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cpaulfell · Joined: 07 Dec 2011 Posts: 2414

from those that know what they are talking about :)

How should one go about focusing a shot like this?

It will be much appreciated if you can walk me through the steps please.

Thanks

ruxpriencdiam · Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 12:17 pm

Spot focus using hyper-focal distance focusing

cpaulfell · Joined: 07 Dec 2011 Posts: 2414

Would you spot focus on the floor of dandelions, roof of canopy, left sidewall of trees or right sidewall of trees?

ruxpriencdiam · Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 12:33 pm

I would start right about here.

cpaulfell · Joined: 07 Dec 2011 Posts: 2414

Thanks

mattgibson · Joined: 11 Nov 2009 Posts: 601 Location: London

Too far into scene I think. I would focus in line with about the fifth tree on the left at maybe f16 this will keep whole scene in focus. If you focus where the red dot is it will be at infinity and foreground will be thrown out.

hhltdave5 · Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 12:52 pm

If you want everything in the image to be in focus then as Barry said you need to go to hyperfocal distance focusing. But, in order to do that you need to understand depth of field and exactly what hyperfocal distance focusing is.

At any given aperture there will be a certain amount of space before and after the focus point that will be in focus. The smaller the aperture used the wider this focused are becomes. But, the distance to the nearest part of the image also plays a part. The closer to the camera that spot is the smaller the aperture needs to be.

If you Google hyperfocal distance focusing you will find several good references. Also there are several apps you can use to help find out the hyperfocal point. When we were on our last landscape workshop one of those who signed up for it showed me one of the apps and they are very helpful.

The general rule is that once you have selected the aperture you would focus in about 1/3 of the way into the shot. This may be spot on but you may have to make an aperture adjustment to get it just right. The app will give you the exact point.

I would also tuck away for future reference what infinity focus is. Remember that after 40 feet depth of field no longer comes into play. As long as the nearest object is at least 40 feet away everything from that point to infinity will be in focus if focused properly regardless of the aperture used.

rojo · Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 200

Check this out....scroll down and there is an image somewhat similar to what you are asking about.
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/hyperfocal-distance.htm

copidosoma · Joined: 17 Nov 2009 Posts: 3773 Location: Canada

A few key phrases in that article that I find are often appropriate...

"but blind use of the hyperfocal distance can neglect regions of a photo which may require more sharpness than others."

and

"Many use a rule of thumb which states that you should focus roughly 1/3 of the way into your scene in order to achieve maximum sharpness throughout. I encourage you to ignore such advice since this distance is rarely optimal"

I don't claim to know what I'm talking about but I tend to focus close to the horizon (if present). That way I will know that at least that will be sharp. That tends to be the first spot people look to determine sharpness on a landscape photo (at least on discussion forums). Then I adjust my f stop such that my DOF extends close enough to cover material at the bottom of the frame. This requires using the DOF preview button usually becasue I don't trust charts and rules of thumb. If I have objects that are very close to me that I can't get in focus by using f-stop settimgs then I'll back the focus up a bit closer while ensuring that the horizon remains sharp enough. If I can't get everything in focus without going into extreme f-stops (which introduces diffraction or slows the shutter speed down too much) I'll stack focus in photoshop.

My 2 cents.

PaulCowan · Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 4181 Location: Evolving

The fifth or sixth tree down sounds reasonable. You get about 0ne third of the DoF coming back towards you and two-thirds going beyond the focal point.

As the scene gets busier towards the back, the eye will be more forgiving of some unsharpness in the distance if the first 16 trees are sharp (five in front of the point of focus and 10 behind).

People often make the mistake of focusing on the horizon, where most of your depth of field is just lost, as 2/3 of it goes beyond infinity.

The best focal point and aperture will depend on the focal length of the lens and the sensor size. Stop down a 20mm lens on a 35mm SLR and you can focus 10m away and have just about everything sharp. With a 200mm lens, your DoF will be fairly modest even if you are well stopped down.

With a standard lens on a full frame body, f11 will cover everything from about 4m to infinity if you choose a focal point 10m away (you can see these distance scales marked on any old manual focus SLR lens, you just had to turn the focus ring so infinity coincided with the hyperfocal scale for that f-stop and you could read the closest focal distance off at the other end of the scale. Easy. It's a shame they had to scrap it when crop sensors came in).

jeffbanke · Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 3:19 pm

copidosoma · Joined: 17 Nov 2009 Posts: 3773 Location: Canada

ruxpriencdiam · Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 4:27 pm

The circle is around 5-6 trees in.

PaulCowan · Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 4181 Location: Evolving

copidosoma · Joined: 17 Nov 2009 Posts: 3773 Location: Canada