Back Button Focus with AE-L added

D

dave42

Senior Member
The past couple of days I've been all over this back button focus idea. Great stuff! Searching the forum I see many of you like it, too.

I have to add this... When assigning the bbf, you lose the AE lock. I went to custom settings C1 and set the shutter button for AE lock when pressed half down. Gotta like this option.

I know a lot of you know this stuff, but it's just darn cool what you can do with this camera.

The D7100 rocks!
 
S

singlerosa_RIP

Senior Member
Welcome to BBF. I got turned on to this a few years back and can't imagine shooting the old way. As a manual shooter, exposure lock has never been important to me. Maybe I'm missing out on something?
 
cwgrizz

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
@dave42 Nice post. I have been using BBF on my D5300 for quite awhile now, but the AE-L had always kind of bothered me because I had thought that I had lost it. Then I researched it and I did have the camera set of AE-L on 1/2 shutter button push. I guess when I first read about BBF that I "blindly" set things up and then being more concerned with learning the beauty of BBF forgot about the Exposure Lock setting. Ha! Now I have some more to play with. Ha!
 
D

dave42

Senior Member
I pretty much do as Don says. But it's nice to have the option. With the bbf on one button, basically locking the focus by keeping your thumb off, the AE/L is on a separate button making it more versatile.... if you need it.
 
cwgrizz

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Don Kuykendall said:
I generally just move the center square to the section of the photo I want it metered on and shoot away. seems to work out good for me.
Click to expand...

I have done that too for focus, but to be honest it isusually quicker for me to BBF on a spot I want to focus on and then move the camera to frame the shot and expose with the shutter button instead of finding the buttons to move the focal point (D5300). Not sure how the D7100 differs on button locations, etc. Also, if the Focus point is in one spot and you want to set exposure on another point, how do you accomplish that?
 
D

Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
BFF you set and it locks on that point until you press the BFF button again you can then set up your composition and move your square around to wherever you want it to be. No buttons to hold down half way or anything else.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
4

480sparky

Senior Member
I generally shoot my D600s in BBF, but my D7100 with the Tamzooka still focuses with the shutter release.... and it's set to Continuous focus. That's because with the 150-600, I'm usually shooting moving critters or a sporting event.
 
cwgrizz

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Don Kuykendall said:
BFF you set and it locks on that point until you press the BFF button again you can then set up your composition and move your square around to wherever you want it to be. No buttons to hold down half way or anything else.
Click to expand...

Thanks Don for your explanation. I think I use close to the system you do, but here are my steps:
1. BBF to focus on the desired focus point. Then release BBF to lock
2. Move camera to the point for desired exposure (only if it is a weird lighting situation) and 1/2 shutter to lock exposure.
3. Move camera to frame shot and shoot it.
Step 2 is skipped if lighting is OK for most of shot.

Our different methods are moving the square (I do it sometimes, depending on the situation). I find it awkward to move the focus point square around with out dropping the camera down some to see where the arrow button is. (The FN button which I have set to change ISO is the same way for me to find. Ha!)

I am talking with the D5300 which may be a different bag of tricks.
 
D

Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
cwgrizz said:
Thanks Don for your explanation. I think I use close to the system you do, but here are my steps:
1. BBF to focus on the desired focus point. Then release BBF to lock
2. Move camera to the point for desired exposure (only if it is a weird lighting situation) and 1/2 shutter to lock exposure.
3. Move camera to frame shot and shoot it.
Step 2 is skipped if lighting is OK for most of shot.

Our different methods are moving the square (I do it sometimes, depending on the situation). I find it awkward to move the focus point square around with out dropping the camera down some to see where the arrow button is. (The FN button which I have set to change ISO is the same way for me to find. Ha!)

I am talking with the D5300 which may be a different bag of tricks.
Click to expand...

That is the why I do it most of the time too. I only move the box around when I have a tricky lighting situation that I need to get just right. Like this shot There is so much range in the lighting that I needed to get just enough detail in the shadow areas.

10-23-15_0007_dxo-edit.jpg
 
Top