Setting Up Back Button Focus on Panasonic Cameras 

Thanks a lot for this! Your effort is always appreciated and of the high quality. This morning i woke up with some thoughts related to back focus / focusing in general (yet having very little to do with cameras on past few days, thus not being "over-exposed') and HERE'S the follow-up, oh how nice! Seems it was exactly the information i needed. Earlier i've tested with back button focusing only, but couldn't fit it to my flow. Thanks to you, i've now given it another chance and found my favorite hybrid combo, best from both worlds: 1. AF/AE Lock set to *AF Lock* (enables back button focusing and preferably locking it) 2. AF/AE Lock Hold ON (push of a back button locks and released the focus, overriding shutter focus when enabled) 3. Shutter AF ON (shutter focus enabled) This retains the normal shutter behavior but additionally enables back button focusing (with a lock), which overrides shutter focusing. Lock on, shutter focus overrided. Lock off, normal shutter behavior resumed. I'm so pleased to now have both! I have many M43 cameras (all from Panasonic so far), but i'm continually impressed with Panasonic G6. It's light-weight (plasticky), feels just right in my small hands, the features / functions feels natural and spot on, it delivers on my trips. Great stuff! I hope i can once find a camera with similar handling, but with IBIS, better low-light, finer ISO and it can only get better! Thanks a lot, have a fantastic day!

The real benefit of that half shutter release picture taking is the reduced camera vibration -- especially for a zoomed in shot. Speed is good, too. Thanks for sharing this. I learned a little bit more about my camera!

I know this is an older post, but your video series on the Panasonic Lumix has been very helpful! I just got a FZ300, and I appreciate your thoughtful approach to explaining a lot of the setup and tips-and-tricks!

Graham, your book is exceptional.

Thanks for the response on the G9 look forward to your review 👍

Brilliant..clear accurate information..Just brought the DC GX9 swear its as good as my fuji xt 2..

Thank you Graham. I have just discovered your tutorials and really understood. So useful

Thank you for your informative videos. You are easy to understand. The tutorials are amazing!

Brilliant video! I was struggling to understand the explanation in the book! Seeing it on the exact camera is o good. Thanks, Graham!

Thankyou, extremly useful, the half press is great.

Very well explained and a big help! Thank you Graham.

Nicely explained and demonstrated, thanks.

You have the best tutorials, thanks so much!

Always so helpful. Thanks

Absolutely loved how Panasonic has implemented this feature set for divorcing the AF from the shutter button and the addition of the half-press shutter release. In addition to increasing the shooting speed, this can help reduce camera shake when using the mechanical shutter especially at slower shutter speeds because that force required to depress the shutter button completely, however miniscule, does add an element of jitter to the camera. I don't think even DSLRs have this feature of half-press shutter release - at least my Nikon D5600 doesn't have the half-press shutter release (maybe because the full press is required to get the mirror out of the way? Brilliant. I have recently ordered the FZ300 and can't wait to get my hands on it in some time (it will be carried to India all the way from USA). It was a toss-up between the FZ-300/330 and FZ-80/82, but ultimately chose the FZ-300 because of the richer feature set (constant 2.8 aperture, more rugged body with the environmental sealing and better build quality, external microphone jack, fully articulating screen, the additional Fn button and better button layout, the barrel lever to adjust manual focus above the autofocus). I can live with the lesser but more usable zoom range and can occasionally use iZoom in a pinch if required. Had one query: If I am able to order the FZ-300 B/W manual book from Amazon, what is the difference between the free color PDF that you so kindly send versus the PDF available from your blog site for GBP 7.5? Are they basically the same? If yes, can just pay for that and download it. If the book color PDF is more user-friendly, then will buy the B/W book from Amazon. Thank you, Graham, for all the lovely tutorials and tips.

Exactly what I needed, thank you!

Great explanation!

Very good explanation, thanks. But what about the next step of continuous shooting at 12 fps under AFS for sports etc?

graham-thank you for the effort and the sharing. i appreciate the idea of back button focus. my question is about the ae lock. why not keep it on both ae/af lock? i would think you would like to lock in the exposure along with the focusing. care to expand on the thought. again, thank you. thumbs up.

Great stuff yet again......

Brilliant well explained Graham

Thanks Graham, very good !

Great video, thanks a ton. Which would you suggest if the subject is in contstant movement? (Let's say, running towards you/sports)

perfect explained

Excellent, concise explanation, Graham. I shoot mainly birds, often in flight, with a G85. I'm thinking that allowing half-press release of the shutter button would help me to get the shot more often. Would this work with Continuous Focus? Probably not, I suppose.

Thanks for this tip, it was really helpful. Hpw abot for shooting videos, what are your focus settings? By the way I own a G85.

what can I do if subject move left, right or back? can I have move focus square to subject?

Thank you, this was really useful✌️🇦🇺

Thanks!

Hi Graham loved this video on back button focus. I’ve always used this on my previous dslr. But for me the perfect spot on the fz1000mk 2 for back button is the function 4 button. Could I use this instead of the af-el button. Thanks David

Great video very helpful are you going to do one on the G9 covering best setups for wildlife and landscape photography. Thank you

hmm...I do not have a Lumix DSLR but I'm very well familiar with this BBF with my Canon DSLRs. I now have a Lumix LX10. While all the menu options for my LX10 is exactly as that shown in this video, and hence i am able to replicate the options in this video, there is no physical button on the back of my LX10 to assign as the BBF button. Any idea if this can be implemented on my LX10? Changing the option in the menu does decouple the focusing with the shutter release but I dont have an AE/AF physical button.

Please can you do a video on how to operate the AFC with Back Button Focus ?

Thanks !!!! Be safe 😉😉

Thank you never really understood those menu items

Followed back button tutorial but on my fz330 but the relevant items are greyed out and the menu jumps thro them. Any help appreciated Geoff Wilkinson

Well, having just purchased a Lumix G80, I followed your advice to the letter. Made my way to a local beauty spot known for Heron sightings. I was not disappointed. Put my camera on my new monopod with feet. Took aim, composed, set aperture and shutter, but to my disappointed I only achieved but two images that were, somewhat, in sharp focus out of 367 exposures. The green button appeared on screen. I was using the Leica 100-400mm lens. I have been a Canon fan for 10 years. Wish now I had stayed with them. I have has this camera for just 5 weeks and have yet to be happy with this setup. 😖

Is there any way for this to be saved in default, so when i turn on my camera, I don't have to do this focus lock? I use my Lumix as a webcam, and every time I turn it on I'm always in the same position, and don't want to have to "refocus" every time.

Great videos! I ordered your book on Amazon.

Good explanation but it is like Rolla Gravett says just push once and then it stays in lock in M S and A

I have an old FZ70 and can't figure out the back button focus, I don't have the same menu..can you help? Thx

I think you are missing the point completely Graham. First change the AF/AE button to AF ON. That is all you have to do. When you want to use the button, simply put the camera in Manual Focus and press the button. It will focus the camera and it will hold the focus. Take as many pictures as you wish as even if the shutter is set to AF nothing happens as the camera will not focus in manual focus. If the subject moves, again press the AF/AE button again to acquire focus and you are ready to take pictures. Once finished put the camera back in AF and you are good to go with normal focusing again.

I think you missed the most important function of back button focusing. Put the camera into af-c so you have the best of both worlds af-c and af lock. Just jab the af/ae button to lock focus or hold it for constant focus without having to change settings.

Hi Graham Thank you. I have set this up as a custom setting fro street photography as it is all about timing and capturing the moment. So the half press shutter makes this easier and quicker of course. Regards bonhamsblackandwhite.com

I ordered the color version. Do I need the pdf?

Another great video. You should set up a Patreon.com site for donations / supporters of your channel. I wish I had found you sooner!