2 focusing areas - customizing EOS R6 Mark II

[raven4ns]

Hello,

 I am setting up my R6 mkii and was wondering if the following was possible. Can you have 1 focus point on the shutter button and have a second but different focus point set up on one of the customizable buttons? this way you could switch back and forth between the 2 different focus points. 

My favorite Canon was the Eos 3 with Eye-control focus (ECF). It allowed you to focus anywhere within the view finder by just looking at a point. By using a 2 focus point on the R6 mkii is more cumbersome than the Eos 3 it would be workable. Thank you.

Tim

[March411 · Accepted solution]

The quick answer is yes, this video works through dual Back Button focus but all you have to do is leave one on the shutter button. This is specific to wildlife but the video walks you though the setup.

Jump to 7:18 and the button customization

[raven4ns2]

Thank you Marc for your response, I appreciate it.

Tim

[pcs1]

Remember that as long as you press the button(for example * or af-on, depending which you've programmed) it overrules the shutterbutton AF, if you let go before full pressing the shutterbutton you return to the AF set for the shutterbutton.

[p4pictures]

There are ways, but it can be a challenge to have the same AF area and have different AF points in that area selected by pressing a different button on the camera. 

If you retain focus and metering on the shutter button, then any custom configuration you assign to a back button is only active while the back button is pressed. Say you start focusing with the back button, then release and press the shutter to take a photo, the shutter button AF settings are used when the photo is taken. 

You might prefer to use the Register/recall shooting function. option for the AF-ON or * buttons, as this does not have to initiate AF so you still have only one AF button, the shutter button. But pressing the back button changes the AF area, subject type etc.

However on the EOS R6 Mark II there is no such thing as registered AF points, so you cannot have a button that switches the location of the AF point. 

If your need is to have the AF point position switch when you switch from landscape to portrait orientation, then you might want to look at orientation linked AF point in the Af menus, this function makes it possible to have different AF point locations for portrait and landscape camera orientation. Even more you can have different AF areas too if you want with the Area+pt setting. 

[raven4ns]

Thank you Brian for your response. It seems I will need to try a few things out to see what I like.

Tim

[raven4ns]

Thank you Marc for your response. I appreciate it very much.  It seems I will need to try a few things out to see what I like.

[March411]

Good luck raven4ns, I have the same body and it took some time to find my sweet spot.

The video just helps as a guide and I tweaked mine a bit. I don't shoot video at all so I programmed the red video button next to the shutter button to switch from Servo to One shot and went with dual back button focus.

I shoot mostly manual and changed it around a couple times before I found my final setup. 

[Waddizzle]

Why don’t you just buy the camera model that has Eye AF Control?

The R6ii has a joystick to move the AF point manually.  You can also touch the rear screen to move the AF point,

[raven4ns]

Thank you Waddizzle for your response. I am going to shoot with the R6 mkii. I just wanted a set up that made it easier to use without needing to find a second spot when I could have it already plugged in. I was spoiled when I used the Eos 3 and ECF.