You Need To Use Back Button Focusing

Have you heard of back button focusing? If not then this is an extremely useful tip for all sorts of photography but in particular wildlife and sports and anything where there is a lot of movement and change. You might have heard of it before but you are not really sure what it is.

This quick guide will explain what it is and why you need it. 

I’ll also explain how I set it up on my cameras a Canon 5D mark III. Unfortunately I’m not familiar with Nikon systems, I’m a Canon man. 

So, if you are a Nikon user and you’ve set up back button focus on your camera get in touch and I will feature you in this article explaining the process for a Nikon camera with some pictures.

You shall be featured and can have links to your website and social media, so readers can have a look at your work. E-mail me at: info@drlphotography.co.uk 

Why is Back Button Focusing Useful?

This whole concept is to do with your autofocus. A lot of people prefer to use manual focus because they have full control of which point is in focus and when, but for us mere mortals that can be a big pain in the butt!

So, autofocus was invented to make it easier for us. You can still select individual points in your autofocus range and choose which point is in focus above all else. 

When you first pick up your camera its natural setting is that when you half depress the shutter button, the autofocus will engage and attempt to focus on the point that you've selected or one of the point in the range. This is fine, but it can be bloody annoying! Let’s give you a scenario…

Scenario

You have managed to track down a field where brown hares are very common, so you position yourself and cover yourself up because you know that they are quite a nervous animal.

You’ve been sitting in your spot for a couple of hours, waiting patiently for your subject to arrive with the fading light.

You’ve set your camera ready to capture a good exposure and set it to take pictures as silently as possible.

Eventually a hare appears and starts to move where you want it to be.

You depress the shutter and it focuses correctly and you get an image.

It continues to move and you try to follow it, but as you depress the shutter it focuses on the grass behind the hare instead of the hare itself.

Your movement and the sound of the shutter has alerted the hare, as it starts to run away you manage to follow it but each time you press the shutter your lens is focusing on something other than the hare, eventually it moves beyond your capabilities and you loose your subject.

You will have to try again tomorrow. 

In this scenario it would be advantageous if when you pressed the shutter button your camera did not try and focus on something other than what you want it to be focused on.

This is why back button focusing is useful, you can separate the 2 actions of focusing and taking a picture.

That is what back button focusing is all about: moving the autofocus from the shutter button to a button on the back of the camera. I know, very inventive naming there. 

If we go back to the scenario above, by separating the actions of focusing and activating the shutter, you can choose what is in focus.

You press your back button to focus on the hare, and then press the shutter button to take an image. As the hare moves it is still within your field of focus, so you just press the shutter button and the camera does not try to focus again, instead it continues to take pictures. Much easier and you get a lot more images. 

With the actions separated it can make your life a lot easier, as your camera won’t be searching for a focus point at the wrong time. You can set the focus and leave it. 

How to Set Back Button Focusing on a Canon Camera

I’ll show you how I set up back button focusing on my Canon 5D mark III, please bear in mind that other Canon cameras may be different to this but the general idea should be easy to understand. 

Part 1

First step is to go to your menu by pressing 1 in the photograph. 

Then navigate to the menu of 2

You are looking for Custom Controls at 3

In other menus you should be able to find the same title but maybe in a different menu area. 

Part 2

After entering the custom controls menu

Navigate to the button for the shutter

In this case entitled ‘Shutter butt. half-press’ 

Part 3

In this area change the setting from metering and auto-focus to ‘Metering start’ only

This will stop the autofocus engaging when you half press the shutter button

Part 4

Go back to the custom controls menu 

Find the button that correlates to ‘AF-ON’ or is positioned on the back of the camera

In this case it is found directly below the shutter button

Part 5

In the area for the AF-ON button change the setting to ‘Metering and AF Start’ 

This will mean that when you press the back button it will engage the autofocus and light meter 

That’s it! Those settings have now been changed and you can easily autofocus using the back button and keep the area you want in focus easily.

As I said at the beginning I don’t have a Nikon camera, so I can’t help you with that change.

That being said I imagine it is a similar process to this one.

Try and find a menu item that says something similar to custom controls and experiment to find the right way of doing it. If you find out how or know how to change the settings, please send a guide to me with pictures of the back of you camera, like the ones above. You don’t need to annotate the images, I can do that, but it would be great to be able to share that knowledge! E-mail me your solution at info@drlphotography.co.uk

Conclusion

For years I used the basic settings but once I made the change, Wow! It really changed my workflow and made taking pictures a lot easier.

Especially in fast moving situations, such as wildlife.

It enables me to set the focus and forget it. If you are a bit skeptical about its effectiveness, the only way you are going to change your mind is to have a go. It did take me a little time to get used to the change.

But now I’m a full convert to back button focusing. If you have a go but don’t find it useful, fair enough.

Let me know below why. 

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Written by Daniel Long

Daniel Long created DRL Photography as a place to showcase his work as a photographer. Daniel has learnt a lot about photography and wishes to impart this knowledge with you, although the world is an ever changing place and he always says “you can never learn everything.” So as he makes his way, he continues to learn knew techniques, skills and information about photography. He focuses on Landscape and Wildlife photography and Daniel has a special focus on Scotland, his home away from home. As well as writing about photography and taking pictures out in the field, Daniel offers guided photography days so he can share his knowledge and locations in an effort to give his clients the best opportunities possible. Have a browse around this website to see his images, guided experiences and articles about photography. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to get in contact.