An alternate to BBF

[Only RF]

for it's intended purpose? Sorry in advance for any typos. I'm really bad for that. I can proof 5 times and still miss it. I'll tweak as needed when I read this again.

Many years ago professionals requested Canon for the BBF system which made a big difference. When mirrorless arrived I followed the traditional set up and split Metering and AF between the shutter and AF-ON buttons. Eye Detect is simply amazing but it is still a computer trying to figure out what we want. I wondered how could I gain control over it?

Over a year ago I started to think outside the box. I decided that AF is so good on the mirrorless bodies I went back to the factory settings and left both Metering and AF on the shutter button. This free up the AF-ON. The caveat is you have to keep the shutter half pressed. I shot like that for 5 years with my 7D and only assigned the AF-ON for AF with my 7D2 so the transition to go back was not as difficult. Besides the ML bodies have a great little feature - AF Preview or Initial AF for the R5 and 6. When in Eye Detect and you raise the shutter past ½ way the AF preview square kicks in and the system continues to AF. You will notice that when you wake the camera up the AF Preview starts to look for an eye before you press any buttons.

I've been shooting this way for over a year now and have assigned the AF-ON, the * button and AF point selection buttons for different AF modes to, for a better word override Eye Detect when it is struggling. For the R7 I use the DOF because you can't map the magnifier for AF. I use this method continually as it gives me total control.

Just some background. I purchased this similar video tutorial which has some good techniques. One method was to create two files in Lightroom, one for subject NR, the other for background, send both PS and layer them. Since the advanced masking in LrC 11 that method is not as necessary.

I'm not starting this thread to promote Adobe or purchase Steve Perry's tutorials. Just some background on who he is.

Noise Reduction Using Lightroom And Photoshop – Virtual Workshop – Backcountry Gallery Web Store

I was searching for something else last night and came across this. I haven't seen too many videos that explain this. I attempt to but a picture is a thousand words.

Back Button AF With Mirrorless: AM I CRAZY?

Once upon a time, when DSLRs roamed the land, Back Button AF was the automatic go-to for many - even most - photographers. However, with mirrorless taking ov...

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The only difference is when Steve uses the BBF he places the single point on the eye of the subject. I don't do that because it is the systems job to find the eye. I paid a lot of money for that feature so I just place it anywhere on my subject, release the BBF and the eye snaps in. I also don't move the AF around anymore. I've not activated the joystick nor do I use the LCD. Too slow. I press a BBF, physically move the camera to land the AF on my subject and release the BFF. I even use Zone AF for this purchase. As long as your subject is in the plane of focus it will find the eye.

What I like about my method is I don't have to lift my thumb off the AF-ON and press the * to override. I just keep the shutter half pressed and use a BBF as needed.

 

[jcass]

BBF for me. My mind and hands are trained to use the camera that way. For me the big change goes along with the increased customization of the buttons. I now use a triple BBF configuration: AF-On == eye detect AF, * == zone AF, and Point-Sel + * == spot AF. All three of these include metering plus 8 seconds. In my setup, the shutter button now does AE-Lock on half-press.

I'm still getting used to this setup change, but I like the flexibility in switching AF modes instantly. It is a complicating system that takes time to become second nature though. I'm not there yet.

I think the key point in Steve's video and why I still prefer BBF is that I want to be able to take photos without the AF system active and I'm horrible at manual focus.

 

[Only RF]

It's not for everyone. Just a different approach that someone may be interested in. If not just as good.

 

[JustUs7]

Whenever I see the word, “Need”, this pops into my head. It’s a reflex.

 

[Only RF]

Lol. Helmet would fold without his. Gotta love Mel. "The real money is merchandise".

 

[tpatana]

My 2c:

Modern AF chips are so much better than old ones that the original reason for BBF is not there anymore.

However, for those who already have their muscle memory working with BBF there's no harm either so it's ok to keep using if you're used to it.

 

[PGM]

I have never understood the reason for BBF. Several advocates have tried to explain it to me but could not explain the advantages over using the half press on the shutter button. It's still using the same sensors to focus on matter which button you use so the focus will only be as good as the camera system and settings allow.

 

[Only RF]

Not there isn't.

 

[Only RF]

I decided to change the title of this thread. My intent was to explore other shooting methods, not to suggest BBF shouldn't be used for AF but I guess it came across that way. I've read quite a few threads of people new to mirrorless learning to navigate around this new tech. I was one of them.

 

[hedleyw]

I have never understood the reason for BBF. Several advocates have tried to explain it to me but could not explain the advantages over using the half press on the shutter button. It's still using the same sensors to focus on matter which button you use so the focus will only be as good as the camera system and settings allow.

By separating the functions you can choose whenever you want to focus, independent of pressing the shutter release. You have in effect both servo and one-shot focus / pre-focus without changing modes.