How many of you use back button focus?

chuckmiller wrote in post #18907231
This is somewhat related. Before I began using BBF I caught myself causing the camera to nose down when I pressed the shutter button, causing handshake blur. Poor technique. But, BBF gives me a better grip before I press the shutter and alleviates that handshake blur. Voila, sharper photos so to speak because of better focus.

Interesting.

How were you holding the camera/lens with your left hand? Everyone has their own way, so I am curious. Since I hold the bottom of the lens with my left, I never found myself tilting the camera that way. My issue is different though, I can never get a straight horizon, all my images are off to some degree it seems, even with the grid lines in the VF. It is related to how I hold my camera with my left hand, because I have started to watch what I am doing with that left hand and notice that I keep tilting my hand in when I take a shot.

So not a sharpness or focus thing for me, but rather a tilt thing, and BBF doesn't help me here.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18907236
Interesting. ...My issue is different though, I can never get a straight horizon,

Just lately I have forced myself to leave the "artificial horizon, or electronic level" on in the viewfinder and pay attention to it.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18907236
Interesting.

How were you holding the camera/lens with your left hand?

Incorrectly I'm sure. It has been a few years so I can't say what I was doing. What I can say is now I try to keep my left hand as far toward the end of the lens as I can if that hand isn't needed on the zoom ring. Tripod triangle effect. It makes a huge improvement in stability with something like the 100-400.

MatthewK wrote in post #18906952
BBF allows one to meter on a preferred point in the frame, press+hold the shutter halfway to lock exposure, recompose, and then use the back button to AF on the subject.

Do you frequently run into situations where the metering you are doing isn't on the subject? Otherwise this seems overly complicated. Focus and lock exposure, followed by recompose, would be enough if you meter on the subject.

Use for everything but macro work.

The only time I switch back button focus off, is when I hand my camera to someone else to take my photo. I always use it.

I definitely find my "in focus" keeper rate is MUCH higher since switching to BBF - and as mentioned, is great for pre-focusing on a spot and recomposing for waiting (i.e., for me when shooting vball and I'm trying to time a block...

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2ey7​Nec

I actually use BBC. It's a life changing experience

Tried it several times and hated it. I couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle using BBF.

In fact, I was even having trouble hitting stationary objects.

Nope.....not for me.

I use BBF on both my Canon 7d & 5d. I use the AIServo focus option. It is really easy after you get over the learning curve.

saea501 wrote in post #18945557
Tried it several times and hated it. I couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle using BBF.

In fact, I was even having trouble hitting stationary objects.

Nope.....not for me.

Kind of curious as to why you think you had so much trouble. I mean, I can see hating the feature, like maybe your thumb is too short, or it's so still that you can't move it, but DDF is just another button that activates the AF so there should be no difference in the cameras focusing ability. 1/2 press the button, camera AFs, hit the back button, camera AFs. The only thing changing is what triggers the AF.

The only way to go so far as I am concerned...

Edgar in ATL wrote in post #18945678
The only way to go so far as I am concerned...

Same here. Every body. All the time.

“Once you go Back, you never go Back.”

To each their own. Like many other things in life, there is no right way or wrong way to AF. It is just a tool, and everyone has their own preferred way for making it work for them. Great if BBF works for you. And great if half-shutter press works for you.

But, I do agree that there are certain situations in which BBF is much more convenient. And I do agree that for the sake of consistency it makes complete sense to set all your cameras to AF in the same way.