ultra Auto" or "Safety Green" modes even when you have programmed it correctly.

Acoarst I dont know what mode you were using using when you encountered your current problem.

leftyD500 Loc: Ocala, Florida

I don't understand your reply.

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leftyD500 wrote:

I don't understand your reply.

If youre using a mode similar to as seen in the attached photo, most cameras will disallow BBAF and just revert to shutter button AF while using such modes.

Acoarst I cant know which mode you were using when your problem arose.

Thaz all I can offer you, cuz my Z has a dedicated "AF-ON" button so I wouldnt know the specific controls of the Z50.

Example of "Ultra Auto" or "Green Mode"

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The easier way ... not on all models :-(

(Download)

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

I'll bet Steve Perry's ebook has a solution.

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

leftyD500 wrote:

I had to do a "reset all settings' in my Z50. Now I am not able to set up "back button focus." I deactivated the focus on the shutter button, went into the custom control menu, and programmed the AEL-AFL button to AF-ON, but no luck. What am I doing wrong?

After you set the AEL-AFL button to AF-ON, did you go to Custom Setting Menu>a-Autofocus>a4-AF Activation>and select AF-ON Only?

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

kpmac wrote:

I'll bet Steve Perry's ebook has a solution.

Deleted by poster.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Mac wrote:

After you set the AEL-AFL button to AF-ON, did you go to Custom Setting Menu>a-Autofocus>a4-AF Activation>and select AF-ON Only?

In the OP leftyD500 states "went into the custom control menu, and programmed the AEL-AFL button to AF-ON,". Is that different that what you have suggested?

JD750 Loc: SoCal

leftyD500 did any of the suggestions solve the problem?

lesdmd Loc: Middleton Wi via N.Y.C. & Cleveland

On a Nikon, first you need to set the focus mode to continuous, or AF-C. That allows the back button to focus continually when held down, and just once when pressed just once. (Most Nikon DSLRs have a button on the auto-to-manual focus switch towards the front left — hold this button and use the back control wheel to select AF-C).
Next, you need to tell the camera what button you want to use for focusing. On high-end Nikon DSLRs, there’s often a dedicated AF-ON button, but the AE AF Lock can also be used for back button focusing. To set the control, head into the menu, then Custom Settings then Controls9. Set the control for the AF-ON or AE AF Lock to AF-ON.
Then, go back to the custom settings menu and select the autofocus submenu. Under AF C Priority Selection, select ‘Choose Release.’ This lets you take photos even if your autofocus point isn’t on the subject, such as when you lock the focus then recompose.
One last step — still inside the autofocus menu under custom settings, go to AF Activation and select AF-On only.

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

JD750 wrote:

In the OP leftyD500 states "went into the custom control menu, and programmed the AEL-AFL button to AF-ON,". Is that different that what you have suggested?

After programming the AEL-AFL button to AF-ON in the Custom Control Menu, you need to take the steps I mentioned.

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JD750 wrote:

In the OP leftyD500 states "went into the custom control menu, and programmed the AEL-AFL button to AF-ON,". Is that different that what you have suggested?

I suspect that he is reading the menu for some model other than the Z50.

The AF activation menu in the Z6 and Z7 does NOT follow common sense. I wasnt troubled by that cuz I dont expect menus to really make sense. Que sera sera. The Z50 menu probably differs from the Z6/7.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

User ID wrote:

I suspect that he is reading the menu for some model other than the Z50.

The AF activation menu in the Z6 and Z7 does NOT follow common sense. I wasnt troubled by that cuz I dont expect menus to really make sense. Que sera sera. The Z50 menu probably differs from the Z6/7.

I recall fumbling around for a while with my Z7 to program BBF.

That I why I never RESET the camera unless it's absolutely completely non-functional. It takes years to put all those custom settings back in place.

fredpnm Loc: Corrales, NM

JD750 wrote:

I recall fumbling around for a while with my Z7 to program BBF.

That I why I never RESET the camera unless it's absolutely completely non-functional. It takes years to put all those custom settings back in place.

Perhaps you should consider using one of the three "U" settings or if that isn't suitable save your camera settings to an SD card. You can then reload all your settings from the card if you did need to RESET the camera. See page 315 of the user's manual. There are times when doing a RESET is the only suitable solution to a camera that has gotten really confused. Not that Nikon cameras ever does...lol.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

fredpnm wrote:

Perhaps you should consider using one of the three "U" settings or if that isn't suitable save your camera settings to an SD card. You can then reload all your settings from the card if you did need to RESET the camera. See page 315 of the user's manual. There are times when doing a RESET is the only suitable solution to a camera that has gotten really confused. Not that Nikon cameras ever does...lol.

Thank you Fredpnm,

I know about the U setting which doesn't save all the settings by the way. :( And I back up the settings to a card and then save them on my computer. I have used that to restore settings, after getting a camera back from service.

But my going in position is never reset the camera, it's a last resort, only used when the camera is completely non-functional.

And when I have had a non-functional camera, reset didn't work.

And I have a similar experience, with Nikon, I have never had a Nikon get confused, ;). However some of my other camera brands have gotten confused. :( I fumble around and remove entropy accordingly to restore order. Usually I learn something from that exercise, painful as it may be.