Is back button focusing better? There are videos all over social media going 'why
you must back button focus', 'back button focusing is the best'. Is it? Let's find
out... but first of all - what is back button focusing? Well, it just means that
normally you focus with your finger don't you? I really want to see those
fingers... so when you touch the shutter button it means that your camera will
focus according to the autofocus mode you have set. Back button focusing means
instead of using your finger here, you can use your thumb on the back - pressing
a button on the back. Pretty much all cameras have got this, on my Nikon
you've just seen where it is on that, on the Fuji very similar, just the buttons
are smaller and I can reassign buttons more. So let's just go through the
difference, what is it? Now I've come down here because, one, the best thing about
being a photographer is riding the motorcycle but also I brought the
motorcycle down here because over there, we've got a really messy background and
therefore I can show you a little bit about the focusing difference,
we don't want all that mess in a shot behind the bike, it'll be disturbing. I'm
going to use a slightly longer lens because that will allow me to bring that
background in closer and make it a little bit more noticeable where the
cameras focusing, but to shoot it with a longer lens which is gonna have to go
over here, so come with me let's have a little walk.
As we move back over here I can have a look and see where I need to be, now I'm
moving this way a little bit I'm about here. Now from where you guys are you
can't quite see it, but there's a little gap between the boats over there I want
to put my bike in between that, I'm going to use the Fuji for this demonstration.
So right now I think I've got my camera on front button focusing - help if I
switched it on - I have... So right now if I put my little gunsight square on the
bike that's where it will focus, so I'm going to use a wide aperture because I
want to create a bit of a blurry background.
I'm going to need to go a bit lower, I don't know if you want to come down with me
see if it works, let's see. If I put this this way up and have a little look
through, let's just zoom in a bit. I've got my aperture wide open and I take a
shot. I'm focusing on the bikes headlight and yeah, you know it's a nice shot of a
lovely shiny red motorbike what could possibly be better and I focused using
my finger so all this is, is I'm going to now focus with my thumb. If I delve
around in the back here and set up my back button focusing and I'm not going
to tell you how to do it because every camera is different, I'm sorry guys
you're gonna have to get the dreaded book out or go online somewhere, someone
on YouTube would have made a video as to how to set up back button focusing on
your camera. Right there we go, we're ready, so now I can focus with my thumb.
It's really exactly the same I just line up my shot, shame the sun's gone in, there
we go, I focused on the bike you heard it do it - take the picture. There you go you.
Can see we got a nice blurry background shame the sun's gone in. Now one of the
advantages people say is if you put your camera onto continuous focusing, so it's
tracking mode, back button focusing is more useful because you use it as a lock
or you can press your thumb in and it will track while your thumbs in. It's all
eminently customizable I'm going to just going to pop it onto continuous and see
if I can show you by shooting a little bit of video through this, what's going
on. I mean it ain't really rocket science right? Let's roll some video, here
we go. Now there's my bike, it's a bit cropped in let's see if I can give you a
little bit more space around it. Now look, if I press the button on the back it's
nicely in focus, if I come off to the side, did you see how the boats have come
back into focus? I'm pressing in the back and I'm in continuous mode, now the bike's
in focus, if I zoom in more you'll see the bike's really sharp, I'm holding
in the back button focus in continuous mode, go onto the boats and there you go
you see the focus shift. If I go onto that blue one it should shift - there it
goes. If I let go of the button and come back
to the bike you see it doesn't - oh it did sorry - it did refocus because I forgot
there's a video setting which makes it do that - but I think you get the idea. So
back button focusing is it the best thing in the world? Let's go have a
coffee and a chat about it. Whether back button focusing is the best thing in the
world or not, that's up to you isn't it? The thing is just because an expert is
all over YouTube saying you must use this, why you must use this, this is
perfect, this is the best thing in the world, it doesn't mean that it is. It
means that in their opinion it is and that is completely valid but so is your
opinion. What works for you? What makes your life easier? What do you like doing?
What do you like shooting? Your job is to learn what your camera does, learn what
these controls are, practice with them and then as you practice with them you
will discover what works best for you because you are your own photographer.
Yeah there is an experience thing here, there are many photographers out there
who are very experienced who love back button focusing and that is completely
fine. Their experience has told them it works for them, when you're learning, when
you're trying to gain experience, you need to find your own path, get your own
experience and find out if it works for you. Learn what your camera does, learn
how the controls affect your pictures, I can help you with that with my ultimate
beginners course or any other of my courses,
go and have a look at it see what you think, you can of course find all this
out on YouTube for free but you know I can save you a whole pile of time
because I can guide you through it, I can give you all the information you need in
the order that you need it. You might get this piece of information and this piece
of information which are correct but if you don't have the bit in the middle you
might find that neither work for you, because there's something you don't know.
Anyway guys, so that's my take on back button focusing and whether or not it's
the best thing in the world. If you found this useful please pop some comments
below we'd love to hear whether you use back button focusing or not, whether you
love it or whether you hate it, or whether you're going to try it or not.
Please, subscribe to the video it always helps me if I've got more subscribers,
subscribe to the channel is what I should have said, you can sign up to my
newsletters, there's a little thing popping out up here if you sign up to the newsletter
I'll send you some tips and stuff every week and whenever there's a new
video there'll be a link to it on my site where you get a free accompanying
article as well. So what do I think of back button focusing? I hate it. I never
use it, I think it's cumbersome awkward and
dreadful so if I did a YouTube video about it that's what it would say...