Birds Back button focus? I don't understand the full benefit.

[Dave Williams]

That sound like it could be a good setup for me to test out. If it's not to much trouble, could you let me know your settings? Is there anything tricky that you need to know to set those up? I think I remember a video about not being able to set AF=eye detect and *=spot, I think the YouTuber had to set it up in the reverse order (I could be mistaken).
Here is an off topic question: do you shoot in Manual, and if so do you use Auto ISO most of the time? I don't, but when things are moving quick I don't have the experience to change exposure settings fast enough.

Thanks much!

If you want to try my way. Go to purple Menu 1. Choose single point for AF method, subject to detect animals and disable continuous AF ( to save battery power. Then proceed as I directed above to Orange menu. Choose half metering and start AF for the shutter button, then for AF-on choose eye detection AF.
I use manual settings for aperture,S/s and ISO.

 

[RedCobra]

Interesting setup, thanks for the description. Could you tell me your settings? Do you have Zone set to the shutter button and BB set for eye detect? I use eye detect on the shutter button 90% of the time. I find that it works good with birds in flight except with a busy back ground. Do you think the Zone works better?

No no.... The shutter button does no AF at all. Only metering start and shutter activation. All focusing is done with the Back Button.
AF on = Animal eye focus
Asterisk = Spot focus
AE button = zone focus.

The whole purpose of Back button focus is to take the focus activation OFF the shutter button.
Watch these two videos.

What is BACK BUTTON FOCUS? Why it's a winner for WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY. TUTORIAL.

Back Button Focus is a hot topic in wildlife photography and in this video, Janine outlines why it's such a winner for wildlife photographers no matter which...

www.youtube.com

Canon R5 Settings For Wildlife Photography

The Canon R5 settings for wildlife photography as explained by Pangolin Photo Host Janine Krayer. Janine has been thoroughly testing the Canon Eos R5 in the ...

www.youtube.com

 

[Jake Shoots Birds]

Interesting setup, thanks for the description. Could you tell me your settings? Do you have Zone set to the shutter button and BB set for eye detect? I use eye detect on the shutter button 90% of the time. I find that it works good with birds in flight except with a busy back ground. Do you think the Zone works better?

The opposite - front for zone, bb for eye detect. Just works better for me head-wise. Zone is much better to grab a bird in the sky. I used to use the control wheel to change from eye detect to zone quickly but then heard of this and now use the control wheel to select what I want for the front button which varies between single point, expanded single and zone

 

[Dave Williams]

The opposite - front for zone, bb for eye detect. Just works better for me head-wise. Zone is much better to grab a bird in the sky. I used to use the control wheel to change from eye detect to zone quickly but then heard of this and now use the control wheel to select what I want for the front button which varies between single point, expanded single and zone

Another interpretation of my set up , must admit I don't use the control ring at all.Maybe I need to take another look at it.

 

[Dave Williams]

The first video she's using a 1D and things have changed! Again it's about personal preference. I find the back buttons a bit fiddly finding the right one so Have mine all set to the same function..eye detect. Whereas with the DSLR's I have always owned there was no eye detect, now I use the centre single AF point to hit the subject then use the eye detect to keep on the subject as I recompose the shot or simple try to keep the subject in the frame if it's moving. No need to turn the AF off at all most of the time.

No no.... The shutter button does no AF at all. Only metering start and shutter activation. All focusing is done with the Back Button.
AF on = Animal eye focus
Asterisk = Spot focus
AE button = zone focus.

The whole purpose of Back button focus is to take the focus activation OFF the shutter button.
Watch these two videos.

What is BACK BUTTON FOCUS? Why it's a winner for WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY. TUTORIAL.

Back Button Focus is a hot topic in wildlife photography and in this video, Janine outlines why it's such a winner for wildlife photographers no matter which...

www.youtube.com

Canon R5 Settings For Wildlife Photography

The Canon R5 settings for wildlife photography as explained by Pangolin Photo Host Janine Krayer. Janine has been thoroughly testing the Canon Eos R5 in the ...

www.youtube.com

 

[ZCecilia]

Until I bought the R5 I could see no benefit to me in BB focus but now I'm a convert. I have the shutter button on spot focus, the rear button on eye detect. I find this to be ideal for me as I don't have to move my thumb to another assigned button. Once I have identifies my target using the half pressed shutter button I let the back button do the tracking as I take the shots. aperture, shutter speed and ISO are all on the dials and shutter speed it the one I use the most to adjust exposure on the fly as my 100-500 plus 1.4 TC doesn't give much room for manoeuvre on aperture. The R5 produces excellent IQ so I'm often on ISO 3200 now.

 

[ZCecilia]

Dave, can you please post a iphone photo of your Customize Buttons panel so I can see which is the icon that should be next to the AF-ON in order to Focus the subject with that Back Button?

Until I bought the R5 I could see no benefit to me in BB focus but now I'm a convert. I have the shutter button on spot focus, the rear button on eye detect. I find this to be ideal for me as I don't have to move my thumb to another assigned button. Once I have identifies my target using the half pressed shutter button I let the back button do the tracking as I take the shots. aperture, shutter speed and ISO are all on the dials and shutter speed it the one I use the most to adjust exposure on the fly as my 100-500 plus 1.4 TC doesn't give much room for manoeuvre on aperture. The R5 produces excellent IQ so I'm often on ISO 3200 now.

button?

 

[ZCecilia]

The shutter button does not focus in this case. It only meters. This is set in the customize buttons menu. When using BBF the shutter button only meters and fires the shutter. does not activate the AF system.

So WHICH IS THE ICON THAT SHOULD BE NEXT TO THE AF-ON button, in order to activate fht AF system and use the BACK BUTTON FOCUS?

 

[Kwazy]

I think it's this one, EyeDetect.
And he had his * set to "register/recall shooting function" I believe.

 

[BradS]

For birds in general, including birds-in-flight, I have been usiing the guidance in the video below for some time. It works well for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFZ0J27zSI4
The basic idea is to use 3 back buttons, each operated with the thumb for different focus functions. The shutter button is set to "Metering Start" (only) in "Customize Buttons".

The 3 back buttons as labeled in the R5 menu are:
- AF-On
- AE Lock (*)
- AF Point Button

I have set these in "Customize Buttons" for the following functionality:
- AF-On: Spot AF
- AE Lock: Eye Detect AF
- AF Point Button: Zone AF
My order for these works better for me and is slightly different than that suggested in the video.

Useage comments:

1) If a stationary bird is too distant for Eye Detect AF, then I will generally use Spot AF.
2) I find that the Zone AF button generally works well for BIF, and sometimes better than either Spot AF or Eye Detect AF on birds partially burried in brush.