I do switch them round on my camera. Back button focus aims to tackle a few shortfalls of traditional focusing methods, like the time it takes to switch between continuous and single focus modes. Yes, I keep the AF On button pressed. This means that if you take a sequence of frames in continuous drive mode, then each will have the same exposure as the first frame. Focus will be temporarily halted so long as I keep the button depressed. Choosing the right focus mode for your subject, Firmware updates for EOS R, EOS Ra and EOS RP plus RF lenses and more, Get in my bag now please RF85mm F2 Macro IS STM …, A better standard lens, EF 40mm f/2.8 STM, How to send only JPEGs to your laptop when shooting tethered, The difference between E-TTL & TTL for Canon flash, EOS lenses and accessory firmware updates. I've not been able to set it up correctly. Even my short thumb finds this hard to do. Here's an extract from an article in the July-September 2013 issue of EOS magazine which explains it all. The first step is to set up regular the back button AF. Then you would aim the camera towards the flowers and press the * button to focus. Using Zoom or Skype I can provide sessions for camera clubs, groups and individuals. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. You also have the option of using the AF-ON button to set focus only and the shutter button to set exposure only, or vice versa. Back button focus configurations is in Function settings. Using the always handy “Back-Button AF” for bird photography. I had a 20D with back button focus set, and it took some experimentation to get it right on the 40D and I knew what I wanted. If you are confused about Canon EOS focus modes, please read “Choosing the right focus mode for your subject“. If you already use back button AF on your Canon camera then you can skip this and move to part 2. I write books and articles for photo magazines and I always have at least one Speedlite flash in my camera bag, Your email address will not be published. Using the AF-ON button can also save time when you’re shooting a series of images of the same subject. Since most photographers including beginners are used to focusing by pressing the shutter release button halfway through, back button focusing can take some time to get used to and once you get the hang of it, there will be no turning back. By the way, the AE Lock selects and locks in the camera’s exposure settings. So for example, let's say you had AI Servo (continuous focus) enabled and you're shooting along the sideline of a soccer game. Navigate the to the third tab of the set up menu’s and you see the third option which allows you to switch round the functions of the AE-lock button and the AF selection button. For tracking moving subjects, you press and hold down the back button, and the camera tracks your subject with AI SERVO. In bird photography, pressing the button with the right thumb to focus is the better choice. Similar to previous generations of entry level EOS cameras, the setting is in the custom functions C.Fn. Canon's somewhat poorly written user manual has a lot to do with the arcane functions becoming more obtuse. In effect you are able to use AI Servo focus for static subjects and still focus, lock (or more accurately don’t refocus) and recompose. Genau für solche Anwendungsfälle haben sich die Kamerahersteller etwas einfallen lassen (Canon übrigens schon in analogen Zeiten). I keep both buttons configured the same in case I press the wrong one whilst shooting. Whether you choose option 1, or 3, you have back button focus. EOS 800D and EOS 200D can be configured for back button focus. EOS 800D/rebel T7i and EOS 200D/Rebel SL2 both have a new style of menus, and it seems that some people are not readily finding the desired settings for back button focus. Full-time photo tutor and photographer. By setting up your camera for back button focussing you are removing the autofocus function from the shutter release button and assigning it to the AF-ON button on the rear of your camera. To confirm a mode, you can, for example, press the shutter button down halfway when the mode you want to use is selected. If you set C.Fn 8 to 1 or 3, then the AE-lock button with the * icon must be pressed to initiate focus. Is there some way to configure my settings so I can easily revert to regular focus for use with the remote? If you use the shutter button to set focus, you have to press halfway to set focus for each shot. Press the back button to focus on the subject, and then release the back button so that the camera won’t refocus. But the AF doesn't seem to be working in photo mode via Live View shooting. For the EOS 800D pictured above the AE-lock button with the * icon is the button you press for focus. By default Canon EOS cameras use “front button focus”; the shutter release button activates the autofocus and exposure metering. The AF-ON button can be set to be the only way to initiate focus, disallowing the shutter button from doing so. My 80D has back button focus and it can be focused with the shutter button and a remote shutter release. Back button focus. Traveling over the top of the Canon EOS Rebel T7i/800D camera to its back, you encounter the smorgasbord of controls shown in the following figure. 2 – Back button focus with a difference, you press the AE-Lock button to stop focus. Mit dem Back Button Focus ist der Auslöser nicht länger mit zwei Funktionen (Fokussieren + … There are two ways to initiate (and lock) focus on your Canon DSLR – using the shutter button, and / or – using the AF-ON button on the back of the camera, near your thumb.. This gives the reason for the name “back button focus”. Go back to Custom Settings menu on your camera and then the Controls section. Her best selling books include Digital Photography For Dummies and thirty titles on Canon and Nikon cameras.Robert Correll is a digital media expert who authored Digital SLR Photography All-in-One For Dummies. Some buttons have multiple “official” names because they serve multiple purposes depending on whether you’re taking pictures, reviewing images, recording a movie, or performing some other function. If you’re using Evaluative exposure metering, exposure is also locked with your press of the AF-ON button; in other metering modes, exposure is set at the time you fully depress the shutter button, just as when you use the shutter button to set focus. Want to use autofocus on your Canon EOS camera with a greater degree of control? If you use the shutter button to set focus, you have to press halfway to set focus for each shot. I’ve received a couple of questions about how to setup back button AF on these cameras so here it is…. As a result the back button focus is now activated by pressing the AF selection button, this is a more natural placement for my thumb. Only you can decide if you need the exposure lock or not. But if you keep pressing the AF-ON button, you can take as many shots as you want, and the camera will use the same focusing distance. Required fields are marked *. For the EOS 800D pictured above the AE-lock button with the * icon is the button you press for focus. However the shutter button now locks the exposure when half pressed. The options work in the same way as the EOS 800D. 3 – AF is still controlled by the AE-Lock button, but the half-press position of the shutter button doesn’t lock the exposure, so each frame in a sequence may have different exposure settings. In the advanced exposure modes (P, Tv, Av, M, B, C1, and C2), you can hold down this button to accomplish the same goal as pressing the shutter button halfway. Thanks. The main advantage of this is that it allows you to acquire, lock and maintain focus for multiple shots with your thumb while leaving your index finger free to release the shutter. Pressing the AF area selection mode button each time switches the mode and loops back after reaching the last mode. Wie du mit Back Button Focus entspannter und flexibler fokussierst. You can now freely recompose the shot, and press the shutter to take the picture. Though it is not only for those kinds of photographers. The photographer has to press a separate button the back of the camera. Back button focus is often used by advanced photographers as it provides a means to have separate control of the autofocus and shutter release. I learned about back button focus very early in the photography career and I could never go back to shooting without it. Press the Menu button and then tap on the LCD screen to select the yellow tab labelled Function settings once in the menu, select the last tab and navigate to the custom functions C.Fn. I have set up the camera for back button focus. Julie Adair King is a veteran digital photography educator. Using the AF-ON button can also save time when you’re shooting a series of images of the same subject. Then try back button focusing which transfers control away from the shutter button to the AF-ON button. There isn't much advantage to having focus on both buttons, like a lot of modern cameras there are two separate settings necessary for proper back button focus, one enables the back button the other removes focus from the shutter button, Search through your cameras menu and you will find them. If you are a back button focus user, there is limited, or no need to change between ONE-SHOT and AI SERVO AF. This gives the reason for the name “back button focus”. When set to 1: AE lock/AF you have back button AF. This book refers […] Some photographers like to use this setup so that exposure isn’t locked along with focus in the Evaluative metering mode. Point 1: Use Single-point AF if you are very sure about where you want to establish focus Hello all, I’ve done plenty of research on the Canon 80D and I’ve decided it... by Claire T37 24 months ago Selling my 80D 1 reply. There are two ways to focus on a subject: using the shutter button or the (AF start) button. Firstly you set the back button AF much the same as the EOS 800D above, but it is C.Fn 8 on the EOS 200D. For back button focus you need to select 1: AE lock/AF or 3: AF/AF lock, no AE lock to enable back button focus. Custom function 12 has four possible settings. My ... by Mike Skidmore's Art 27 months ago More... Search this group's discussions. If you set your camera to continuous focusing mode, you could also use Servo just like One-Shot by the way you press the back focus button. EOS 800D/rebel T7i and EOS 200D/Rebel SL2 both have a new style of menus, and it seems that some people are not readily finding the desired settings for back button focus. [923]. This is a lesson from my Canon 70D Crash Course Training Video on how to focus It will also work for the Canon 80D. For static subjects, keep AI Servo focus set. So the EOS 200D has an additional customisation that helps if you want to use back button AF. 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