[Zerv]

I finally recently switched to performing back button focusing which has been overall a much better experience over the shutter half-way press focus that I was using before I got my K-50.

I have the button set to AF + AE-L, no focus on shutter press, center point focus. Typically operate on P or Av with Auto ISO. I press and hold back button, recompose, then click the shutter. This has been OK. But I'm starting to feel like maybe I'm not getting the most out of it or like I'm missing something.

Typical scenario: I point the center at what I want to focus on. I press and hold the back button and it acquires focus, sets shutter and ISO. I'm happy with settings and focal point so I go to recompose but then decide to adjust aperture. I'm expecting AE to lock but its constantly changing, forcing me to press and hold the back button again, focusing again, and not necessarily getting the same results as I was already happy with before aperture change.

Am I doing back button focusing right? Have I set the AE-L correctly? Apparently not since it never seems to lock. I'm reading in the manual that the AE will lock for double the meter time set which I have set to 30 seconds. But that asterisk in the viewfinder goes away immediately after I let go of the button and as I stated, the shutter and ISO is adjusting constantly. Am I understanding the presence of the asterisk correctly? No matter how many times I read the manual, the AE-L part doesn't make sense to my user experience and I feel like I can use more detail. Can someone provide some further explanation?

Thanks!

[Zephos]

There is a menu setting to make your AE lock with AF, but AF is only considered locked as long as you are holding the button down. This seems intuitive for the shutter button, but not so much for the AE-L button. If you hold it down while you recompose, you might have better luck.

[stevebrot]

Decouple the AE-L and you might do better. You are defeating the matrix metering.


Steve

[Zerv]

There is a menu setting to make your AE lock with AF, but AF is only considered locked as long as you are holding the button down. This seems intuitive for the shutter button, but not so much for the AE-L button. If you hold it down while you recompose, you might have better luck.

This is what I'm doing now and it's working OK in general. But as soon as I start adjusting values and wanting to try different things, I start feeling the limitations of having AE locked with AF.

Decouple the AE-L and you might do better. You are defeating the matrix metering.

This is the feeling I'm getting and what I think is causing me to believe I'm not using it optimally. So how do I decouple the AE-L and AF without resorting to assigning AF on a half-shutter press? That is definitely something I never want to go back to. Where then do I assign the AE-L other than the back button? And how do I get it to actually lock for that stated "double the metering time" because that is something I haven't ever gotten to actually happen.

[MADDSNIPER]

I never understood why so many cameras share a button for AE-L and AF, a button for each would solve the problem that you now seem to be facing. I believe the K-3 and other top of the range cameras have this setup.

[ruggiex]

This is the feeling I'm getting and what I think is causing me to believe I'm not using it optimally. So how do I decouple the AE-L and AF without resorting to assigning AF on a half-shutter press? That is definitely something I never want to go back to. Where then do I assign the AE-L other than the back button? And how do I get it to actually lock for that stated "double the metering time" because that is something I haven't ever gotten to actually happen.

Due to lack of separate AE and AF buttons, I would make it an AF only button and use exposure compensation. A bit more manual work but becomes second nature pretty quickly imo.

[Oldbayrunner]

but AF is only considered locked as long as you are holding the button down. This seems intuitive for the shutter button, but not so much for the AE-L button. If you hold it down while you recompose, you might have better luck.

Sorry but this isn't correct, whether one has a camera model that utilizes back button AF by programming the AF/AEL button or a model with a back AF button, a single press, obtain focus and release locks the focus. In AF.C holding the button will track for movement then upon release will lock the focus. Cameras with the back AF button do in addition need to shut off the half shutter press in order for it to not interfere with the focus obtained using the back AF button. The down side to having to program the Af/Ael button for AF is losing the ability to lock the AEL independently from the AF.

---

Last edited by Oldbayrunner; 04-07-2015 at 06:50 AM.

[Zerv]

The down side to having to program the Af/Ael button for AF is losing the ability to lock the AEL independently from the AF.

So I take it the K-50 is not one of those cameras that can somehow lock the AEL independently from the AF, while decoupling the AF from the shutter?

[IchabodCrane]

So I take it the K-50 is not one of those cameras that can somehow lock the AEL independently from the AF, while decoupling the AF from the shutter?

Correct. However, you can assign the AF/AE-L button to lock the exposure only and then use the shutter button to lock the focus. See page 169 of the K-50 manual for setting this up.

If you want back button focus locking and exposure locking which are truly independent and divorced from the shutter button then you'll need to upgrade to a K-3.

[Zerv]

Correct. However, you can assign the AF/AE-L button to lock the exposure only and then use the shutter button to lock the focus. See page 169 of the K-50 manual for setting this up.

If you want back button focus locking and exposure locking which are truly independent and divorced from the shutter button then you'll need to upgrade to a K-3.

Darn, that's a little disappointing. But certainly one of those things you learn to have preferences for as you gain more experience so I expect to have a growing wishlist the more I go on.

If the AE-L button is the only one that can be assigned to lock exposure, and I really don't want to focus with the shutter button so it must take over the AE-L button, then I see only two options:

1) Shoot MF when at all possible

2) Be comfortable with not locking the exposure. And if locking in the exposure is necessary, shoot in Manual mode.

Does that sound about right? Anything the green button can help with somehow or another as a way to assist in the overall scheme of things?

[Oldbayrunner]

If you want back button focus locking and exposure locking which are truly independent and divorced from the shutter button then you'll need to upgrade to a K-3.

Not necessarily, the K5 & K5 ll series have an independent back AF button. This was one of the reasons I switched from my K50 because I wanted to be able to lock both like l could using my previous system.

[stevebrot]

a single press, obtain focus and release locks the focus.

Only if the AF on shutter press is disabled. If not, the AF button must be held down until shutter release to lock focus. At least that is how it works on my K-3.


Steve

[IchabodCrane]

Darn, that's a little disappointing. But certainly one of those things you learn to have preferences for as you gain more experience so I expect to have a growing wishlist the more I go on.

If the AE-L button is the only one that can be assigned to lock exposure, and I really don't want to focus with the shutter button so it must take over the AE-L button, then I see only two options:

1) Shoot MF when at all possible

2) Be comfortable with not locking the exposure. And if locking in the exposure is necessary, shoot in Manual mode.

Does that sound about right? Anything the green button can help with somehow or another as a way to assist in the overall scheme of things?

I was wrong... read page 96 of your manual and you will see that there's a separate option to set the AF/AE-L button to lock both focus and exposure.

---------- Post added 04-07-15 at 07:44 PM ----------

Not necessarily, the K5 & K5 ll series have an independent back AF button. This was one of the reasons I switched from my K50 because I wanted to be able to lock both like l could using my previous system.

True... I guess I considered the K-5 series as discontinued and didn't mention them.

[Oldbayrunner]

Only if the AF on shutter press is disabled. If not, the AF button must be held down until shutter release to lock focus. At least that is how it works on my K-3.


Steve

I do believe I mention in my post cameras with a back AF button the shutter half press needs to be disabled.

[Zerv]

I was wrong... read page 96 of your manual and you will see that there's a separate option to set the AF/AE-L button to lock both focus and exposure.

That's the basis of my question. I have it set this way now. But having that button do both of those things is not making for the smoothest experience. If there was a way for the auto focus to only be assigned to that button while AE-L can be set elsewhere, that would be great. I'm getting from the responses in this post that I need to step up to a K-5iis or a K-3 to have that kind of functionality.

If this is true, for those that feel the same, then what is the proper or best way to use the K-50? Just live with the AE and AF being set whenever one or the other is changed? Or have you found a workflow work-around?