Turning BBF off on the D500

[hark]

I got rather frustrated trying to figure out how to turn off BBF on my D500 as I wanted to switch to using the shutter actuation button to both focus and take the pics. I kept running into the issue of both the BBF button AND the shutter actuation button allowing the AF to work when either one was pressed. So I wound up having to search Google since going backwards through the process didn't work.

And guess what? According to what I found, the D500 ships with BBF already enabled as well as the shutter actuation button already enabled. So the only option to do is to toggle the shutter actuation button on or off - unless there is a way to program the back button for something else. And that I don't know as I didn't look into it.

I wanted to set up bank A for BBF and bank B for the shutter actuation button to both focus and take the pic. Guess I will just settle for going into the menu as I couldn't figure out how to program bank B.

 

[lucien]

Mr Fred Kingston and all D500 owners please check in Hark need help

 

[hark]

Mr Fred Kingston and all D500 owners please check in Hark need help

For whatever reason, lucien, I don't think it can be turned off. It makes me wonder if the D5 etc are also programmed this way.

 

[lucien]

it's ok, we struggle together and as Marcel said, the forum is going to loose Nikon shooters. But no one is to blame we are all trying

 

[Dawg Pics]

@hark
You can disable the AF-ON in the menu f1 Custom Control Assignment. One of the options is "OFF."

If you go in to menu a8 "AF actuation" and change it to Shutter/AF-On. This will make the camera autofocus using either button. It won't turn off the dedicated AF/On button, but you can still use the half-press shutter for AF. This gives you the option to use either button without menu diving.

As far as setting up another bank, just highlight the Custom setting bank A and arrow over to the right. Toggle down to BanK B, press the center of the selector button and then you can change whatever you want in the Custom Setting Menu. Toggle back when you want to go back. There is a shortcut to toggle into different banks by using the "i" on the back of the camera.

I have my Fn2 button customized to "My Menu.". I have a few settings there. Easy to get to without trying to remember which menu each thing is in. Like Exposure Delay and Virtual Horizon.

I have a few settings changed in my B Bank and named it NIGHT LONG EXPOSURE. That way I don't have to menu dive every time I want to shoot stars. I know a lot of people don't care for the banks because they aren't saved like the U-settings, but once you set them a certain way for a purpose, why would you want to menu dive and change stuff? You can always save the setting on a memory card if you send the camera out for repair. My D300 had all 4 banks preset by the previous photographer. I found it helpful. He had a night time and a jpeg point and shoot menu.

 

[hark]

Thank you! I will take a look at this later today and see if I can tackle the bank issue. I've found the banks to be very confusing especially because I make use of U1 and U2 on my other bodies - and I appreciate their simplicity! And I'll definitely look at the f1 custom control to toggle off BBF on my D500. :encouragement:

If you go in to menu a8 "AF actuation" and change it to Shutter/AF-On. This will make the camera autofocus using either button. It won't turn off the dedicated AF/On button, but you can still use the half-press shutter for AF. This gives you the option to use either button without menu diving.

And from what I read, the D500 gets shipped with the AF/On button already programmed for BBF. The thing is I never tested it after I received mine and simply went through the steps to switch from the shutter button to BBF. It's just odd that Nikon would allow both to focus. The whole idea of BBF is to be able to focus and recompose while in AF-C, yet if you focus then remove your thumb and recompose, when pressing the shutter to take the pic it appears the AF will now engage making recomposing moot.

The way the banks work isn't the same as U1 and U2 as you mentioned. What I like about U1 and U2 is I can choose to save what my aperture and shutter speed will be - which I tend to preset for flying birds - so it is quick to dial in if I switch from Aperture Priority. Most people tend to either stick with BBF OR using the shutter button to focus. However, I've gotten used to seamlessly switching back and forth between them. So I'm not sure I'm gonna like how the banks function. :unconscious:

 

[Fred Kingston]

I'm in the "since it only does one function, why would you wanna turn it OFF" camp ?

 

[hark]

I'm in the "since it only does one function, why would you wanna turn it OFF" camp ?

Because I have trigger thumb due to tendonitis in my forearm tendons. Once in a while my thumb will lock down when the tendon gets caught and can be painful. Since those tendons are weak, the position of my thumb on the back button becomes tiring.

 

[Fred Kingston]

That doesn't mean you need to turn it OFF, just re-engage the shutter release 1/2 press and use that. I'm sitting here with a D200, D300 and those Pro-sumer cameras all had a separate dedicated AF-ON button, and they were dedicated to that task. You can't turn them OFF, and that's Nikon going back 15+ years. It was only with the advent of Nikon's consumer cameras that they eliminated the button, and folks had to setup their cameras to use the AE-L/AF-L button to act like the pro cameras with BackButtonFocus

 

[Dawg Pics]

In order to recompose an image while in Continuous Servo, you have to change the camera setting to AF-On Only. This disables the half-press of the shutter button. Now you can use the AF-ON button to recompose by just lifting your thumb off of the button and still have continuous focus by leaving the button depressed. It is odd they would have AF-On/Shutter as default, but I guess they figure not everybody wants a dedicated AF-ON function. (I am sure you figured that out, but somebody reading this might not realize this is what you do in Continuous AF.)

You can save your thumb by assigning another button to AF-ON.
The Preview button is easy to reach with your middle finger. I was playing with it, and I find it more comfortable than using my thumb. You still must put the camera in AF-Only to disable the shutter. Now focus with the preview button and release to recompose while in Continuous AF.

 

[Dawg Pics]

If you want 2 banks exactly the same just one that has the AF-On and one with half-press button, you can easily switch banks by assigning the video recording button to switch banks by pressing it and turning a dial if that is easier than the info button shortcut.
There are almost too many customization options on the D500.

 

[hark]

If you want 2 banks exactly the same just one that has the AF-On and one with half-press button, you can easily switch banks by assigning the video recording button to switch banks by pressing it and turning a dial if that is easier than the info button shortcut.
There are almost too many customization options on the D500.

Thanks! I haven't yet had a chance to play around with the settings but will definitely look into this. I appreciate your help!