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Michael James Much

@michaeljamesmuch

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Building lasting online communities through photographs, stories and interviews for over 50 years

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Thanks for the great discussion and throwing light on the subject of back button focus with modern mirrorless cameras and older gear! by @michaeljamesmuch

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10 hours ago

Reasons to abandon back button auto focus: one finger, one motion. Half-press to full-press is a single continuous action, while back-button focus splits focus and shutter across two hands, which costs a beat when something happens fast.
The second advantage is exposure. With shutter-button focus, your thumb stays free to roll the command dials while you’re tracking a subject — with back-button focus, that thumb is pinned to the AF-ON button, so you can’t adjust exposure mid-burst without breaking focus.
The third is simplicity for other people. Hand the camera to a second shooter or a client and they just press the shutter — no retraining on a two-button workflow.
The honest caveat: the Z9’s subject detection makes the old BBF advantage — locking focus while recomposing — mostly redundant, since the camera holds the subject wherever it moves. So the case for back-button focus has narrowed to specific situations: locking focus on a static subject while something passes in front, or switching between focus modes on the fly.
If your instinct is that one-button is faster for you, that’s a legitimate reason to skip it — the technique was a workaround for slower autofocus, and the workaround is aging out. by @michaeljamesmuch

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a day ago

Give back button autofocus a try and see if it improves your photography! Do you use BBA? Why? by @michaeljamesmuch

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a day ago

Add exposure compensation to your practice for perfect exposures in very bright or dark settings. by @michaeljamesmuch

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2 days ago

Do you use 3D tracking on your Nikon Z series camera? by @michaeljamesmuch

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8

3 days ago

Roosevelt vs. Como Park 🏀
Reel 4 of 4 — 2026 Oct 3

72 frames from this stretch of the game, half a second each. 294 shot in all.
Look for yourself and your teammates, tag them, and share.
More every week — follow @michaeljamesmuch
Every team and season: michaeljamesmuch.github.io

#basketball #highschoolbasketball #minnesotabasketball #mnbasketball #hoops #basketballphotography #sportsphotography #michaeljamesmuch by @michaeljamesmuch

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0

4 days ago

Roosevelt vs. Como Park 🏀
Reel 3 of 4 — 2026 Oct 3

74 frames from this stretch of the game, half a second each. 294 shot in all.
Look for yourself and your teammates, tag them, and share.
More every week — follow @michaeljamesmuch
Every team and season: michaeljamesmuch.github.io

#basketball #highschoolbasketball #minnesotabasketball #mnbasketball #hoops #basketballphotography #sportsphotography #michaeljamesmuch by @michaeljamesmuch

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0

4 days ago

Roosevelt vs. Como Park 🏀
Reel 2 of 4 — 2026 Oct 3

74 frames from this stretch of the game, half a second each. 294 shot in all.
Look for yourself and your teammates, tag them, and share.
More every week — follow @michaeljamesmuch
Every team and season: michaeljamesmuch.github.io

#basketball #highschoolbasketball #minnesotabasketball #mnbasketball #hoops #basketballphotography #sportsphotography #michaeljamesmuch by @michaeljamesmuch

50

0

4 days ago

Roosevelt vs. Como Park 🏀
Reel 1 of 4 — 2026 Oct 3

74 frames from this stretch of the game, half a second each. 294 shot in all.
Look for yourself and your teammates, tag them, and share.
More every week — follow @michaeljamesmuch
Every team and season: michaeljamesmuch.github.io

#basketball #highschoolbasketball #minnesotabasketball #mnbasketball #hoops #basketballphotography #sportsphotography #michaeljamesmuch by @michaeljamesmuch

14

0

4 days ago

North vs. South 🏀
Reel 4 of 4 — 2026 Oct 3

72 frames from this stretch of the game, half a second each. 291 shot in all.
Look for yourself and your teammates, tag them, and share.
More every week — follow @michaeljamesmuch
Every team and season: michaeljamesmuch.github.io

#basketball #highschoolbasketball #minnesotabasketball #mnbasketball #hoops #basketballphotography #sportsphotography #michaeljamesmuch by @michaeljamesmuch

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0

4 days ago

North vs. South 🏀
Reel 3 of 4 — 2026 Oct 3

73 frames from this stretch of the game, half a second each. 291 shot in all.
Look for yourself and your teammates, tag them, and share.
More every week — follow @michaeljamesmuch
Every team and season: michaeljamesmuch.github.io

#basketball #highschoolbasketball #minnesotabasketball #mnbasketball #hoops #basketballphotography #sportsphotography #michaeljamesmuch by @michaeljamesmuch

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1

4 days ago

North vs. South 🏀
Reel 2 of 4 — 2026 Oct 3

73 frames from this stretch of the game, half a second each. 291 shot in all.
Look for yourself and your teammates, tag them, and share.
More every week — follow @michaeljamesmuch
Every team and season: michaeljamesmuch.github.io

#basketball #highschoolbasketball #minnesotabasketball #mnbasketball #hoops #basketballphotography #sportsphotography #michaeljamesmuch by @michaeljamesmuch

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0

4 days ago