Do you use back button focusing?

[JR1]

Nope, never, half press of the shutter release and re compose, all I have done since digital cameras

[HenkB]

Yes, exclusively. Why? I'm process oriented and appreciate having more granular control when shooting. It's true that I'm privileged to have developed the necessary finger dexterity from learning a musical instrument but, really, is there anyone contributing to this site who hasn't developed the ability to move the thumb and index finger independently and appropriately when typing? There are other advantages to be had, especially when shooting many images for tens of minutes on end, looking for and trying to anticipate fleeting moments and gestures, the index finger can get tired and lose tone maintaining a half-press, leading to loss of focus or misfires. Been there, done that. The thumb is much better adapted to this sort of shooting.

[cliffmccartney]

I want to clarify my statement about using BBF exclusively. I should say I use it exclusively when I use autofocus.

It's pretty rare that I use autofocus for a landscape or nature shot. I'll almost always focus manually for those.

[Sponge]

I tried BBF but found it awkward and I was missing shots during the learning curve. I always have an easy to reach button assigned to MF and am used to using that when I want to lock focus.

[GrahamS]

Allways use BBF. All of my bodies are set to servo focus. One press and release of the AF button achieves focus and locks it there. Hold the AF button in results in servo tracking. Don't have to fuss with any other AF settings or modes, and point of focus does not interfere with exposure metering. To use BBF successfully, it has to become instinctive. Practice will get you there.

[RustBeltRaw]

Full-time back-button focus user. Why? In order of importance to yours truly...

1. Standardized camera setup.
   My cameras are in servo AF at all times, since decoupling the shutter from focus allows easier focus-and-recompose operations. And, if you have lenses which can be manually focused in AF mode, you don't need to flip their AF switches to manually focus, bypassing another complexity (everyone here has probably used MF at some point, forgotten, and fired off a few shots assuming they were in AF, only to spend a few confused moments figuring it out). This keeps the camera's behavior consistent, removing the need to change focus modes with shooting conditions.
   
2. Prevents jumping focus.
   If you have anything wandering between your lens and your subject, you can usually see whatever it is entering the side of your frame, get off the focus button, and get back on once the disturbance - usually refs, whose striped shirts are focus magnets - has passed. This sounds trivial, but it keeps your depth of field in a useful place and saves re-focus time.
   
3. Less fatigue.
   I frequently shoot for long stretches (2+ hours of actual eye-in-viewfinder time), and holding one rear button down with my thumb is easier than holding a touchy shutter button halfway down with my index finger.

[Carl in Louisiana]

I tried BBF, liked it and use it all the time now. Reasons have all been stated in the above posts.

[jordand]

A matter of habit I’d say.
Friend of mine is a photo journalist and he claims that using the back button is the only way of focusing.
Following his professional opinion, I changed my camera settings. It took some time to get used to.
For me the biggest difference is that once you focus at the subject you may release the back button (provided you or the subject is not moving).

[Bobobird]

I have been using BBF from about 6 months into my relatively short photographic journey and have never looked back.

There is one advantage over the shutter that has not been mentioned - both AF and IS are moved to the back button. Always in servo I will follow the subject and when it is where I want it the AF and IS has already stabilised and will not produce jitter when the shutter is pressed.

[DanK]

My cameras are in servo AF at all times, since decoupling the shutter from focus allows easier focus-and-recompose operations. And, if you have lenses which can be manually focused in AF mode, you don't need to flip their AF switches to manually focus, bypassing another complexity

I agree about decoupling the shutter from focus and the benefits of full-time manual focusing, but you don't need servo AF to do this, at least on Canon bodies. My default is one-shot AF and BBF, which decouples AF from the shutter. The documentation for my older body made this quite obscure, but the newer manual and menu correctly show it, and it works on both (50D and 5d MkIII).

Dan

[allenlennon]

thanks to all for your insight, and sorry i couldnt reply sooner. I will be giving it a go when i start a new project, 100 strangers project on flikr.

[Brev00]

I just started using it recently, specifically for shooting high school soccer. I think it works great especially being able to lift my finger and get true focus--like when I am shooting the goalie in a corner kick with all the other players possibly interfering with the shot. Like trap focus, I suppose. I find it hard to shoot with the back button in portrait mode--switching about is awkward. I am pretty awkward anyway often hitting the live view button instead of the af-on button. Still, it is getting easier.

[Colin Southern]

I just started using it recently, specifically for shooting high school soccer. I think it works great especially being able to lift my finger and get true focus--like when I am shooting the goalie in a corner kick with all the other players possibly interfering with the shot. Like trap focus, I suppose. I find it hard to shoot with the back button in portrait mode--switching about is awkward. I am pretty awkward anyway often hitting the live view button instead of the af-on button. Still, it is getting easier.

I'm not sure I understand - why can you not just select an AF point and put it over the goalie?

[GrahamS]

I have been using BBF from about 6 months into my relatively short photographic journey and have never looked back.

There is one advantage over the shutter that has not been mentioned - both AF and IS are moved to the back button. Always in servo I will follow the subject and when it is where I want it the AF and IS has already stabilised and will not produce jitter when the shutter is pressed.

Bobo, I don't know what brand of camera system you use, but on both my Nikon and Canon systems IS/VR is activated on both the shutter button as well as the BBF button.

[DanK]

Bobo, I don't know what brand of camera system you use, but on both my Nikon and Canon systems IS/VR is activated on both the shutter button as well as the BBF button.

Yes, this is true on both of my Canons. If I recall correctly (I am not going to set my cameras back to defaults to check), both of my Canons came out of the box with the back button and shutter working identically (other than the shutter function of course) to start both AF and metering. AF works identically with the two buttons, including activating IS. The menus differ on different bodies, but in a nutshell, all one does to use BBF is turn off the AF function on the shutter button.

[Black Pearl]

I have tried it but find it very awkward and counterintuitive so I stick with using the shutter button.

Never have a problem.
Never find a situation where it doesn't work.
Never have to learn a new way of shooting.
Never have to think about where the button is when switching between bodies/brands.

[Brev00]

Colin,

You can but other players cross in front of the goalie during live action grabbing focus from the goalie. If I want to keep the goalie in focus despite the interference, af-on is a good option. Is this not clear?

[Bobobird]

Graham and Dan - if you have not touched the custom functions then both the shutter and AF-ON button at the back work identically. I have changed the AF-ON button to Metering and AF and the shutter button to Metering at half-press.

Cameras are the Canon 5D3 and a 5 days old 1D-X.

[Glenn NK]

Always - both cameras - except for MF.

It becomes intuitive when it's used.

What's intuitive about the shutter button for focus? Could it be a habit we learned because the designers weren't thinking ahead to the future so they stuck AF on the shutter button.

When I went from a Canon A-1 (no auto focus) to a 30D, focusing wasn't the least bit intuitive - it had to be learned.

Would anyone want a manual shift car with one pedal for the clutch and brake? It would work - press the pedal and the clutch would disengage first, followed by the brake. To shift gears, press the pedal halfway.

Glenn

[jprzybyla]

I commented previously that I do not use BBF. For any of you that shoot birds/nature, especially birds in flight, I want my thumb for the back wheel on Nikon's. I want this because I use the +/- EV control to change exposure. For dark birds against a bright sky +1EV, for white/light birds -1 EV. If my thumb was holding the AF-On button for continuous focusing I could not change the exposure.