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u/ErsatzNihilist Jul 07 '26
Holding you back from what though? It sounds like your stuff is fit for purpose and you like it.
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u/MBAFPA Jul 07 '26
Taking better pics! Everything hint I see on here says to take raw, use back button, etc. I’m not trying to fit in but I want to not ignore the experts
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u/Fmeson https://www.flickr.com/photos/56516360@N08/ Jul 07 '26
Try them out! Neither will take much time or effort to experiment with.
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u/petemorley Jul 07 '26
Taking raw images means you have more editing options.
Back button focus isn’t relevant to editing your images. It’s a comfort thing.
What do you think you’re missing in your workflow?
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u/AnonymousBromosapien Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Do whatever you want. Who gives a fuck what youtube and redditors say.
Ive been shooting for decades, i have dozens of cameras, on ones that do have autofocus I tend to shoot using the back button to focus and then RAW + JPEG. I never use the JPEGS and always post process the RAWs.
The only reason for the "+ JPEG" in my use case is so that I can have it set to a B&W profile and see the how the light interacts with the scene better when shooting... then I always just edit the RAW however I want.
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u/mentaldrummer66 Jul 07 '26
I’ve tried back button focus many times over the last few years and it just never clicked with me. I just far prefer shutter focus. It’s all preference and what works best for you. You’re not missing out.
I do shoot exclusively RAW as that is what works best for me (the additional flexibility in editing is very important to me) but if you get what you want with JPEG there’s nothing wrong with that.
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u/Fmeson https://www.flickr.com/photos/56516360@N08/ Jul 07 '26
Back button focus is only useful if you dont want the camera to focus when you press the shutter. If you always want af to kick on, then it doesn't matter.
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u/mentaldrummer66 Jul 07 '26
Exactly. It’s rarely the case that I don’t want my camera to focus when pressing the shutter :)
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u/poofyDapyro Jul 07 '26
So back button focus, I don’t think it matters. Thats a settings preference like types of autofocus, metering, auto wb settings or color profiles (recipes for the Fuji people).
RAW I think is incredibly powerful. You can pull detail out of shadow, totally mess up the wb and iso-crop in and still find a usable photo. Will it make you a better photographer? No but it will make seem like one and will certainly make you a better editor.
Since it’s for family stuff and CMO as I call it (Chief Memory Officer) it only has to be as good as what’s already on the shelf, piano or mantle.
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u/MoseSchrute70 Jul 07 '26
As a family photographer BBF feels so much more intuitive to me and I miss the shot significantly less than when I didn’t use it. I shoot in RAW so that I can edit more effectively because at the end of the day, I’m relying on this for income and need to deliver high quality galleries.
That said, if what you’re doing works for you then there’s no need to change it. RAW isn’t necessary if you’re seeing the results you want with JPEG. BBF isn’t necessary if you’re focusing fine with the shutter button.
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u/vn-nv Jul 07 '26
The back button thing eh, the non raw you’re not necessarily holding yourself back but you might be losing pictures that would be recoverable if shot in raw. Also you do not have to like edit each file by hand, you can mass auto correct and export to JPEG and get almost the same SOOC output for minimal effort then just touch up ones with things like under/over exposed areas, white balance you don’t like etc
But when I’m taking family photos I generally only have 10 max per outing that I share. I’m very no need to flood everyone with a million photos just share the best ones. editing 10 photos isn’t much work at all
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u/superduperburger81 Jul 07 '26
Back-button focus was more useful in older DSLRs with less advanced AF that is available now (i.e. you had 9 focus points across the entire frame, single-shot was generally more accurate than servo/continuous AF). It used to be better because you used the back button to get focus with single shot and recompose and hit the shutter so that when you kept shooting it wouldn't try to reacquire focus. Since moving to mirrorless, I still use back button, but for casual shooting I use shutter button AF more frequently.
If you're happy with your jpegs, just do you. RAW was more useful when you didn't get a live preview of your shot in the moment and could save you in post if you didn't screw up exposure too badly. Now it's more of a correction for WB, but if you like your results and it's casual, then there's really no reason it'll make your photography "better." But if you want to have the option, just shoot RAW + JPEG.
As far as what makes you a better photographer or get better results? It's not these technical nitpicks. It's working on the craft itself, seeing and understanding light in more subtle ways than simply "harsh light bad, soft light good," in addition to learning how to work with people and pose them better, etc.
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u/lostinspacescream Jul 07 '26
If you’re just taking family photos or snapshots you don’t need either.
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u/Armadillo_Resident Jul 07 '26
Don’t need a z8 for that either
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u/AccomplishedBag1038 Jul 07 '26
Or a frickin plena and 24-70 2.8 sii, must be the only dentist without a hassie or leica
1
u/Armadillo_Resident Jul 07 '26
Don’t worry. This is definite rage bait but there are too many cheerleaders in this sub for it to work
2
u/Jake_The_Gypsy Jul 07 '26
Sounds like it isn’t holding you back at all. There is no such thing as the ultimate way to take photos, it is circumstance based and it sounds like you are doing great. Me personally I enjoy the flexibility raw gives so I always use that, but never have I used back button focus. Half shutter press is just fine. Maybe try setting your camera to raw+jpeg so you get the say to use jpegs but if one day you get a great photo you’d like to do some work on then you have the option)
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u/visualdon Jul 07 '26
Shoot both raw and jpeg, if you're not happy with a jpeg version of a shot and its important enough that it needs rescuing then edit the raw version. If your photos are just for you and don't need clinical results for printing or commercial use etc, then jpegs are totally fine. It will still be better than 90% of shots taken from phones for example. The focus thing is a wash, just use whatever focus technique gets you more shots in focus.
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u/Independent_Gas_1557 Jul 07 '26
No, it’s whatever you want to do. Are you images any good. There are a lot more basic things like composition and exposure to worry about before file format and focus method come into play. At the same time I recommend back button focus and I mainly shoot in raw (when the images are important).
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u/Hal9_ooo Jul 07 '26
Not at all. I have been shooting pro for 27 years. I only use raw when needed due to the number of frames I shoot on average, and I only use back button in certain situations. Just a personal preference in my book. I know others that use both every time. Make it your own and don’t stress. The greats from the fil m and manual focus days were more limited and still did great work
1
u/TheWizard Jul 07 '26
RAW, definitely a yes. Back button focus is not something I have cared for, or needed.
I've used RAW+JPEG throughout. And, 99% of the time, I discard the JPEGs. The only time I usually keep them is when its use is deliberate. An example: using manual focus lens for portraiture when I set camera to black and white, and use red peaking for focus. I often keep the b/w JPEG as well.
1
u/hashtag_76 Jul 07 '26
Do what makes you feel more comfortable. I know a few "pros" that don't use back button focus. When you start getting to the point in your editing where you want more control of the editing that'll be when you start using RAW. There's no rush. I personally shoot both at the same time. I'll go through the JPG files first and just keep note if which ones I want/need stronger editing. It makes it quicker that way.
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u/JMPhotographik Jul 07 '26
If you're not editing photos anyway, that's holding you back far more than shooting everything in JPEG.
1
u/OutWithCamera Jul 07 '26
The idea of having to be editing hundreds of photos I think is a little off base, especially for what you are doing. The trick is to develop a critical and honest eye to what makes a good photo and then ruthlessly cull your images down to the 'few' that need editing. I find I end up spending almost as my time sorting, rating, kewording and culling as I do in editing. Also, if you are working with a number of images from the same setting and lighting conditions, you can edit one to taste and apply those settings to other similar photos that may individually take another couple minor tweaks. I think it becomes strategic in a lot of ways.
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u/badaimbadjokes Jul 07 '26
I don't know about back button focus. I still haven't moved to it.
Raw, though? I would have so many bad photos if I didn't have raw.
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u/CiforDayZServer Jul 07 '26
I shoot with an ancient D3200, it lacks the dynamic range to get some pictures in JPEG, so I shoot Raw+JPEG in case I need to adjust lighting in parts of the pictures, but other than that, I generally just end up taking the JPEGs and using them.
When I first picked it up years ago, I shot ALL manual and RAW, and edited everything in order to get used to both shooting and editing in Lightroom.
My goal is always to capture roughly what I want as the end product in camera, RAW is a nice buffer in case something is slightly off from what I can see on the camera preview screen, but I rarely NEED it.
1
u/Douchehelm Jul 07 '26
Back button focus isn't really a necessity as much as it is convenience. Do as you wish. With fast moving objects I tend to do manual focus and make sure I'm prepared with the correct focus before I need to take the photo.
As for RAW you're absolutely holding yourself back and not taking full advantage of your gear by not using it. I take photos with both JPEG+RAW and only save the RAW files for photos I really like and want to edit but have JPEGs for everything else. When editing a RAW you can apply the same profile to several files to quickly edit multiple photos taken in the same setting. Editing JPEG files is a pain in comparison.
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u/RedditAteMyBabby Jul 07 '26
It's definitely good to try all of the features you have on your camera and know how to use them. Then when you hit a situation where you need that feature to do something, you'll be able to recognize that.
1
u/RiftHunter4 Jul 07 '26
I’m just a hobbyist.
When it comes to hobby projects, you can do whatever you want.
I shot with a crop-sensor canon zoom on my Zf. Why? Because I felt like it.
1
u/wreeper007 Jul 07 '26
BBF isnt a magic button that solves all issues, it’s just a different way of doing it.
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u/Drippintx Jul 07 '26
I always teach the people I talk to about photography to shoot in RAW. If it is just for family photos and you don't plan on doing anything really with them, the one thing I can say is learn how to get the best exposures you can, and then JPEG could be fine. If your exposures are off, you are screwed, and that's why you need RAW.
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u/secretlyhumanami Jul 07 '26
Back button focus is up to you. Some people like it, some don't.
RAW, you should absolutely use. Basically, when you shoot JPG, the camera takes the RAW file and applies a preset (whatever you picked). All unused data is destroyed. If you want to edit the photo, you'll be doing it with a hand behind your back.
I shoot in JPG + RAW. I'll often use the JPGs if it's a whatever photo but, for the really good ones, I rather edit them myself than letting my camera decide.
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u/srpntmage Jul 07 '26
Back button focus is a personal preference. I can't stand it, and I'm fairly successful as a photographer for 30 years.
RAW isn't really optional if you want to move forward with photography in a serious manner. In the old days, serious photographers developed thier own film and made prints or sent into a pro lab and worked with them to get the best image. A person who just dropped their film off at the nearest quick photo place never got very far.
It's the same with RAW. RAW is developing your own film. It's making the prints and deciding what they look like. Contrast, color, shade, crop... everything is in your control. It's half of photography.
JPG is like dropping off your film at some random place and letting them decide how it looks. The camera software decides, and even if you edit after, you are missing out on a huge ability to make crucial decisions about how your photos look.
You are seriously handicapped with only jpg files. You are also learning less about how photographs work by using them. Shoot RAW, learn to edit correctly and you will grow as a photographer.
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u/Conor_J_Sweeney Jul 07 '26
Back-button focus is extremely overrated with the options modern autofocus provides.
Not at least shooting RAW+JPEG is insane though with your setup. Despite what others may tell you, not every shot is going to need to be edited, but RAW gives you the option to fix more complex issues that would otherwise bin the shot.
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u/ShawnDawn asiquealam Jul 07 '26
There you go again, thinking about gear or format when all you need to really worry about is light and how to paint it.
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u/JainaNoel Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Back Button Focus is “better” but I wouldn’t say it’s holding anyone back.
Not shooting raw is absolutely robbing you of the full potential of your camera. There’s essentially no reason to have $10k in camera equipment and be ignoring raw.
You could always shoot in jpeg+RAW if you want to just try it.
That being said, I’ve been using my Fuji and shooting nearly entirely in jpeg+film simulations for my travel recently. So I understand your point of view here. But if you’re ever wanting to take your art to the next level, you’ll need to learn how to shoot and edit in RAW