Be honest. Who here sprays and prays? 😉 And check out this video next if you're looking for another tool that will likely change the way you shoot! 👉 How to nail exposure every time - th-cam.com/video/nigy3Abbd38/w-d-xo.html
Oh, and I forgot to mention another reason in this video for using back button focus. If you have your camera set up to lock the exposure when you press the shutter (which I do - very useful when you use a mode like aperture or shutter priority), you can choose focus and lock exposure independently, at the same time, before taking your image.
@@DanFox I thought the camera always locks the exposure when you half-press the shutter, is there another way? The mirrorless world is quite new to me... TIA
As someone that has watched literally thousands of hours of TH-cam photography vidoes, I can say that this channel is easily one of the most helpful and underrated/underwatched channels on the platform. I hope Dan gets the credit and viewers he deserves eventually. You da real MVP, Dan!
I think you'll be surprised if I tell you that one of the things that makes me prefer your channel is how you articulate when you speak. I am bilingual French - Spanish and English is only my third language. And very few youtubers articulate well, which makes it difficult for me to understand them. But you pronounce and articulate very well, it is not difficult for me to understand everything. Thank you. And for the quality of your videos too, of course, but what use if I couldn't understand them. ;-)
Oh, and I don't always articulate well. This video might make you laugh as you watch me make mistake after mistake 😅 🤣 th-cam.com/video/lIkLD2qWK20/w-d-xo.html
Hey man, I usually don’t comment on videos, but I’m stoked the alg. pointed me your way. I’ve been studying photography/videography for years (and thankfully gaining work in the field now), but I feel like im learning something new in every video of yours i watch. your production quality is nuts and you are amazingly well spoken - my point being I was shocked to realize you views are in the dozens/hundreds as opposed to the tens/hundreds of thousands i had just assumed. i’ve worked creatively with little attention for the better part of 10 years at this point - i know the grind and have nothing but respect for the dedication and appreciation for the information. godspeed man, thanks again.
Appreciate the encouragement, man and glad that you're enjoying the videos! I only started putting effort into TH-cam about a year ago and I think the algorithm is just starting to figure out what to do with my stuff 🤣
It sounds like I’m with you. I started using back button focusing approximately 8 months ago on the a6300/a7ii. I picked up the the A7iv in December. While I think that back button focus was a game changer especially with those cameras; I switched back to focusing with the shutter release for animals and humans. The quality of the eye-autofocus and subject tracking are so good in this camera (also the widespread focus points across the sensor) that I don’t get any additional speed or accuracy using back button focus. Now, I keep the camera in af-c, wide focus area and have ‘depressing the joystick’ to set “focus standard” (which does center lock af when the focus area is set to wide) to choose a different subject if it grabs the wrong subject (it’s worked ok for children’s soccer). I always shoot manual exposure so I have swapped my AEL button to “hold focus” if I need to recompose or do a little manual adjust to focus by leaning forward or backwards. I still think that back button focus is good for landscapes and real estate (really anything you would do hdr merge on where you don’t want focus changing) so I have the “AF w/ shutter” saved to ‘my menu’ and still have af-on set for back button focus. Great video, good detail. I would like to see a video of what shortcuts you have saved to your “my menu”.
Great comment! Appreciate the thought you put into it. I have definitely noticed speed improvements with autofocus on the A7IV and the eye AF is so sticky (though it's great on the A7Siii, too, so I'm a bit more used to that - same processor). I rely on eye af a ton for video. It's wild how far these autofocus systems have come.
I like both methods. I think they both have their place given the situation. I prefer shutter focus more often than not, but in some instances, as you mentioned such as wearing gloves the back button focus is certainly the better option.
I am SOOO glad the youtube algorithm finally suggested your videos! I recently started exploring this world of photography and videography and there's just so much information to process. I have ADHD and ASD which can steepen learning curves and how quickly I pick up on things. Hyper focus and sheer repetition to brute force learning certain concepts. Your how to nail exposure video filled in gaps that I just couldn't seem to hold on to watching Gerald Undone for example. This back button auto focus video again filled in gaps that I had from previous videos on the subject. Both of which only took watching once, so whatever you're doing it's amazing! I'm so excited to watch your previous videos and you deserve a FAR higher subscriber count
Oh, wow. Thanks for your comment, man! It really helps me stay inspired to keep making content when I know stuff is helping folks! Glad TH-cam helped you find my videos, too! I feel like TH-cam is finally starting to recommend my content after about a year. It's definitely a slog, but I'm hopeful that we're turning the corner here lol. And Gerald Undone is one of my favorite nerdy TH-cam channels, too (he's actually mentioned before that he thinks he's on the spectrum)! But I hear ya, you need to really be able to focus to stick with some of his content due to the nature of him doing deep dives that no one else seems to want to do. Highly appreciative of him for that, though. It's funny you mentioned ADHD as I have a family member with severe ADHD and I think that growing up with that in the household almost certainly helped shape how I deliver information as an adult throughout my whole career. I'm sure that it's also affecting my more recent venture into creating content for TH-cam, too. Sometimes I want to be able to deliver complex information in an approachable way without oversimplifying it so much that it becomes useless. Accuracy matters to me. It's a really hard balance to walk when I'm preparing my videos, so I really appreciate you letting me know that I seem to be striking a good balance so far. If you have other topics you'd like to see me cover, let me know!
@@DanFox Your prior experience with ADHD has definitely paid off with your approach to presenting information. Also just saw you're in the PNW too! Such a small world lol
Glad my videos are helping! (Apologies, but I don't speak Dutch - I think that's Dutch? - so hopefully Google Translate was accurate! lol. Would it be: "Blij dat mijn video's helpen!")
I use both methods. Thing is, I've been using shutter-focus (as I call it) since I stopped using my Pentax Spotmatic in about 2003. When I'm shooting around, one picture at a time, my brain and my finger expect the camera to focus when I touch the shutter. That said, though, I use back-button focus when it's at all possible that I could want to take more than one picture per composition. Then there's this other possibility. Because I use the ultra configurable Olympus E-M1, when I flip the programmable switch, it turns on continuous focus tracking using the back-button. I hold it down to track and then push the shutter when I want to start capturing. Shutter-focus with switch-enabled back-button-focus-tracking is my base camera configuration. I have another that's back-button-single-focus. All of this might sound hard to remember when I'm shooting away, but there's one thing that keeps it straight in my head - 20 years of basically using shutter-focus means that that's my default. The other focus modes are exceptional (for me) so it's easy to remember when I've temporarily invoked them. The best camera I've used for messing with focus-button configurations is the Canon 5D Mk III. It has separate back-button focus and auto-exposure lock buttons. You just turn off shutter-focus and then you can focus and meter separately and the shutter does just the one thing - trip the shutter without focusing or metering. Most cameras I've used require you to commit back-button focus to the AEL button, so you can't meter separately from the shutter if you've got back-button focus operating.
Very interesting. I'm going to have a go at that. See how i get on with it. Setting it up and using it sounds a bit simpler on the Leica - it has this already on the touch screen on manual focus but this just puts it on a physical button: Go to the tools option with the 'C' on it, click to 'Operation' and then 'Fn Button Set' then 'Setting in REC mode' and choose the button you want and select 'AF-ON' and to activate it, just select manual focus and it works the same.
No reason you won’t grow to hundreds of thousands if not millions in no time. Quality is amazing , personality is genuine, information is valuable. Fucking subscribe 💯📸
Great info Dan! I just got my Sony A7iv and I'm now getting into the Sony ecosystem (just switched from Canon). Your videos have a lot of good tips & trick that I will definitely take advantage of. You got yourself a new subscriber!
Welcome Jamie! Glad you're finding my stuff helpful! You know, it's kinda funny that when I started talking about Photography and Videography on TH-cam, I made great efforts to try to remain a camera agnostic channel. Not interested in the Canon vs. Sony debates and rabbit holes, you know? But I'm seeing so many new people entering the Sony ecosystem and having questions about the unique stuff Sony offers that I'm slowly becoming convinced that maybe I should be talking about Sony stuff more explicitly. Working on a video now about Sony's dual native ISO and ISO invariant properties, so it'll be interesting to see how that's received over the more "camera agnostic" stuff I've been doing so far. 🤔
Oh, I guess a good note from that perspective... this video has some Sony specific advice you'll likely want to know 👍 th-cam.com/video/nigy3Abbd38/w-d-xo.html
Great video Dan. Recent subscriber and loving your videos. I've been using back button focus for many years but recently switched back to shutter button focus. I just got a Sony A7iv and have found that the focus tracking feature has eliminated the need a lot of times to lock focus and recompose. An amazing thing since starting on older dslrs. I'd also say ergonomically the Sony make it tough for me to shoot one handed which has all of a sudden become a thing when trying to take pictures of my fast moving 1 year old haha. Definitely an uncommon situation I would think. Keep up the good work and content!
Appreciate the comment! And yeah, the tracking is definitely getting pretty good on these cameras. I have a custom button set up to allow me to leverage it at times when I don't need as much control over focus. In the process of making a video about my custom button setup for the A7 IV to cover both photo and video 👍
I’m revisiting this hobby after a 10 year hiatus and things have changed! Got new equipment, tried shooting kids action shots, got many focus fails. Very helpful vid, exploring focus techniques is my first part of the journey. Also love to see the Sony cameras!
That's definitely a big reason that I stick with bbf, for sure. You'll have to let me know how it goes for you once you get over the "this feels weird and unfamiliar" hump!
I use back button auto focus most of the time. However, I do toggle the option for using the shutter to auto focus quite a bit. I keep this option in my favorite's menu. There are 4 reasons where I need to switch it back on. 1. When I am using the camera to take selfie pictures at an arm's length. (It's easier to reach) 2. When I need to use one hand to focus and take a picture such as shooting over a crowd. (Single hand operation is easier for this) 3. When I am using a remote shutter release or the Sony Imaging Edge App to Auto focus. (The Autofocus triggers are linked to the shutter button in software. Otherwise, I would not be able to autofocus) 4. When I hand the camera to someone else to take a photo of me. (I switch it on, so they don't get confused.) Other than those particular reasons, I use back button Autofocus.
#3 is one quirk I forgot to mention. I have to switch focus to the shutter button in these scenarios, too. Or use a different mode, like manual and set focus up ahead of time. I'm personally fond of DMF, but to your point - the autofocus side of DMF still won't work when triggering remote unless you switch focus to the shutter release. I wish Sony would change this, but it is what it is.
I very much appreciated your video on ISO (I will have to watch it a couple of times to fully understand it, but it sure is interesting). This video however, I tend to not agree at all with you. I especially do not use BBF. Having the AF and the shutter release in one button is an advantage for the simple reason that it gives me one more button on the back of my camera to program. I shoot 90 % of the time in AF-C, the camera has Eye AF (even for birds and animals) and it disposes of tracking for every AF area it offers.When I intend to shoot macro and put on the appropriate lens, I put my AF in MF or DMF. On the topdial 1,2 and 3 have all the settings for portrait, action and landscape (thank you Mark Galer). When I wanna shoot flying birds and put on the 200-600, the topdial is put on n2 for action (A aperture priority, ISO AUT, ISO AUTO MIN SS 1/2000, AF-C, AF Area WIDE, etc....) I have limited the AF Area to Zone, Spot S and Expand Spot. When I am in Zone and catch the bird, I push my AF-ON button witch turns the AF AREA ZONE into Tracking ZONE. I keep my thumb there and push the shutter button when I am happy with what I see. When the bird lands, I push my AEL button, which through "Recall Custom Hold 1" has 11 settings to shoot a perched bird. I toggle through the AF Area with my C2 button (C1 is for Focus Peaking and Magnifying with vintage lenses). It works very well for me and it would not be possible with AF on the back of the camera for no reason. There is also a Focus Hold button on your lens by the way.
Glad you got value out of the ISO video! And as long as you have found the settings that work for you, that's all that matters! I'm certainly not of the opinion that there are "best" settings, just better for different workflows in different situations for different people. I don't find Mark Galer's settings as ubiquitously useful as some do (though I've definitely incorporated many of his tips over the years!). We just have different needs is all. 👍 And I never use the lens focus hold button as a focus hold, because I frequently need to use shutter speeds that are slow enough where pushing buttons on the lens causes too much shake - I use that button for toggling between eye af modes. I use the shutter button as my focus hold (if you remove focusing from your shutter button, your shutter button will automatically act as a focus hold, which isn't documented anywhere -its particularly useful for video shooting which I have to accommodate, too ;) so you don't actually lose buttons, you just rearrange them is all. Appreciate you sharing your settings, though! I'm sure that someone will read your comment and something will click for them in a way my video won't.
I do find, interestingly, that bird photographers (especially BIF photographers) tend to most strongly disagree with those of us who choose to back button focus. And I don't mean that as a slight at all! I only say that to say that I think you guys definitely have merits to your argument that your style of photography benefits from a different workflow. I don't shoot birds, though, unless an opportunity presents itself that I can't pass up. lol - but I definitely wouldn't remotely call myself a bird photographer by any stretch 😉 I was just hoping to introduce beginners to a different style of focusing than how their camera came set up out of the box.
Hello! I would like to use the hybrid mode. To keep the focus on the trigger button and use the BBF at the same time. More precisely, I press BBF, share the image and then press the shutter button on which I kept the autofocus. Thank you!...I USED GOOGLE TRANSLATION
Hi, Dan, I just found your channel and I'm chewing through your catalog. I took a ton of useful notes during your deep dive on Sony ISO. One thing I don't think I saw mentioned was the difference between contrast-detect and phase-detect autofocus. As I understand it, AF-S uses contrast-detect, while AF-C relies on phase-detect. The rough trade-off between them is that contrast-detect is slower, but a little more accurate. I believe it's more accurate in low-light, too. Phase-detect is faster, but not always as accurate. (We're measuring these differences in fractions of seconds, but sometimes that counts.) After I learned this, I set up my camera so that "back button focus" is actually "AF-S/contrast-detect focus". I can use the back button when my subject is relatively static, gaining the benefit of contrast-detect's improved accuracy without any concern for the speed of acquiring focus. I don't tend to worry about focusing and recomposing with AF-S/contrast-detect because I can move the focus point to where I want without having to recompose much, if at all. I'm not sure if contrast- vs. phase-detect autofocus is worth a separate video. I'm also a big fan of DMF. I often use it at night to help nail focus when the autofocus struggles.
Hey, Dave! Glad you're finding my stuff useful! Re: the autofocus issue... how old is the canera you're using? I'm pretty sure we haven't been able to manually select between contrast and phase detect since the third generation of alpha cameras when Sony introduced their hybrid autofocus. Both contrast and phase detect are used at the same time in their modern bodies to minimize the drawbacks of each and maximize the strengths (you articulated the strengths and weaknesses of each type well, though). The reason that AF-S and DMF (which uses AF-S and adds manual adjustment control) are so much more accurate in low light than AF-C is because those modes open the lens diaphragm all the way while focusing to allow as much light as possible. AF-C stays at the aperture that's set. All that said, Sony doesn't share precisely how their hybrid AF algorithms work so I don't know (or know of anyone outside Sony engineers who knows) if one detection type is prioritized over another in certain modes.
@@DanFox I use the a73. Your mention of how AF-S/DMF and AF-C handle the lens diaphragm rang every bell in a three-county radius. I'd remembered the advantages of my setup incorrectly. I set up AF-S on the back button precisely for that diaphragm-opening option in low light, not because of contrast-detect AF. Maybe it's worth setting that back button to DMF instead of the custom button I have now. Never mind my other nonsense! Maybe the topic of this exchange might be worth a video and, by extension, the time you've given. So glad, again, to have found your channel. The level of detail you provide clicks very well with how my brain works, but I don't have the patience to chase it all down like you do. In other words, no patience for the real work. Glad you do.
No worries! Sometimes it's good to have to remember what we thought we remembered. Me included! Had me scratching my head for a moment! 😉 And yeah, I don't bother using AF-S at all anymore. I stick focus mode in the fn menu and switch between DMF or AF-C (or full manual, when the need arises). If you assign your AF-On button to simply be AF-On, it will use whatever focus mode you have currently active.
@@DanFox I used back-button focus for years on my Canon 6D, so I used to be in the choir. It was The Great and Powerful Mark Galer who convinced me that I don't need to bother with it after I moved to Sony. I find that moving my thumb from the focus point joystick to the AF-On button to get focus a bit clunky. It's more comfortable for me to use my index finger on the shutter and thumb on the joystick. So far, so good. I've also got focus mode in my Fn menu, so maybe putting DMF on AF-On is a little too slick. I won't know for sure until I mess around and make some mistakes, right? ;)
@@davidturner5 Exactly, there is definitely a healthy amount of "figure it out for yourself" that I think every photographer has to go through with these tools. At the end of the day, whatever works for you is all that matters.
Thank you for this extremely helpful channel. I use back button autofocus all the time but I did learn something new watching this video. One small complaint: I wish the background music was not so loud and especially the base was very distracting and unpleasant, at least for me.
As someone who shoots motorsports, mostly WRC and other Rally events and some event photography where there's tons of people moving and where I always end up doing a bunch of portrait shots in a row, on the go - I can't imagine not using back button focus. My uncle is a photographer and he is the one who got me into photography so when I started my journey, I started on back button focus from the first day, years ago and remained on it to this day. Few months ago while I was watching various popular TH-camrs like Pierre T. Lambert or North Borders, all of who shoot without back button focus, I decided to give the shutter button focus a go... And holy... - was it a terrible experience. It feels so limiting not using back button focus, I feel like I have no control over it, it just feels very weird and the fact that the camera refocuses again and again and again and again - every time I press the shutter button felt sooooooo annoying! Every time I see TH-camrs promote back button focus to new or amateur photographers, I instantly like the video and support the creator!
Thanks for the comment and I'm glad you're here! And I know what you mean! Sadly, I didn't have someone to show me the bbf way when I started, but now I can barely use a camera any other way. Like trying to ride a bike with no pedals 🤣🤣
Thank you Sir. Keep doing it, pretty soon you will be very popular because of your content. Please try to avoid any marketing BS, we need you as a man with your own opinion!
Appreciate it! At some point I am going to have to figure out how to monetize this channel, but agreed, I definitely have zero interest in creating content simply to get people to buy stuff. The perspective I've taken so far when mentioning products is that they have to be useful and add value so as to keep things ethical. Making sure people can trust me is more important to me than pushing every shiny new thing that comes along 👍
Hey Dan, you have REALLY good videos. I have watched a lot of videos to learn about my A7iii and I'm just a hobbyist but not a complete noob, and I have already leaned a lot just from watching a few of your videos. I know you mentioned Mark Galer and he does nice videos too, but I feel like I get more useful information from your videos. If you haven't seen them you should also check out Mike Smith, he does really good videos on Sony as well. Keep up the good work though. With all the chaos in the world today it is nice to have a hobby/passion that we can learn about and discuss together as a reprieve from the madness. Oh yeah, and I started using back button focus when I got my A7iii, but I recently switched it to the joystick so I can move my focus point and the punch in for focus without switching controls to a different button. I also use my AEL for custom shoot setting to switch to DMF and that is pretty awesome too. Just my 2 cents.
I love back button focus for light painting.i can focus one time and shoot hundreds of shots. So I don't have to switch to manual and auto all the time.the one time I love the focus on the shutter button is single person automotive rolling shots on a geko.you can't drive and back button focus.
Great video! What other settings and techniques do you find useful? I've set it up as you've described and can't wait to try it outside. Indoors a quick couple of shots and I already like this method!
Nice! Let me know what you think once you get used to it! Re: your other question. There are so many settings you can tweak that articulating that via the comments would be nearly impossible 😆 but you're not the first to ask about my settings, so I'll probably be doing a video on that in the near future. Probably for the A7IV since I use that as a hybrid camera. I have made another video about a tool I use heavily for both video and photo, though. Perhaps this will tide you over for a bit 😉 th-cam.com/video/nigy3Abbd38/w-d-xo.html
Hi Dan. Just came across your channel and have enjoyed the few I have seen and was especially drawn to this one on back button focus. At some time in the immemorial past I changed my A7R III to BBF and forgot about it (also shows the last time I used the camera.) Was recently on a photo trip and couldn't focus my camera. Good thing a bunch of the other photographers were Sony users and pointed out the camera was in BBF mode. Okay, long winded way of getting to this comment. I wear glasses and find back button focusing to be a pain in the glASSes. I grew up with view finders and that is my preferred method of composing and find my thumb and glasses don't mix well. Yes, I could set the diopter to my un-aided eye, but then would be constantly taking my glasses off to see and compose. Any thoughts to help out those who wear glasses? Great videos by the way!
Glad you enjoyed it! And I used to wear glasses. And I promise that I'm not trying to sound snarky here, but the issue of trying to look through an EVF with glasses was finally the thing that annoyed me enough to get lasik surgery. So, so worth it. All that said, I never had an issue with my thumb and glasses interfering with each other, but I wore rectangular frames that were kind of low profile so I may have accidentally solved that issue for myself without realizing it. I would also take my glasses off a lot (after finally setting up my diopter).
Great video! I am working on getting used to back-button focusing right now. Question my camera also has 3D tracking in continuous mode. Do you ever use this for movement shots or do you always have it set on single-point focus?
Sure, I use it. I don't use it by default, but I have a custom button set to be a modifier to my focus mode so I can switch into it quickly if necessary. So with one button press, tracking toggles on.
I used to back button focus with older sony cameras (sony a6000) but i started using half press when sony cameras af got very good. I might try back button again for a bit to see what the results are.
I like that I can still leverage all the amazing auto focus advances, while still being in ultimate control, which isn't fully possible with focus on the shutter release. To me, having the amazing autofocus we have now doesn't negate bbf, it further enhances it. 👍
First proper camera myself a7iv. Will change to back button as not really played around with it yet. If I get used to it from the start rather than switching half way. Can you still get focus and move the frame like holding the shutter button half way? Would you hold the back button to get focus then move the frame? (Will test out but thought I’d ask too)
Sounds like a good plan! Re: your question... What do you mean, specifically? Are you referring to recomposing? Back button focusing makes recomposing really simple and intuitive, yes. I cover that in the video. 👍you can focus by pressing the button and then let go of the button to keep your focus. If you mean moving the focus point, then you can still do that with back button focusing, too. You'll just need to make sure you're not in the "wide" focus area - so use a zone or flexible spot. That works the same with both front and back button focusing, though.
@@DanFox exactly what I meant 👌🏾👌🏾. Sorry I don’t know/get mixed up with the terms. So much to lean and remember. As I’m trying to do both video and photo somewhat overwhelming
Since I rarely do still image photography, I'm using a different approach. I use AF-C by default and focus on the shutter button. However, I configured a button to locks focus by disabling AF while being pressed. So if I feel I need to recompose with the same focus, I just press the button and am good to go.
It's funny you mention video, because that's what initially convinced me to try bbf for photography - to more closely match my custom configuration for video. I'm working on a request video about my full custom setup for the A7 IV - I've just been bogged down in a move so haven't finished it yet. But to your point, I have a button set up for focus hold, too.
@Dan Fox By still image, I meant to say an image with little to no moving subjects. My usual subjects are constantly on the move, and thus, I rarely have the luxury of locking my focus. Your reply sparked my curious about something: if you only use bbf, how do you get benefits out of a hold focus button?
In video, I have multiple modifier buttons set up to control how focus behaves in certain modes. Many of those modifications are activated with my thumb. So it's more effective and efficient to make things act similarly between modes. Bbf is a photography-only concept so you can't really call it back button focus for video but there are similarities.
Hi Dan, do you advise BBAF for portraits? Eye AF is one of the main features appreciated, but many times I miss my old Focus and Recompose! What is your advice for someone who shoots mainly portraits? TIA
Personally, I use bbaf all the time (with exceptions for video). For portraits, too, though portraits aren't my main focus - so take my preference with a grain of salt 😉 but to your point, the whole focus and recompose action is too valuable to me (plus it's like second nature at this point) to sacrifice it for focusing with the shutter release. Eye Af should work regardless of your preferred focus method - at least on recent sony cameras. There was a time when eye af was in its infancy that this wasn't the case and it had to be assigned to a custom button, but now you just turn it on or off and it works in tandem with your other focus settings.
Hi Dan, I have set my A1 up using both af-on and release button with AF. This gives me the option of using either and I find it useful if I don't want to use tracking (which is always on with back-button) I would like to use BBAF without tracking but I cannot find an option to do this. Any ideas or thoughts?
Sounds like you may want to use my go-to for landscapes. I use DMF mode (you could use AF-S, too, but DMF is more functional because it allows you to activate manual focus from your focus ring) about 99% of the time for landscapes. Neither DMF or AF-S will track. And your af-on button simply uses whatever focus mode you're in. You may think that your camera is tracking when you hold down the af-on button in these modes, because the little green focus box stays lit, but it isn't grabbing focus again after the first time - only af-c does that. You can check yourself by focusing on the foreground, then recomposing or aiming your camera at something in the background while you're still holding the button and you'll notice that the focus doesn't change. If you want to use DMF, I'd recommend also turning on focus assist - it will automatically zoom what you see in your EVF when you start using the focus wheel on your lens so that you can dial in focus precisely. Also, I have focus mode assigned to my joystick press action so I can change between AF-C and DMF quickly if necessary.
I love your videos Dan but gotta to say BB focus is unnecessary in my opinion. Years ago it was ok with older DSLRs that didn’t have AF lock, however with modern cameras such as Sony Alpha it isn’t needed with active lock on tracking etc. The back button just ties up your thumb that can be used to move the AF point or exposure compensation on the fly. After all it is just a button it doesn’t make the af faster or better. Use active tracking af and lock on to your subject and recompose in fractions of a second.Also sometimes your finger can slip off the back button without knowing and it’s isn’t focussing, even worse with gloves on. On front button if it is shooting it is focussing. Why use two fingers when one will do all? After 20 years of BB focus I switched 10 years ago. I shoot everyday of the year as a professional, news, sport etc.Just my pennies worth! Keep that thumb free to change other functions.
No worries! If we all did it the same, it would get boring fast! 😉 That said, I disagree a little bit with your assessment, though I'll caveat it with "it depends on what you shoot." I do agree that some shooters never have need of moving from shutter release to focus. Tracking isn't great though when there's nothing obvious to the camera to track. One of my personal photographic interests is landscapes. BBF still works way better than tracking because tracking often won't pick what you think the subject is because the subject is much more nebulous. To your point though, and something I didn't mention in this video is that I have two buttons set for BBF. One for "regular" BBF, and the other (I use AEL because it lines up with buttons I have set for video, too) for tracking. So I can easily switch between without having to choose one mode in the menu. But I always encourage folks to do what works for them! Sounds like you have a workflow that works for your needs. I'm sure if I was shooting for the news, I'd prioritize more automation for speed purposes, too. I was just trying to introduce people to an alternate method they may not have heard of. 👍
Great video, very helpful, but back button focusing is not for me. For the amount of landscape photos I take it's not worth switching. Each to their own I suppose.
Be honest. Who here sprays and prays? 😉
And check out this video next if you're looking for another tool that will likely change the way you shoot! 👉 How to nail exposure every time - th-cam.com/video/nigy3Abbd38/w-d-xo.html
Oh, and I forgot to mention another reason in this video for using back button focus. If you have your camera set up to lock the exposure when you press the shutter (which I do - very useful when you use a mode like aperture or shutter priority), you can choose focus and lock exposure independently, at the same time, before taking your image.
lol
🤣🤣🤣
first time i held a 5D mark II more than 10 years ago i did it. and its an outdoor wedding. not my proudest moment but it was fun.
@@DanFox I thought the camera always locks the exposure when you half-press the shutter, is there another way? The mirrorless world is quite new to me... TIA
As someone that has watched literally thousands of hours of TH-cam photography vidoes, I can say that this channel is easily one of the most helpful and underrated/underwatched channels on the platform. I hope Dan gets the credit and viewers he deserves eventually. You da real MVP, Dan!
Thanks! Appreciate it! 🤘
Still is.
I think you'll be surprised if I tell you that one of the things that makes me prefer your channel is how you articulate when you speak. I am bilingual French - Spanish and English is only my third language. And very few youtubers articulate well, which makes it difficult for me to understand them.
But you pronounce and articulate very well, it is not difficult for me to understand everything. Thank you.
And for the quality of your videos too, of course, but what use if I couldn't understand them. ;-)
That IS a surprising bit of feedback. I appreciate you pointing that out! I never really thought about that before.
Oh, and I don't always articulate well. This video might make you laugh as you watch me make mistake after mistake 😅 🤣 th-cam.com/video/lIkLD2qWK20/w-d-xo.html
Hey man, I usually don’t comment on videos, but I’m stoked the alg. pointed me your way. I’ve been studying photography/videography for years (and thankfully gaining work in the field now), but I feel like im learning something new in every video of yours i watch. your production quality is nuts and you are amazingly well spoken - my point being I was shocked to realize you views are in the dozens/hundreds as opposed to the tens/hundreds of thousands i had just assumed.
i’ve worked creatively with little attention for the better part of 10 years at this point - i know the grind and have nothing but respect for the dedication and appreciation for the information.
godspeed man, thanks again.
Appreciate the encouragement, man and glad that you're enjoying the videos! I only started putting effort into TH-cam about a year ago and I think the algorithm is just starting to figure out what to do with my stuff 🤣
This is the best video , demonstration and explanation that I've seen for BBf, thank you for a great job.
It sounds like I’m with you. I started using back button focusing approximately 8 months ago on the a6300/a7ii. I picked up the the A7iv in December. While I think that back button focus was a game changer especially with those cameras; I switched back to focusing with the shutter release for animals and humans. The quality of the eye-autofocus and subject tracking are so good in this camera (also the widespread focus points across the sensor) that I don’t get any additional speed or accuracy using back button focus.
Now, I keep the camera in af-c, wide focus area and have ‘depressing the joystick’ to set “focus standard” (which does center lock af when the focus area is set to wide) to choose a different subject if it grabs the wrong subject (it’s worked ok for children’s soccer). I always shoot manual exposure so I have swapped my AEL button to “hold focus” if I need to recompose or do a little manual adjust to focus by leaning forward or backwards.
I still think that back button focus is good for landscapes and real estate (really anything you would do hdr merge on where you don’t want focus changing) so I have the “AF w/ shutter” saved to ‘my menu’ and still have af-on set for back button focus.
Great video, good detail. I would like to see a video of what shortcuts you have saved to your “my menu”.
I should mention I don’t use my camera for videos.
Great comment! Appreciate the thought you put into it.
I have definitely noticed speed improvements with autofocus on the A7IV and the eye AF is so sticky (though it's great on the A7Siii, too, so I'm a bit more used to that - same processor). I rely on eye af a ton for video. It's wild how far these autofocus systems have come.
And thanks for the idea re: custom camera settings 🤘
I like both methods. I think they both have their place given the situation. I prefer shutter focus more often than not, but in some instances, as you mentioned such as wearing gloves the back button focus is certainly the better option.
I am SOOO glad the youtube algorithm finally suggested your videos! I recently started exploring this world of photography and videography and there's just so much information to process. I have ADHD and ASD which can steepen learning curves and how quickly I pick up on things. Hyper focus and sheer repetition to brute force learning certain concepts. Your how to nail exposure video filled in gaps that I just couldn't seem to hold on to watching Gerald Undone for example. This back button auto focus video again filled in gaps that I had from previous videos on the subject. Both of which only took watching once, so whatever you're doing it's amazing! I'm so excited to watch your previous videos and you deserve a FAR higher subscriber count
Oh, wow. Thanks for your comment, man! It really helps me stay inspired to keep making content when I know stuff is helping folks! Glad TH-cam helped you find my videos, too! I feel like TH-cam is finally starting to recommend my content after about a year. It's definitely a slog, but I'm hopeful that we're turning the corner here lol.
And Gerald Undone is one of my favorite nerdy TH-cam channels, too (he's actually mentioned before that he thinks he's on the spectrum)! But I hear ya, you need to really be able to focus to stick with some of his content due to the nature of him doing deep dives that no one else seems to want to do. Highly appreciative of him for that, though. It's funny you mentioned ADHD as I have a family member with severe ADHD and I think that growing up with that in the household almost certainly helped shape how I deliver information as an adult throughout my whole career. I'm sure that it's also affecting my more recent venture into creating content for TH-cam, too. Sometimes I want to be able to deliver complex information in an approachable way without oversimplifying it so much that it becomes useless. Accuracy matters to me. It's a really hard balance to walk when I'm preparing my videos, so I really appreciate you letting me know that I seem to be striking a good balance so far. If you have other topics you'd like to see me cover, let me know!
@@DanFox Your prior experience with ADHD has definitely paid off with your approach to presenting information. Also just saw you're in the PNW too! Such a small world lol
@@hektik2200 Oh, yeah? I'm just a tiny bit north of Seattle. You close by?
@@DanFox Moved to Portland a few years ago from the east coast
@Hektik Ha! I moved here a few years ago from the east coast, too 🤣 Pennsylvania, specifically. Small world indeed!
Thanks for this! You deserve a way bigger audience!
Thanks, Frank. Glad it helped!
Hoi meneer Fox, ik ga het vanaf nu proberen.
Ik vind je filmpjes erg leerzaam, eindelijk iemand gevonden die weet waar hij over praat.
❤
Glad my videos are helping! (Apologies, but I don't speak Dutch - I think that's Dutch? - so hopefully Google Translate was accurate! lol. Would it be: "Blij dat mijn video's helpen!")
@@DanFox yes it is dutch, and google translated it well, thanks again for sharing your knowledge
This video deserves a lot more attention. Thanks for your time and help.
I appreciate it!
I use both methods. Thing is, I've been using shutter-focus (as I call it) since I stopped using my Pentax Spotmatic in about 2003. When I'm shooting around, one picture at a time, my brain and my finger expect the camera to focus when I touch the shutter.
That said, though, I use back-button focus when it's at all possible that I could want to take more than one picture per composition. Then there's this other possibility. Because I use the ultra configurable Olympus E-M1, when I flip the programmable switch, it turns on continuous focus tracking using the back-button. I hold it down to track and then push the shutter when I want to start capturing. Shutter-focus with switch-enabled back-button-focus-tracking is my base camera configuration. I have another that's back-button-single-focus.
All of this might sound hard to remember when I'm shooting away, but there's one thing that keeps it straight in my head - 20 years of basically using shutter-focus means that that's my default. The other focus modes are exceptional (for me) so it's easy to remember when I've temporarily invoked them.
The best camera I've used for messing with focus-button configurations is the Canon 5D Mk III. It has separate back-button focus and auto-exposure lock buttons. You just turn off shutter-focus and then you can focus and meter separately and the shutter does just the one thing - trip the shutter without focusing or metering. Most cameras I've used require you to commit back-button focus to the AEL button, so you can't meter separately from the shutter if you've got back-button focus operating.
I just found your channel for the first time and got to say I love your videos. You explain things really really well. Love it
Glad to hear it! Thanks!
Very interesting. I'm going to have a go at that. See how i get on with it.
Setting it up and using it sounds a bit simpler on the Leica - it has this already on the touch screen on manual focus but this just puts it on a physical button:
Go to the tools option with the 'C' on it, click to 'Operation' and then 'Fn Button Set' then 'Setting in REC mode' and choose the button you want and select 'AF-ON' and to activate it, just select manual focus and it works the same.
No reason you won’t grow to hundreds of thousands if not millions in no time. Quality is amazing , personality is genuine, information is valuable. Fucking subscribe 💯📸
Appreciate it, man! 🤘
Great info Dan! I just got my Sony A7iv and I'm now getting into the Sony ecosystem (just switched from Canon). Your videos have a lot of good tips & trick that I will definitely take advantage of. You got yourself a new subscriber!
Welcome Jamie! Glad you're finding my stuff helpful!
You know, it's kinda funny that when I started talking about Photography and Videography on TH-cam, I made great efforts to try to remain a camera agnostic channel. Not interested in the Canon vs. Sony debates and rabbit holes, you know? But I'm seeing so many new people entering the Sony ecosystem and having questions about the unique stuff Sony offers that I'm slowly becoming convinced that maybe I should be talking about Sony stuff more explicitly. Working on a video now about Sony's dual native ISO and ISO invariant properties, so it'll be interesting to see how that's received over the more "camera agnostic" stuff I've been doing so far. 🤔
Oh, I guess a good note from that perspective... this video has some Sony specific advice you'll likely want to know 👍 th-cam.com/video/nigy3Abbd38/w-d-xo.html
Great video Dan. Recent subscriber and loving your videos. I've been using back button focus for many years but recently switched back to shutter button focus. I just got a Sony A7iv and have found that the focus tracking feature has eliminated the need a lot of times to lock focus and recompose. An amazing thing since starting on older dslrs. I'd also say ergonomically the Sony make it tough for me to shoot one handed which has all of a sudden become a thing when trying to take pictures of my fast moving 1 year old haha. Definitely an uncommon situation I would think. Keep up the good work and content!
Appreciate the comment! And yeah, the tracking is definitely getting pretty good on these cameras. I have a custom button set up to allow me to leverage it at times when I don't need as much control over focus. In the process of making a video about my custom button setup for the A7 IV to cover both photo and video 👍
Great explanation! been using back button focusing for about 4 years. I’ll never go back.
Great video, Dan! Just discovered you channel - keep up the good work, you will surely grow!
Thanks, Claudiu!
Me and my manual lenses - interesting video, 100% useful
I’m revisiting this hobby after a 10 year hiatus and things have changed! Got new equipment, tried shooting kids action shots, got many focus fails. Very helpful vid, exploring focus techniques is my first part of the journey.
Also love to see the Sony cameras!
Welcome back to photography! And I'm glad you found the video helpful!
Great video for sure, but I learned something unexpected. I had no idea back wheel can scroll through menus quicker. Thanks a lot.
Nice! I forgot that I even shared that tip 😅
Haven't had issues with half press, but giving back button a go after your point on keeping focus between multiple shots. Thanks!
That's definitely a big reason that I stick with bbf, for sure. You'll have to let me know how it goes for you once you get over the "this feels weird and unfamiliar" hump!
I use back button auto focus most of the time. However, I do toggle the option for using the shutter to auto focus quite a bit. I keep this option in my favorite's menu. There are 4 reasons where I need to switch it back on.
1. When I am using the camera to take selfie pictures at an arm's length. (It's easier to reach)
2. When I need to use one hand to focus and take a picture such as shooting over a crowd. (Single hand operation is easier for this)
3. When I am using a remote shutter release or the Sony Imaging Edge App to Auto focus. (The Autofocus triggers are linked to the shutter button in software. Otherwise, I would not be able to autofocus)
4. When I hand the camera to someone else to take a photo of me. (I switch it on, so they don't get confused.)
Other than those particular reasons, I use back button Autofocus.
#3 is one quirk I forgot to mention. I have to switch focus to the shutter button in these scenarios, too. Or use a different mode, like manual and set focus up ahead of time. I'm personally fond of DMF, but to your point - the autofocus side of DMF still won't work when triggering remote unless you switch focus to the shutter release. I wish Sony would change this, but it is what it is.
I very much appreciated your video on ISO (I will have to watch it a couple of times to fully understand it, but it sure is interesting). This video however, I tend to not agree at all with you. I especially do not use BBF. Having the AF and the shutter release in one button is an advantage for the simple reason that it gives me one more button on the back of my camera to program. I shoot 90 % of the time in AF-C, the camera has Eye AF (even for birds and animals) and it disposes of tracking for every AF area it offers.When I intend to shoot macro and put on the appropriate lens, I put my AF in MF or DMF. On the topdial 1,2 and 3 have all the settings for portrait, action and landscape (thank you Mark Galer). When I wanna shoot flying birds and put on the 200-600, the topdial is put on n2 for action (A aperture priority, ISO AUT, ISO AUTO MIN SS 1/2000, AF-C, AF Area WIDE, etc....) I have limited the AF Area to Zone, Spot S and Expand Spot. When I am in Zone and catch the bird, I push my AF-ON button witch turns the AF AREA ZONE into Tracking ZONE. I keep my thumb there and push the shutter button when I am happy with what I see. When the bird lands, I push my AEL button, which through "Recall Custom Hold 1" has 11 settings to shoot a perched bird. I toggle through the AF Area with my C2 button (C1 is for Focus Peaking and Magnifying with vintage lenses). It works very well for me and it would not be possible with AF on the back of the camera for no reason. There is also a Focus Hold button on your lens by the way.
Glad you got value out of the ISO video! And as long as you have found the settings that work for you, that's all that matters! I'm certainly not of the opinion that there are "best" settings, just better for different workflows in different situations for different people. I don't find Mark Galer's settings as ubiquitously useful as some do (though I've definitely incorporated many of his tips over the years!). We just have different needs is all. 👍 And I never use the lens focus hold button as a focus hold, because I frequently need to use shutter speeds that are slow enough where pushing buttons on the lens causes too much shake - I use that button for toggling between eye af modes. I use the shutter button as my focus hold (if you remove focusing from your shutter button, your shutter button will automatically act as a focus hold, which isn't documented anywhere -its particularly useful for video shooting which I have to accommodate, too ;) so you don't actually lose buttons, you just rearrange them is all. Appreciate you sharing your settings, though! I'm sure that someone will read your comment and something will click for them in a way my video won't.
I do find, interestingly, that bird photographers (especially BIF photographers) tend to most strongly disagree with those of us who choose to back button focus. And I don't mean that as a slight at all! I only say that to say that I think you guys definitely have merits to your argument that your style of photography benefits from a different workflow. I don't shoot birds, though, unless an opportunity presents itself that I can't pass up. lol - but I definitely wouldn't remotely call myself a bird photographer by any stretch 😉 I was just hoping to introduce beginners to a different style of focusing than how their camera came set up out of the box.
My button is set to Tracking On + AF On from the factory. What’s the difference?
Hello! I would like to use the hybrid mode. To keep the focus on the trigger button and use the BBF at the same time. More precisely, I press BBF, share the image and then press the shutter button on which I kept the autofocus. Thank you!...I USED GOOGLE TRANSLATION
Hi, Dan, I just found your channel and I'm chewing through your catalog. I took a ton of useful notes during your deep dive on Sony ISO.
One thing I don't think I saw mentioned was the difference between contrast-detect and phase-detect autofocus. As I understand it, AF-S uses contrast-detect, while AF-C relies on phase-detect. The rough trade-off between them is that contrast-detect is slower, but a little more accurate. I believe it's more accurate in low-light, too. Phase-detect is faster, but not always as accurate. (We're measuring these differences in fractions of seconds, but sometimes that counts.) After I learned this, I set up my camera so that "back button focus" is actually "AF-S/contrast-detect focus". I can use the back button when my subject is relatively static, gaining the benefit of contrast-detect's improved accuracy without any concern for the speed of acquiring focus. I don't tend to worry about focusing and recomposing with AF-S/contrast-detect because I can move the focus point to where I want without having to recompose much, if at all. I'm not sure if contrast- vs. phase-detect autofocus is worth a separate video.
I'm also a big fan of DMF. I often use it at night to help nail focus when the autofocus struggles.
Hey, Dave! Glad you're finding my stuff useful!
Re: the autofocus issue... how old is the canera you're using? I'm pretty sure we haven't been able to manually select between contrast and phase detect since the third generation of alpha cameras when Sony introduced their hybrid autofocus. Both contrast and phase detect are used at the same time in their modern bodies to minimize the drawbacks of each and maximize the strengths (you articulated the strengths and weaknesses of each type well, though). The reason that AF-S and DMF (which uses AF-S and adds manual adjustment control) are so much more accurate in low light than AF-C is because those modes open the lens diaphragm all the way while focusing to allow as much light as possible. AF-C stays at the aperture that's set. All that said, Sony doesn't share precisely how their hybrid AF algorithms work so I don't know (or know of anyone outside Sony engineers who knows) if one detection type is prioritized over another in certain modes.
@@DanFox I use the a73. Your mention of how AF-S/DMF and AF-C handle the lens diaphragm rang every bell in a three-county radius. I'd remembered the advantages of my setup incorrectly. I set up AF-S on the back button precisely for that diaphragm-opening option in low light, not because of contrast-detect AF. Maybe it's worth setting that back button to DMF instead of the custom button I have now. Never mind my other nonsense! Maybe the topic of this exchange might be worth a video and, by extension, the time you've given.
So glad, again, to have found your channel. The level of detail you provide clicks very well with how my brain works, but I don't have the patience to chase it all down like you do. In other words, no patience for the real work. Glad you do.
No worries! Sometimes it's good to have to remember what we thought we remembered. Me included! Had me scratching my head for a moment! 😉
And yeah, I don't bother using AF-S at all anymore. I stick focus mode in the fn menu and switch between DMF or AF-C (or full manual, when the need arises). If you assign your AF-On button to simply be AF-On, it will use whatever focus mode you have currently active.
@@DanFox I used back-button focus for years on my Canon 6D, so I used to be in the choir. It was The Great and Powerful Mark Galer who convinced me that I don't need to bother with it after I moved to Sony. I find that moving my thumb from the focus point joystick to the AF-On button to get focus a bit clunky. It's more comfortable for me to use my index finger on the shutter and thumb on the joystick. So far, so good. I've also got focus mode in my Fn menu, so maybe putting DMF on AF-On is a little too slick. I won't know for sure until I mess around and make some mistakes, right? ;)
@@davidturner5 Exactly, there is definitely a healthy amount of "figure it out for yourself" that I think every photographer has to go through with these tools. At the end of the day, whatever works for you is all that matters.
Thank you for this extremely helpful channel. I use back button autofocus all the time but I did learn something new watching this video. One small complaint: I wish the background music was not so loud and especially the base was very distracting and unpleasant, at least for me.
Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for the feedback 👍
Ima gonna try it.
Great video!
Thanks!
As someone who shoots motorsports, mostly WRC and other Rally events and some event photography where there's tons of people moving and where I always end up doing a bunch of portrait shots in a row, on the go - I can't imagine not using back button focus. My uncle is a photographer and he is the one who got me into photography so when I started my journey, I started on back button focus from the first day, years ago and remained on it to this day. Few months ago while I was watching various popular TH-camrs like Pierre T. Lambert or North Borders, all of who shoot without back button focus, I decided to give the shutter button focus a go... And holy... - was it a terrible experience. It feels so limiting not using back button focus, I feel like I have no control over it, it just feels very weird and the fact that the camera refocuses again and again and again and again - every time I press the shutter button felt sooooooo annoying! Every time I see TH-camrs promote back button focus to new or amateur photographers, I instantly like the video and support the creator!
Thanks for the comment and I'm glad you're here! And I know what you mean! Sadly, I didn't have someone to show me the bbf way when I started, but now I can barely use a camera any other way. Like trying to ride a bike with no pedals 🤣🤣
Thank you Sir. Keep doing it, pretty soon you will be very popular because of your content. Please try to avoid any marketing BS, we need you as a man with your own opinion!
Appreciate it! At some point I am going to have to figure out how to monetize this channel, but agreed, I definitely have zero interest in creating content simply to get people to buy stuff. The perspective I've taken so far when mentioning products is that they have to be useful and add value so as to keep things ethical. Making sure people can trust me is more important to me than pushing every shiny new thing that comes along 👍
Hey Dan, you have REALLY good videos. I have watched a lot of videos to learn about my A7iii and I'm just a hobbyist but not a complete noob, and I have already leaned a lot just from watching a few of your videos. I know you mentioned Mark Galer and he does nice videos too, but I feel like I get more useful information from your videos. If you haven't seen them you should also check out Mike Smith, he does really good videos on Sony as well. Keep up the good work though. With all the chaos in the world today it is nice to have a hobby/passion that we can learn about and discuss together as a reprieve from the madness. Oh yeah, and I started using back button focus when I got my A7iii, but I recently switched it to the joystick so I can move my focus point and the punch in for focus without switching controls to a different button. I also use my AEL for custom shoot setting to switch to DMF and that is pretty awesome too. Just my 2 cents.
Appreciate it, Seth! And yup, I've seen some of Boxhead Mike's stuff (I've always wondered why he called himself that lol).
I love back button focus for light painting.i can focus one time and shoot hundreds of shots. So I don't have to switch to manual and auto all the time.the one time I love the focus on the shutter button is single person automotive rolling shots on a geko.you can't drive and back button focus.
Great video! What other settings and techniques do you find useful? I've set it up as you've described and can't wait to try it outside. Indoors a quick couple of shots and I already like this method!
Nice! Let me know what you think once you get used to it!
Re: your other question. There are so many settings you can tweak that articulating that via the comments would be nearly impossible 😆 but you're not the first to ask about my settings, so I'll probably be doing a video on that in the near future. Probably for the A7IV since I use that as a hybrid camera. I have made another video about a tool I use heavily for both video and photo, though. Perhaps this will tide you over for a bit 😉
th-cam.com/video/nigy3Abbd38/w-d-xo.html
@@DanFox - Thanks! Will do!
Hi Dan. Just came across your channel and have enjoyed the few I have seen and was especially drawn to this one on back button focus. At some time in the immemorial past I changed my A7R III to BBF and forgot about it (also shows the last time I used the camera.) Was recently on a photo trip and couldn't focus my camera. Good thing a bunch of the other photographers were Sony users and pointed out the camera was in BBF mode. Okay, long winded way of getting to this comment. I wear glasses and find back button focusing to be a pain in the glASSes. I grew up with view finders and that is my preferred method of composing and find my thumb and glasses don't mix well. Yes, I could set the diopter to my un-aided eye, but then would be constantly taking my glasses off to see and compose. Any thoughts to help out those who wear glasses? Great videos by the way!
Glad you enjoyed it! And I used to wear glasses. And I promise that I'm not trying to sound snarky here, but the issue of trying to look through an EVF with glasses was finally the thing that annoyed me enough to get lasik surgery. So, so worth it.
All that said, I never had an issue with my thumb and glasses interfering with each other, but I wore rectangular frames that were kind of low profile so I may have accidentally solved that issue for myself without realizing it. I would also take my glasses off a lot (after finally setting up my diopter).
Great video! I am working on getting used to back-button focusing right now. Question my camera also has 3D tracking in continuous mode. Do you ever use this for movement shots or do you always have it set on single-point focus?
Sure, I use it. I don't use it by default, but I have a custom button set to be a modifier to my focus mode so I can switch into it quickly if necessary. So with one button press, tracking toggles on.
I used to back button focus with older sony cameras (sony a6000) but i started using half press when sony cameras af got very good. I might try back button again for a bit to see what the results are.
I like that I can still leverage all the amazing auto focus advances, while still being in ultimate control, which isn't fully possible with focus on the shutter release. To me, having the amazing autofocus we have now doesn't negate bbf, it further enhances it. 👍
First proper camera myself a7iv. Will change to back button as not really played around with it yet. If I get used to it from the start rather than switching half way.
Can you still get focus and move the frame like holding the shutter button half way? Would you hold the back button to get focus then move the frame? (Will test out but thought I’d ask too)
Sounds like a good plan!
Re: your question... What do you mean, specifically? Are you referring to recomposing? Back button focusing makes recomposing really simple and intuitive, yes. I cover that in the video. 👍you can focus by pressing the button and then let go of the button to keep your focus.
If you mean moving the focus point, then you can still do that with back button focusing, too. You'll just need to make sure you're not in the "wide" focus area - so use a zone or flexible spot. That works the same with both front and back button focusing, though.
@@DanFox exactly what I meant 👌🏾👌🏾. Sorry I don’t know/get mixed up with the terms. So much to lean and remember. As I’m trying to do both video and photo somewhat overwhelming
No worries! Just wanted to make sure I wasn't steering you wrong through misunderstanding the question is all!
And I hear ya! Being a hybrid photo/Video shooter means lots to learn. I just posted a video this week aimed specifically at folks in your position.
Thanks. Do you keep BBF button depressed while taking the shot, or do you release and then press shutter?
Depends on the mode you're in. If you're in DMF or AF-S, just press and release. If in AF-C holding in will help you when tracking.
Since I rarely do still image photography, I'm using a different approach. I use AF-C by default and focus on the shutter button. However, I configured a button to locks focus by disabling AF while being pressed.
So if I feel I need to recompose with the same focus, I just press the button and am good to go.
It's funny you mention video, because that's what initially convinced me to try bbf for photography - to more closely match my custom configuration for video. I'm working on a request video about my full custom setup for the A7 IV - I've just been bogged down in a move so haven't finished it yet. But to your point, I have a button set up for focus hold, too.
@Dan Fox By still image, I meant to say an image with little to no moving subjects. My usual subjects are constantly on the move, and thus, I rarely have the luxury of locking my focus.
Your reply sparked my curious about something: if you only use bbf, how do you get benefits out of a hold focus button?
In video, I have multiple modifier buttons set up to control how focus behaves in certain modes. Many of those modifications are activated with my thumb. So it's more effective and efficient to make things act similarly between modes. Bbf is a photography-only concept so you can't really call it back button focus for video but there are similarities.
@Dan Fox Ok, got it, you are using focus hold for video. Thanks for the explanation.
Hi Dan, do you advise BBAF for portraits? Eye AF is one of the main features appreciated, but many times I miss my old Focus and Recompose! What is your advice for someone who shoots mainly portraits? TIA
Personally, I use bbaf all the time (with exceptions for video). For portraits, too, though portraits aren't my main focus - so take my preference with a grain of salt 😉 but to your point, the whole focus and recompose action is too valuable to me (plus it's like second nature at this point) to sacrifice it for focusing with the shutter release. Eye Af should work regardless of your preferred focus method - at least on recent sony cameras. There was a time when eye af was in its infancy that this wasn't the case and it had to be assigned to a custom button, but now you just turn it on or off and it works in tandem with your other focus settings.
@@DanFox Thank you so much for answering! I guess I'll give it a try! I thought with BBAF you'd loose the Eye....
Hi Dan, I have set my A1 up using both af-on and release button with AF. This gives me the option of using either and I find it useful if I don't want to use tracking (which is always on with back-button)
I would like to use BBAF without tracking but I cannot find an option to do this.
Any ideas or thoughts?
Sounds like you may want to use my go-to for landscapes. I use DMF mode (you could use AF-S, too, but DMF is more functional because it allows you to activate manual focus from your focus ring) about 99% of the time for landscapes. Neither DMF or AF-S will track. And your af-on button simply uses whatever focus mode you're in. You may think that your camera is tracking when you hold down the af-on button in these modes, because the little green focus box stays lit, but it isn't grabbing focus again after the first time - only af-c does that. You can check yourself by focusing on the foreground, then recomposing or aiming your camera at something in the background while you're still holding the button and you'll notice that the focus doesn't change.
If you want to use DMF, I'd recommend also turning on focus assist - it will automatically zoom what you see in your EVF when you start using the focus wheel on your lens so that you can dial in focus precisely.
Also, I have focus mode assigned to my joystick press action so I can change between AF-C and DMF quickly if necessary.
@Glyn Davies: Why would tracking be on with BBF, it is not?
this the longest video about something that could be broke down in max 2 minutes :D
Hey brother! Which lens are you using in the camera you filmed this video with?
You mean the talking head parts? I used the 16-35 f/2.8 GM lens for those. If you mean the b roll, then that was a variety.
@@DanFox yes i mean the talking head. Thank tou!
Sure thing!
it's default on my lumix G6 😄
There needs to be a separate mode to use automatic and manual focusing together? I guess Sony should learn from Fujifilm
Not sure what you're referring to? Sony DOES offer a manual/auto hybrid called DMF.
I love your videos Dan but gotta to say BB focus is unnecessary in my opinion. Years ago it was ok with older DSLRs that didn’t have AF lock, however with modern cameras such as Sony Alpha it isn’t needed with active lock on tracking etc. The back button just ties up your thumb that can be used to move the AF point or exposure compensation on the fly. After all it is just a button it doesn’t make the af faster or better. Use active tracking af and lock on to your subject and recompose in fractions of a second.Also sometimes your finger can slip off the back button without knowing and it’s isn’t focussing, even worse with gloves on. On front button if it is shooting it is focussing. Why use two fingers when one will do all? After 20 years of BB focus I switched 10 years ago. I shoot everyday of the year as a professional, news, sport etc.Just my pennies worth! Keep that thumb free to change other functions.
No worries! If we all did it the same, it would get boring fast! 😉
That said, I disagree a little bit with your assessment, though I'll caveat it with "it depends on what you shoot." I do agree that some shooters never have need of moving from shutter release to focus. Tracking isn't great though when there's nothing obvious to the camera to track. One of my personal photographic interests is landscapes. BBF still works way better than tracking because tracking often won't pick what you think the subject is because the subject is much more nebulous. To your point though, and something I didn't mention in this video is that I have two buttons set for BBF. One for "regular" BBF, and the other (I use AEL because it lines up with buttons I have set for video, too) for tracking. So I can easily switch between without having to choose one mode in the menu. But I always encourage folks to do what works for them! Sounds like you have a workflow that works for your needs. I'm sure if I was shooting for the news, I'd prioritize more automation for speed purposes, too. I was just trying to introduce people to an alternate method they may not have heard of. 👍
Commenting for that algorithm.
Sounds like someone knows how it works. 😉 Appreciate it!
Great video, very helpful, but back button focusing is not for me. For the amount of landscape photos I take it's not worth switching. Each to their own I suppose.
That's primarily what got me to try out bbf initially - landscapes. Works great for that.
But there is focus hold! Stop continuous focus!
Personally, I find focus hold much more useful in video than photo.