Back Button Focus

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wibble1001

New member
Hi - I am a novice D3100 user and have been experimenting with BBF. It seems to be working OK, but I have one odd problem. When I use it for a single shot - I focus using BBF button, then release the button and recompose. Unless I shoot on more or less the exact area that I set the focus - I can not activate the shutter. But if I recompose back to the original focus position ... I can take a picture. For example I focus on a road sign, recomposed so the sign went far left .... but could not take the shot, when I re-sighted on the sign ...I could then take the picture. Does this make any sense to anyone?
 
Fred Kingston_RIP

Fred Kingston_RIP

Senior Member
Yes, it does make sense. You still have a setting that's NOT correct. There's a setting that prioritizes the focus... you need to turn it off.
If you search for settings for "back button focus for D3100"... it should include the menu setting that turns on/off the shutter release priority...

I'm sorry, I can't help you with the specific menu selection for that camera...
 
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nickt

Senior Member
I am pretty certain there is no release priority menu item on the d3100. So you cannot fully implement the technique. The camera will only fire when it sees focus. They don't really spell out the absence of the feature in the manual. They do say under the af-c description that "shutter can only be released if camera is able to focus"
 
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Bill16

Senior Member
It has been too long since I had a D3100, and I can't remember this issue though I used back button focus on this model I think. Maybe I moved the focal point rather than moving the lens, but I'm not sure. I'm sorry I'm not much help.:(
 
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wibble1001

New member
Found this post elsewhere ....
As Dan pointed out AF-ON doesn't work on the D3100 as when you re-compose after focusing with AE-L/AF-L button the shutter won't operate unless the original focus point used to focus is still in focus. The shutter will operate if you keep the button held down rather than pressing once, but this is the same as using AF lock. Perhaps Nikon have done this to ensure people buy the more expensive bodies. This is very annoying as I can't adjust exposure or anything else during recomposition as I have to keep a finger held on the AE-L / AF-L button
Looks like its an upgrade ........
 
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