I really do enjoy taking my time to get to know my new camera. One of the most effective ways to do that is to dive deep into the camera's menu and begin customizing everything to meet my needs and requirements. Of all the settings that I end up customizing, there is one that is always first without question: setting up back-button autofocus.
As camera technology continues to progress, the way in which we operate them is changing as well. Photographers should always use the most familiar and effective technique to get the shot, and to that end I want to be clear about the purpose of this article: I’m not trying to convince anyone to blindly stop using back-button focus.
Back button focusing involves decoupling a camera's autofocus from the shutter button and moving it to a button under the right thumb on the back. Here's a helpful 4.5-minute video by Canon Australia showing how you can get started with this next-level focusing technique on your Canon DSLR or mirrorless camera.
Want to learn how to shoot tack-sharp landscape photos? Photographer Dave Morrow made this solid 27-minute guide that teaches his personal focusing strategy. He believes it's the "most in-depth guide to back button focus and hyperfocal distance currently on YouTube."
Here's an 8-minute video lesson by photographer Mike Hagen of Nikonians and Visual Adventures on how and why to start using back button focus on your camera.