One MUST CHANGE Camera SETTING for Perfectly SHARP Landscape PHOTOS!

Thanks so much for watching everyone!!

I have a Sony a77 and I have decided to change to back button focus and unfortunately there's not that many video's on the a77 but due to Sony's keeping their system the same through their model's I found a video for another camera that I was able to use. The only problem I have now is to remember that the focus is not on the shutter button anymore and what makes it worse is I've not had this camera long either

Good advice!

I miss the old Canon AE slr viewfinder that had a very thin split line. It never failed me in getting a focus exactly on what I wanted, and quickly. It also didn't interfere with the looking at the scene/subject, and also was easy to see in all different lighting conditions.

Can I use Manual focus ring while pressing Back Button Focusing on Canon EOS R or Canon 6D mark II to improve the focusing as you recommended ?. Thanks

Tysm ! Great pro tip ..

Quick question. I have the Sony A7RIV. I have been using back button with AF-S. I have the manual focus assist and focus peak settings on. To refine focus, do I then switch to manual focus?

your a great help mark, cheers,

Storytelling is nice but if you would come a little bit faster to the point, I would watch your advice to the end! Please see this as positive criticism and not bashing

Back button focus AND silent shutter and lenses without moving diaphragm on my Nikon Z6 2 is quite impressive.

Without having watched the video, I'm going to assume the secret is to use Kodachrome.

Always learn something on here, Mark.

Hi Mark great channel thanks for sharing your knowledge I haven't got focus peeking on my Nikon but I have recently purchased a new Sony A 7 series which has so I m looking forward to trying it out.

Everyone should use back button focus.

Thank you that was excellent Mark!👍🏼👍🏼

Thanks for the explanation, one question i have is how to have all the areas look sharp in a landscape photo

I'm a music recording producer & new to video/photo & currently learning as I go along 3 things I've been taught for basics is apertures, iso, & frame focusing angles etc I've noticed between my knowledge of music & video recording is not that much difference on the concept & it helped me alot including you guys tutorial. Your channel is awesome!!!! It opened a whole different world for me thank you 🙏💯💯💯👍

Your solution will in many cameras, disable your option to follow a moving object and having the camera holding the focus constantly. At least from my experience. So you have to reconfigure when you switch object. If you don't want that hassle: Instead in your example, you just flip the auto/manual switch on your lens. autofocus, then disable auto, then manually finetune, and take the shot. It doesn't seem that Sony has a manual/auto-switch on their lenses. But I might be wrong.

if the autofocus re-engaging frustrates you, then why not switch to manual focus? isn't that what the mode is for? no disrespect but your method seems a bit cumbersome to solve a problem that shouldnt be a problem? also: most people use their camera for more than just landscape photography, where the subject doesnt move. i fear that messing with the autofocus/shutter button function will disrupt the ease of use during the "ai servo" (or continuous focus) mode.

I'll bet $100 you live in southern NJ? That area you're in has to be the Pine Barrens, or adjacent :)

Mark, one question.

When you press the back button focus, you press the shutter button while you are pressing the autofocus?

I mean when you press the back button and the green square appears you can take you finger off and the camera will keep focusing?

Hope it makes sense and sorry if it’s confusing as English is my second language.

I enabled back button focusing on my Nikon D-7200. Great. Then I had to go back and remove the shutter button focusing. It was a separate step that I missed at first. It is still something I'm getting used to, but I like it already... just need a bit more time with it.

2.37 do you see someone walking in the background :P

I do it a litte different. I focus by pressing the shutterbutton half, and press a button which switches between autofocus and manual focus.

So helpful! Thanks.

After nearly 40 years of photographing just about everything I could see, I still do not understand this obsession with "perfectly" sharp photos - especially non-portraits.

The human eye doesn't work that way, nor does the brain. The brain actually expects the opposite - the little imperfections that are the foundation of the "Real World"

Focus peaking is so handy.

What I have noticed when bracketing pics is that If I set it to say 5 stops, then sometimes in one of those shots the exposure is just right so no need to bracket. Just thought I would share.

Holding the thing steady.

I really enjoyed this video which was really useful. Just one question, when you use your AF-ON button to focus, does it lock the AF? (If I want to reframe a little bit) Or do I have to use the LockAF Button (on my lense) to do that? Thanks a lot for what you are doing!

Mark. I have Fuji XT4 camera and I have a doubt about back button focus. I watched your video and I assigned AF-ON button. But I don’t know if it is active and enabled or not. How to know that? When I press AF-ON in
AF-S or AF-C,, it is not turning to green. What to do. Please advise. Thanks for your valuable videos Mark. 🙏🏽

Great video Mark. Super simplified with practical demonstration at every step. Thank you so much for posting.

My issue is most of my settings are only done through the screen. So I cant change all my setting w dials. Kinda sucks…

The fact he showed us how to pack his gear and unpack his gear is enough for me to like this video.

Nikon back focus, focus lock, and shutter to shoot. Done!

What about af lock?

Can't you magnify it without rotating the focus ring?

ps - keep it coming! I like this channel.

To complicated explained 🤦

Great information. Thank you.

I have just tried my camera as I was sure I did not go the red outline (I normally get in manual focusing} when overriding auto and was surprised as although I don't get it what I do get instead is a 10X view but only happens on my 18 -135 lens. I am using a canon M5 mirrorless camera.

On Sony, this is called, Direct Manual Focus, and i use it 99% of the time, and it was a game changer for me!

Just tried this...wow it does make a big difference to the overall quality of my images.

When you first switch to back-button focus the final shooting process seems really weird and awkward. It forces you to add an extra step to finally focus and activate the shutter. Then low and behold your muscle memory kicks in! From then on if someone hands you a camera for you to use without this back-button activated you will find out now that having to revert to the old fashioned method will drive you crazy. It’s the first setting change I put on any of my new cameras.

I've been using back button focusing for maybe 10 years now. You will go back and fourth a few times with it before you start using it exclusively, but it is the best way to go.

I never knew you could assign the AF function of the shutter to another button. My workaround was always to get my focus dialed in but before I would take the shot, I would simply switch AF to MF on the lens. That way it stays where I set it & I didn’t have to worry about the AF trying to readjust.

Also with a back button focus, the manual part after autofocus part will be hold by the bbf knob?!