How to set BBF ON 60D

[Beckyk]

What is the correct set up number for BBF.

I want to have shutter button set to shoot.

the AF-on button to meter and focus. 

Is it #3? Thanks 

[Stephen · Accepted solution]

Hi Beckyk!

Perhaps the easiest solution in this case would be to give our all-American tech support team a call! They're at 1-800-OK-CANON (800-652-2666). They'll be happy to walk you through setting up back button focus on your EOS 60D!

[Waddizzle]

"I'm not a big fan of BBF, instead I program the AF-ON button, to act as AF OFF. I leave focus start on the shutter button, and when I want to suspend AF, like to manually focus through branches, only then do I have to press a second button, I just don't understand why you would want to have to press two buttons, BBF and the shutter button most of the time." 

Why?  Because for some of us, our finger gets tired of holding that shutter halfway down, most especially when moving the camera around.  My aging hands find it next to impossible to hold the shutter consistently at halfway when moving the camera without a tripod, and even then I still loose it and snap a picture when i don't want to.

For example, last evening I photographed a Little League game.  I wanted to capture the pitcher just as the ball was leaving his hand.  Similarly, i wanted to see if I could capture a ball just as it was leaving the bat.  Needless, to say, my 6D wasn't quite up to the task.  Not enough frames per second to capture just the right moment.

But, all I had to do was focus on the pitcher, or the batter when they were standing relatively still.  Now I could recompose the shot, putting the batter or the hitter off to one side of the frame, which left room for the ball to be in the center of the frame.  I could wait for the pitch, or the swing, without having to try to hold the shutter depressed only halfway, knowing that my focus was already locked on my subject's distance from the camera. 

I find that to be WAY easier than trying to hold the shutter halfway indefinitely, for 1-10 seconds, while moving the camera.

[TTMartin]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

"I'm not a big fan of BBF, instead I program the AF-ON button, to act as AF OFF. I leave focus start on the shutter button, and when I want to suspend AF, like to manually focus through branches, only then do I have to press a second button, I just don't understand why you would want to have to press two buttons, BBF and the shutter button most of the time." 

Why?  Because for some of us, our finger gets tired of holding that shutter halfway down, most especially when moving the camera around.  My aging hands find it next to impossible to hold the shutter consistently at halfway when moving the camera without a tripod, and even then I still loose it and snap a picture when i don't want to.

For example, last evening I photographed a Little League game.  I wanted to capture the pitcher just as the ball was leaving his hand.  Similarly, i wanted to see if I could capture a ball just as it was leaving the bat.  Needless, to say, my 6D wasn't quite up to the task.  Not enough frames per second to capture just the right moment.

But, all I had to do was focus on the pitcher, or the batter when they were standing relatively still.  Now I could recompose the shot, putting the batter or the hitter off to one side of the frame, which left room for the ball to be in the center of the frame.  I could wait for the pitch, or the swing, without having to try to hold the shutter depressed only halfway, knowing that my focus was already locked on my subject's distance from the camera. 

I find that to be WAY easier than trying to hold the shutter halfway indefinitely, for 1-10 seconds, while moving the camera.

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I don't use focus and recompose, so I guess that is the difference. In the scenarios you described I would simply use one of the off set AF points on the subject, and press the shutter button when I was ready to take the shot. I might prefocus on the subject like you do, but, there is really no reason to hold the shutter button down waiting for the shot, as the focus isn't going to change while you are waiting, BBF not pressed, or shutter button not pressed.

[Waddizzle]

"I don't use focus and recompose, so I guess that is the difference. In the scenarios you described I would simply use one of the off set AF points on the subject, and press the shutter button when I was ready to take the shot. I might prefocus on the subject like you do, but, there is really no reason to hold the shutter button down waiting for the shot, as the focus isn't going to change while you are waiting, BBF not pressed, or shutter button not pressed."  

Nope, focus isn't going to change while you're waiting.  But, the subject can change.  Last night, I had a kid on second base, leaning to go towards third base.  I was outside of first base about 30 feet.  I focused, and composed the kid in the right third of the frame because I anticipated him moving to the left.

A line drive was hit to center field, the kid danced away from the bag towards the center of the frame, and into the left thrid of the frame.  Now the throw was going back to second, and my subject is on the left moving to the right, instead of under the right focus point.  The focusing scenaro had flipped direction.  If I press the shutter with the a right point active, then I would be focusing on the center field grass, not the base runner who has moved to the left of the frame.  Everytime I press the shutter, the camera is going to try to re-focus.  There was nothing to focus on at the moment when I wanted to snap the picture.

I suppose one could change the AF/MF switch on the lens, but that takes time to do, and even more time to undo. A lot of times I don't want the camera to refocus with every shutter press.  Another scenario where I find removing AF from the shutter useful is picking out a bird in the midst of branches, both in front and behind the bird.  I can lock focus on the bird, and now I don't have to worry about the camera refocusing on a branch, if and when I press the shutter.

I find BBF very useful for many "active" shooting scenarios.  During the Little League game, as the players ran around the bases the pitcher, or another defensive player, would come between me and the base runner.  I simply raise my thumb to let the focus point pass over the intervening subject, and then "press on" as I had been doing.

[Beckyk]

Yes this is what I want to be doing *if* I can get it set! LOL