Back Button Focus for Canon DSLRs (i.e. T6i, T6, T5i, T5, T4i, etc.) 

LOL - I do the same with any new camera (new or borrowed:)).

thanks for the post/feedback Joanne and glad to be of help!:)

Glad to be of help!:) Once I discovered back button focus, I never went back. :)

Thanks for the post/feedback and glad to be of help!:)

Thanks for the post/feedback and glad to be of help!:) If you try BBF, give yourself time to really use it. Once you get the hang of it, I suspect you may never go back:). Whenever I get a new camera (or borrow one), I setup BBF:).

RealWorld I’m looking forward to giving it a try. One question: do I need to put the auto focus operation in AI Servo? Or does it matter. Thanks again.

You do not have to stay in AI Servo but I would recommend doing so:). Why? This will allow you power and flexibility with the BBF. If you want to take a portrait, simply place the focal point on the eye (I suggest focusing on the eye for portraits:)) > press the back button to lock focus > release the back button > recompose if needed > take the shot:). If you are trying to photo a moving subject, place the focal point on the subject > press and HOLD the back button > take the shot(s):) ... AI Servo will easily work in both situations eliminating the need to think about what mode you are in or if you need to switch, etc. AF is controlled by your willingness to hold the back button:). As mentioned, once you start to use BBF, I suspect you will like it:).

RealWorld thank you so much!

Glad to be of help!:)

Agreed and glad to be of help!:)

Haha.. never mind I was already subscribed and didn’t realize it...I still love this video!

Thanks for the post/feedback and welcome to the channel!:)

Thanks for the feedback and glad to be of help!:)

Thanks for the post and glad to be of help!:)

Glad to be of help and welcome from the United States!:)

i have a T6 as well but which focus mode do you use?

lol - glad to be of help!:)

glad to be of help!:) i use back button focus all the time now as well.

glad to be of help help Brenda!:)

Thanks for the post/feedback Maria!:) I just reviewed the Canon T7i ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jgvPRGscehs.html ) and had lots of fun:). My first modification to the camera? Back button focus:). Welcome to the channel and stay tuned as I have more videos on the way.

@@RealWorld I bought the T7 not T7i, but really like it so far. :) Meets my needs very well. I will check out your T7i video! :)

Thanks for the post and glad to be of help:). Back button focus is a game changer in my opinion. Once I made the discovery, I never went back. :)

Glad to be of help!:)

hmmmm - you should be able to use back-button focus while in manual mode. not certain why is it not working for you. ensure all the steps were taken.

agreed!:) once i discovered back button focus, i never went back and doing so seems odd.

Thanks for the post and glad to be of help!:)

Thanks for the post/feedback and glad to be of help!:)

Thanks for the post/feedback and glad to be of help!:) I have made videos on multiple cameras (nikon, canon, sony, and even panasonic) ... i just happen to shoot nikon more:)

I do not believe so:).

hmmmm - this should work ... double check all your settings:)

@@RealWorld does the camera AF also need to be set on one shot/AI focus or AI servo for this to work? Might be that.

yes, AI servo is continuous and should be of help:)

@@RealWorld I thought by holding down the back button AI servo was automatically triggered. Please explain. ( Great video by the way :) )

Glad to be of help Barb!:)

LOL - glad to be of help Matthew!:)

Thanks for the feedback and glad to be of help!:) BBF is great ... give it a bit of time and it will grow on you!:)

Lots of fun and a new way of shooting ... give it a few days to get used to it:).

glad to be of help!:) the principles will remain the same throughout time:).

glad to be of help! i really like back button focus.

i will see if i can find a T7 ... should be very similar though:)

RealWorld. Thank you. It is a Canon Rebel EOS T7. I did contact Canon and they said you cannot do back button focus on my model, which I find hard to believe.

@@bevgreene4165 SMH they dont even know their own product. I just did it by watching this video. It should be on window screen 8

unfortunately, no :)

@@RealWorld i wrote Canon about this, they explained to me how to do a zoom in x10 on the screen at the time ur focusing however doesnt do the focus during the zoom in but before.

Good point Rudy:).

glad to be of help!:) after using back button focus, you may never go back! :)

@@RealWorld I think you're right about that!

Thanks for the post/feedback and welcome to the channel!:)

You will most likely want AI Servo as this will continuous track subjects while the button is pressed.

thanks for the post/feedback jennifer!:)

It must be hidden somewhere, because my 600D, aka T3i, has it. Is your camera perhaps set to Automatic or one of the other Auto modes? Mine shows three wrenches in Program mode all the way through to Auto-depth-of-field mode, with the Custom functions under the third wrench.

glad to be of help! :)

The back button focus will have not bearing on the aspect ratio ... interesting:).

Thanks for the feedback Todd!:)

Thanks for the post and glad to be of help!:)

you don't need to but it will help to do so:)

@@RealWorld what should it be on One Shot or AI Servo

@@LightSportMan AI Servo

back button focus should work in a similar manner on the T7i as it does on the T6i ... not a problem:).

Glad to be of help!:)

LOL - you are the first!:)

Thanks for the post/feedback Kevin and glad to be of help!:) Yes, the focus assist light can be annoying depending on the situation. I have never experience any significant focusing issues when disabled:).

Thanks for the post/question Michaela:). Which camera do you have? If you followed the instructions in this video, all should work:). Pay particular attention to this section - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Grd87vczzlc.html

RealWorld thank you for the response! I have T6i. When I look through the viewfinder it seems to work, but when I change it to full screen mode to view it doesn’t necessarily focus (when I hold down). Super weird

Ahhhh yes, live view and back button focus have historically had challenges:).

RealWorld Good to know it’s not just me! Thank you for the reply😊

@@RealWorld Yeah, that changes how Canon cameras (at least) focus, meter, etc. as has been my experience!

Thanks for the post/feedback and glad to be of help!:)

This will depend on the speed of the moving subject:). If the subject is walking, perhaps 1/500; if they are running, something faster (1/600+):). Play with the shutter until you are able to freeze motion.

Thanks for the post Leron and glad to be of help!:) Back button focus will grow on you and before long, you may wonder why camera manufactures do not program their cameras in this manner from the factory:).

LOL - Nikon is solid with a nice lineup of equipment. Hats off to Nikon for removing the AA filter (anti-aliasing filter which typically results is a relative softer image).

Thanks for the post Erika and glad to be of help!:)

Erika Noel whats ya instagram name

LOL - I thought the same a few years ago when I started making videos:). This video is just over 5 mins which is good but I do have others well over 10:). I found that the length of video depends on the subject matter. I would much rather focus on the subject instead of time. I feel people can always skip ahead ... if I leave information out of any given video, the questions come flying:).

RealWorld I think if your content is great (yours is) then Time is irrelevant.

Thanks for the post/feedback and glad to be of help!:)

Thanks - appreciated!:)

Thanks for the post/feedback!:)

Thanks for the post/feedback!:) Both Nikon and Canon are great but I like how Nikon has removed the AA (anti-aliasing) filter from their entry level line (the D3300 and D3400). The AA filter tends to inadvertently soften images and many photographers would like to see removed. Nikon removed the AA filter from their top-end line and they now remove it from they entry line which is great in my opinion. Canon is a beast when it comes to focus - something they have always done well in my opinion:). I do not think you would go wrong with either but if given the choice, I might lean towards Nikon.

RealWorld thanks for the tip. I’m looking for an entry level with an articulating screen. T6i or an equivalent in the Nikon line. Do you have any thoughts on that? I will be using it to do short videos for Facebook and RU-vid.

I would seriously consider the Nikon D5500 ... a great camera in my opinion:).

RealWorld thank you. I love Nikon but needed an articulating screen and wasn’t sure which to go with in their line. I had the D3400 but sold it because I knew I needed something that could do both videos and still do great stills.

Glad to be of help:). The D5500 has an articulating touch screen which works well:).

I know the feeling:) ... keep in mind that 'entry level' cameras were once considered professional and are fully capable. Today, the term simply refers to starting levels from the manufacturer's perspective.