Article: Is back button focus becoming outdated?

While I use BBF (and I don't have to) if Canon came up with something different I'd be open to checking it out. I shot 80% in Av mode 20% Manual since 2005. Since getting the R I adopted the Fv mode. It wasn't easy at first but I got the hang of it.

digital paradise wrote in post #19000433
While I use BBF (and I don't have to) if Canon came up with something different I'd be open to checking it out. I shot 80% in Av mode 20% Manual since 2005. Since getting the R I adopted the Fv mode. It wasn't easy at first but I got the hang of it.

1000% agreed

As camera technology advances you tend to use the technology thats available and old habits with old technology goes away

case in point

I would not buy an all manual focus camera. AF on the modern cameras is bulletproof, faster and easier to use

As forest Gump says.... One less thing

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #19000390
Personally, coming back to this a day after I asked the question of Charlie, I think his answers and replies are clear and well, accurate. Having fleshed out his responses, I have to say I agree.

It appears that the nature of this thread, with multiple re-pliers has painted Charlie's reply in a bad light that may have been unfounded. I lumped him in with the "never BBAFers"

I understand how his posts illicit a strong response, he got me to respond that way too,. but to my eyes, a day later, after his clarifications, and answer to Tom's question, I think to take it negatively, we really need to read into his posts an ill intent that today I am not seeing.

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I agree Jake. . I like Charlie! . And I am glad that he is participating in this discussion, even though he keeps getting very negative responses.

Late last night I posted a response to Charlie. . I meant it as a positive post, to thank him for responding to my question. But now that I re-read what I wrote, I see that it doesn't come out that way. . Guess that's what happens when I write late at night when my brain and eyes are pleading with me to give them sleep ..... I have thoughts that I want to write, but can't come up with the right words to express those thoughts accurately, so it comes out as a mis-representation of what I meant to say.

Sorry, Charlie.


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umphotography wrote in post #19000451
1000% agreed

As camera technology advances you tend to use the technology thats available and old habits with old technology goes away

case in point

I would not buy an all manual focus camera. AF on the modern cameras is bulletproof, faster and easier to use

As forest Gump says.... One less thing

Then you get old and your eyesight and reflexes start to go....

Nice, John. Throw a hot grenade on the ground in front of your comrades and leave.

apersson850 wrote in post #19000391
The camera will figure out what you are trying to catch anyway.

...until the shot can be misinterpreted by the built in AF logic of the camera and it picks the wrong thing to focus upon!...which is why there is a need to be able to override what it tries to do, at times.

umphotography wrote in post #19000451
1000% agreed

As camera technology advances you tend to use the technology thats available and old habits with old technology goes away

case in point

I would not buy an all manual focus camera. AF on the modern cameras is bulletproof, faster and easier to use

As forest Gump says.... One less thing

Which proves the point that we are all different. I've purchased at least 6 manual focus cameras in the last year. Every last one of them, the way I shoot them, is 'faster' to focus than any autofocus camera available anywhere. How? I decide which aperture I'm shooting (usually f/11-22), set zone focus for maximum DOF, and don't touch it again. NOT focusing will always be faster than FAST focusing. Technology isn't everything.

Different strokes, and all that.

f11 or smaller shooting wouldn't work at all what I do. I can definitely see the point you make (much like shooting with an UWA where the DOF is almost infinite, no matter the aperture), but then I couldn't shoot in low light, action related events if I did that using normal view or zoom lenses. However I like MF lenses and focus peaking does sometimes seem like I can MF faster and better that AF, especially with a 50 1.2.

Oh, yes. F/16 or so is not appropriate for action shooting. I don't do much of anything that moves with an all manual 120 film camera like the Agfa Isolette, or the like. Which just reinforces the notion that we all do things our own way, with respect to AF, BBF, or most any camera feature. You couldn't shoot action very effectively with what I am using. I don't need a 5DIV to shoot a corn field.

Sure you do, that 5D4 is so hot a product, it will make that corn pop! The R5 rumor seems interesting, so I hope the specs pan out with over 40Mpx and 12fps. It might replace the 5D4 for me, who knows?

Again, I really do like manual focusing, now that I have focus peaking. I couldn't do it before easily, too hard to tell what was in focus without that feature. Now with the 50 1.2 and its less than 1" in focus field with portraits, I know immediately when the eye is in focus. Love it! When I shoot like this, I don't care where the focus button is, I don't have to use it.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #19000866
Sure you do, that 5D4 is so hot a product, it will make that corn pop!

Even trade? My Mamiya 6 IVB for your 5D4? Heck, that is so generous of you that I'll throw in a Voigtlander Vito II 35mm for nothing. I'll PM you my address.

... on second thought, never mind. I don't have any EF lenses. Sorry to disappoint you.

Then you have to worry about where to put that focus button. Do you put it on a button that serves two different purposes, and you have to half press to focus all the time, do you use the rear button that is completely configurable to the point it can actually change AF modes and types, or do you half press the shutter, then hit another button to stop the AF, and continue holding down that button until you are ready for the shot? So many choices, some better than others...

You don't need that headache in your life. I was going to take you up on the offer, but then I thought I would be a bit more humanitarian and save you from all this hell. Plus why would anyone want a camera that supposed has inaccurate AF, cannot keep up with sports/action, has humongously less DR than Sony, and is only 30Mpx? I hear that everyday and wonder why the heck do I even keep that camera, it sounds so terrible.

I use BBF on my 80D, exclusively. While we're at it: CROP IS BETTER THAN FULL FRAME! ߘ

I don't think it's becoming outdated and I don't think there "needs" to be a way to replace it; however, the new focusing technology is very interesting as is touch screen focusing etc. With my DSLR I can quickly focus on my family with BBF and recompose and I find my keeper rates with sports and fast moving dogs is much better since adopting it. I find it easy to teach someone quickly how to use it. I don't need it all of the time, but when I do I find it invaluable hence I leave it on all of the time. Then again, I also shoot in full manual (including ISO) 95% of the time - maybe I'm outdated? Uh oh, don't tell my wife she'll trade ME in for a new mirrorless camera...

PentaxShooter wrote in post #19001051
I use BBF on my 80D, exclusively. While we're at it: CROP IS BETTER THAN FULL FRAME! ߘ

Crop is 'different from' FF...not 'better'.

• At times FF is 'better', like when you want a 40" x 60" print...it is magnified by 1.6X lower amount if the same area is framed in both Crop and FF.
  
• At times Crop is 'better', like if you are limited to 300mm lens and try to shoot a bird on 20MPixel crop vs. 24Mpixel FF
  
• At times FF is 'better', even if you are limited to 300mm lens and try to shoot a bird on 20MPixel crop vs. 50Mpixel FF
  
• At times Crop is 'better', like shooting fast action sports with 10 fps 7DII vs. 6fps 5DIII
  
• At times FF is 'better', like shooting in very low light situations with 7DII vs. 5DIV