This is the best setting for Canon and actually all DLSR/Mirrorless cameras, so read on. Last week I suggested learning something new.  So here is a new feature for you to learn.

This feature is called back button focus and is one of my favorite features that I have learned.   I doubt I will ever go back to the shutter button for the focus trigger.  When you get a new camera the shutter button is what does the focusing when you push it halfway.  Once you have focused on a subject and it moves toward or away from you, the camera will need to refocus.   This is difficult at best and disastrous at worst with only the first shot in focus.  With back button focus the camera does a much better job of changing the focus as the subject is moving in and out of the area of focus.

I use YouTube a lot when learning these techniques and you can do the same.  The link below is for two photographers that I have learned from their YouTube channel and also from training that I have purchased from them.  So, instead of me making a long post here on why back button focus is helpful, watch the link below from Tony Northrup.

Back Button Focus

Let’s get a little more into the technical details of this feature. Back button focus is a technique used in photography to separate the function of focusing the lens from that of triggering the camera's shutter. In traditional photography, the focus and the shutter release are typically controlled by a single button on the camera, often referred to as the "shutter button." With back button focus, a separate button, known as the "AF-ON" button or "back button," is used to activate the autofocus system, while the shutter button is used exclusively to take the picture.

The main advantage of using back button focus is that it allows a photographer to quickly lock focus on a subject without having to half-press the shutter button. This is particularly useful when photographing fast-moving subjects, as the photographer can lock focus on the subject and keep the focus locked while making multiple shots, without having to refocus each time. It also allows more flexibility to control focus on a specific area of the frame instead of a focusing-recomposing approach.

Back button focus may take a bit of getting used to, especially for photographers who are used to using the traditional method, but it can be a powerful technique to help improve focus accuracy and make the capture of fast-moving subjects easier.