Is it time to make BBF your new BFF?

Photography is full of technical terms and buzz words, but one that really is a great one to consider is Back Button Focus (or BBF). So what is it and why should you consider using it. By default, many cameras straight out of the box have the auto-focus with the shutter button. You half-press the shutter button and the camera will focus. This has its own pitfalls.

What is Back Button Focusing?

To be honest it is a game-changer! But perhaps you are not exactly sure what it is, or perhaps you’ve heard of it, but are not entirely certain WHY you should try it? Most modern cameras come with a half-press on the shutter-button autofocus as a standard setup. And while this is good for complete beginners, it does have its pitfalls. Because EVERY TIME you press down on the shutter button it refocuses, usually WHERE you don’t want it. If you have set up a scene or are on location and want a particular subject as your focus it will refocus when you press the shutter. If you manually focus and then press the button it re-focuses as well, EVERY time. Annoying right?

I know it seems like such a small thing, so why bother changing it? Back Button Focusing (BBF) is a focus button allocated somewhere on the camera (There is usually an AF-On button). It only takes a few minutes to set up (Google BBF on your make and model there is always a clip or two on how to do it). This means you can focus and then take a picture WITHOUT the camera re-focusing. My Sony a7Riii has a dedicated button but you still have to turn the AF with Shutter off.

Why should you try it?

Like I said because it is a game-changer. Seriously there are so many instances where the standard shutter focus is a bigger annoyance than anything else. Sure, it takes a little bit to get used to, but once you have it, it will change the way you shoot.

Example 1:

Still life, you have your camera set on a tripod and your scene set, you have a particular item as your subject matter set up on the rule of thirds for composition and you are just moving other small items around. You can set your focus on your ‘hero’ and then take multiple images. If you were not using BBF every time you took an image the camera would refocus, possible NOT on your hero but something in the middle of the frame.

Example 2:

Light Painting, you have focused on your subject with a light on it, then remove the light to take a long exposure, without BBF your camera would try to re-focus, but now there is no light, it cannot focus on anything, your images are blurry and useless

Example 3:

Long exposure landscape, if you are using an ND filter for a long exposure you have the same problem as Example 2…annoying

Example 4:

Portraits, your subject may be moving and if you use BBF you can set Continuous focus and it will track your subjects eye, pretty cool stuff, especially animals and pets. This will NOT work without BBF

Example 5:

Macro, doesn’t matter whether it is bugs or flowers BBF or manual focus are the only way to go, as you need control over when and where you focus. Trying to focus on macro subjects without BBF…is a good reason WHY people struggle with macro. Sure Manual is good too if you still have great eyesight, but you still need the shutter auto-focus turned off.

How do you set it up?

Seriously I can give you a reason for pretty much any genre, it’s all about the having control. I have been using BBF for years now and it really does bug me when someone hands me a camera without it. Sure it takes a little bit to get used to, but it is totally worth it. So HOW. Check your camera manual, a good place to start. However, you can go to Google and look for setting up BBF for your make and model, someone somewhere has a video on how to do it. Guaranteed. Every make, model and brand has a slightly different setup, so I won’t even attempt it. But it is easy to do.