Learning Hyperfocal Distance

All have good points for me but I'd suggest cloning out the dust first of all.

The tip of the tree in the first one breaking out of the top of the frame is rather distracting, as is the bird ejected from the mountain in the second :)

The lighting in the last one works particularly well for me - creates a nice atmosphere.
 
Good photos, particularly the last one but TBH I don't think you have made the most of hyperfocal distance. It does depend on how wide your lens is but to make the most of it you need to get a foreground feature, e.g. a rock in the water and perhaps get lower. E.g. in the last, get your wellies on and position the camera just above the line of leaves on the water's edge.
 
Just sticking to hyperfocal distance I think you have only really managed it in number two.

Are you focusing manually and using live view to check around the frame for sharpness?
 
Quoth said:
All have good points for me but I'd suggest cloning out the dust first of all.

The tip of the tree in the first one breaking out of the top of the frame is rather distracting, as is the bird ejected from the mountain in the second :)

The lighting in the last one works particularly well for me - creates a nice atmosphere.
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Thanks Kevin i see your points thanks for that The dust was me being lazy :(
 
sirch said:
Good photos, particularly the last one but TBH I don't think you have made the most of hyperfocal distance. It does depend on how wide your lens is but to make the most of it you need to get a foreground feature, e.g. a rock in the water and perhaps get lower. E.g. in the last, get your wellies on and position the camera just above the line of leaves on the water's edge.
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Thanks I think this is were i go wrong i all ways seam to struggle finding foreground interest this was shot with an 16-80 zeiss lens at the 16mm end
 
tijuana taxi said:
Just sticking to hyperfocal distance I think you have only really managed it in number two.

Are you focusing manually and using live view to check around the frame for sharpness?
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Hi I've tried to do it using an iPhone app by entering my F stop sensor size and focal distance then focusing manually to the correct distance given by the app
 
gchaddy said:
Thanks I think this is were i go wrong i all ways seam to struggle finding foreground interest this was shot with an 16-80 zeiss lens at the 16mm end
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So depending on the sensor size that is less than a metre to infinity acceptably sharp at F16, even nearer at F22. Just think about getting less than one metre from that tuft of grass bottom left in #3 and having that filling the bottom left third. of the frame.
 
sirch said:
So depending on the sensor size that is less than a metre to infinity acceptably sharp at F16, even nearer at F22. Just think about getting less than one metre from that tuft of grass bottom left in #3 and having that filling the bottom left third. of the frame.
Click to expand...
ah ok that makes sense i will have to spend more time composing my shots but it helps a lot when things are pointed out thanks
 
tijuana taxi said:
Just sticking to hyperfocal distance I think you have only really managed it in number two.

Are you focusing manually and using live view to check around the frame for sharpness?
Click to expand...
i using manual focus and i shoot with a sony SLT i just need to spend more time checking my shots instead of rushing
 
i just need to spend more time checking my shots instead of rushing
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Totally agree, have a look round first then pick your chosen spot and set the tripod up. Try different angles and heights then when your composition is right, focus on the required distance
Using live view magnify different points to ensure all the points are sharp then fire away, also need to keep an eye on exposure utilising the histogram and blinkies.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Totally agree, have a look round first then pick your chosen spot and set the tripod up. Try different angles and heights then when your composition is right, focus on the required distance
Using live view magnify different points to ensure all the points are sharp then fire away, also need to keep an eye on exposure utilising the histogram and blinkies.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips. I just need some good weather now
 
They are all really nice scenes and you definitely have potential in this genre. There are issues with the photos which have been mentioned above but I will answer your original question about hyperfocal distance and focussing.

Absolutely no need for it. Yes the term sounds good but assuming your camera has live view and a depth of field preview button then why guess with hyperfocal when you can ensure it is bang on overtime quickly using the technology in the camera.

People who tell you to zoom into live view and look around the scene to make sure everything is sharp are on the right track but the point they are missing is that live view will be displaying at wide open aperture. You need to press your depth of field preview button to see what will be sharp when the shot is taken and the lens is stopped down to the chosen aperture.

You also gain the added benefit of being able to use a wider aperture than you think avoiding diffraction issues. If you simply zoom into the closest detail in the scene (usually in the foreground) that you want to be sharp and focus on it then stop down to an aperture that also makes the furthest details acceptably sharp you will be wasting depth of field between the closest object and the camera where there is nothing to be seen and to get your front to back sharpness you may have selected f16 for example.

What I do is approximate the aperture from experience, zoom in to the prominent closest detail in the scene that I want to be sharp, focus on it, press the dof preview button then slowly manually focus away from that point towards infinity, you will notice that a small amount of turning the focus ring will not throw that object out of focus, but there comes a point where it starts to drop out of focus, turn back a mm to get it back in fully sharp. When you release the dof preview button it will go out of focus, but that is because the native wide open aperture of the lens is at play again. By focussing with the dof preview button pressed you are able to take the roughly third of your overall depth of field that is not being utilised and put that the beginning of that on your closest object. You then zoom into the background and press the dof preview button again to check sharpness. Aperture can be adjusted if required, but always go back into the foreground object and check critical sharpness.

The reason I bang on about the foreground object is simple, especially with a wide angle lens if you look at a scene, especially in print with a large rock in the foreground taking up about 25% of the entire picture your eye will be drawn to that first, if it is soft your mind decides the picture is soft. It needs to be sharp, even if you have to sacrifice a tiny bit of sharpness on the trees on the horizon that are only a couple of pixels high...
 
gchaddy said:
Thanks I think this is were i go wrong i all ways seam to struggle finding foreground interest this was shot with an 16-80 zeiss lens at the 16mm end
Click to expand...
Putting an irrelevant piece of rock in the foreground is not really 'interest'. Leaving the foreground blank can suggest openess and spaciousness.

Foreground interest is like the rule of thirds - sometimes best honoured by omission.
 
Craig_85 said:
They are all really nice scenes and you definitely have potential in this genre. There are issues with the photos which have been mentioned above but I will answer your original question about hyperfocal distance and focussing.

Absolutely no need for it. Yes the term sounds good but assuming your camera has live view and a depth of field preview button then why guess with hyperfocal when you can ensure it is bang on overtime quickly using the technology in the camera.

People who tell you to zoom into live view and look around the scene to make sure everything is sharp are on the right track but the point they are missing is that live view will be displaying at wide open aperture. You need to press your depth of field preview button to see what will be sharp when the shot is taken and the lens is stopped down to the chosen aperture.

You also gain the added benefit of being able to use a wider aperture than you think avoiding diffraction issues. If you simply zoom into the closest detail in the scene (usually in the foreground) that you want to be sharp and focus on it then stop down to an aperture that also makes the furthest details acceptably sharp you will be wasting depth of field between the closest object and the camera where there is nothing to be seen and to get your front to back sharpness you may have selected f16 for example.

What I do is approximate the aperture from experience, zoom in to the prominent closest detail in the scene that I want to be sharp, focus on it, press the dof preview button then slowly manually focus away from that point towards infinity, you will notice that a small amount of turning the focus ring will not throw that object out of focus, but there comes a point where it starts to drop out of focus, turn back a mm to get it back in fully sharp. When you release the dof preview button it will go out of focus, but that is because the native wide open aperture of the lens is at play again. By focussing with the dof preview button pressed you are able to take the roughly third of your overall depth of field that is not being utilised and put that the beginning of that on your closest object. You then zoom into the background and press the dof preview button again to check sharpness. Aperture can be adjusted if required, but always go back into the foreground object and check critical sharpness.

The reason I bang on about the foreground object is simple, especially with a wide angle lens if you look at a scene, especially in print with a large rock in the foreground taking up about 25% of the entire picture your eye will be drawn to that first, if it is soft your mind decides the picture is soft. It needs to be sharp, even if you have to sacrifice a tiny bit of sharpness on the trees on the horizon that are only a couple of pixels high...
Click to expand...
Hi Craig's thanks for this explanation I think I understand. I will have to have a play using the DOF button. Does this all still have the same affect when using the Sony with the translucent mirror. The reason I ask is because for example. If I'm in manual mode and I start to adjust for exposure the is showen in either the lcd back screen or through the view finder. So I'm guessing the will show sharpness through out the image. And like you say using the DOF button Sorry to be so vague. I'm just trying to get my head around it
 
Craig_85 said:
They are all really nice scenes and you definitely have potential in this genre. There are issues with the photos which have been mentioned above but I will answer your original question about hyperfocal distance and focussing.

Absolutely no need for it. Yes the term sounds good but assuming your camera has live view and a depth of field preview button then why guess with hyperfocal when you can ensure it is bang on overtime quickly using the technology in the camera.

People who tell you to zoom into live view and look around the scene to make sure everything is sharp are on the right track but the point they are missing is that live view will be displaying at wide open aperture. You need to press your depth of field preview button to see what will be sharp when the shot is taken and the lens is stopped down to the chosen aperture.

You also gain the added benefit of being able to use a wider aperture than you think avoiding diffraction issues. If you simply zoom into the closest detail in the scene (usually in the foreground) that you want to be sharp and focus on it then stop down to an aperture that also makes the furthest details acceptably sharp you will be wasting depth of field between the closest object and the camera where there is nothing to be seen and to get your front to back sharpness you may have selected f16 for example.

What I do is approximate the aperture from experience, zoom in to the prominent closest detail in the scene that I want to be sharp, focus on it, press the dof preview button then slowly manually focus away from that point towards infinity, you will notice that a small amount of turning the focus ring will not throw that object out of focus, but there comes a point where it starts to drop out of focus, turn back a mm to get it back in fully sharp. When you release the dof preview button it will go out of focus, but that is because the native wide open aperture of the lens is at play again. By focussing with the dof preview button pressed you are able to take the roughly third of your overall depth of field that is not being utilised and put that the beginning of that on your closest object. You then zoom into the background and press the dof preview button again to check sharpness. Aperture can be adjusted if required, but always go back into the foreground object and check critical sharpness.

The reason I bang on about the foreground object is simple, especially with a wide angle lens if you look at a scene, especially in print with a large rock in the foreground taking up about 25% of the entire picture your eye will be drawn to that first, if it is soft your mind decides the picture is soft. It needs to be sharp, even if you have to sacrifice a tiny bit of sharpness on the trees on the horizon that are only a couple of pixels high...
Click to expand...

Ok Had a quick play using live View and DOF Button ignore the boring subject of my front street and back garden i can see that more of the shots seem sharper and more in focus am i going in the right direction

DSC02192-2 by Gary Chadbond, on Flickr
DSC02191-2 by Gary Chadbond, on Flickr

DSC02190-2 by Gary Chadbond, on Flickr
 
Only on my phone but they look loads sharper. Theory is useful, practical testing and understanding more so!
 
Nice write up Craig(y)
I normally use hyperdemicnurdle to get me in the ball park area initially, before focusing much as @Craig_85 says. BUT i really struggle.... the issue is once you stop down the lens to the "Shooting" aperture you have moved too black cat in a coal mine mode !
So unless you are shooting a bright scene you can see B****R all on a 3.2 inch display (even Magnified) especially early morning or late evening in the golden hours. Now i know i'm an old git but i really struggle with that. I'm sure i'm not the only one that finds this a problem. So to look around a frame, in the twilight when its stopped down to say f11 isn't as easy as it first appears to determine sharpness.
Just sayn :)
I have contemplated hooking up a tablet but that's just another piece of junk i have to drag around:eek:
Going back to hyperfocal distance its not always a silver bullet people think it is and if you use an app you need to make sure it takes into account your sensor size too.
 
69Bonni said:
Nice write up Craig(y)
I normally use hyperdemicnurdle to get me in the ball park area initially, before focusing much as @Craig_85 says. BUT i really struggle.... the issue is once you stop down the lens to the "Shooting" aperture you have moved too black cat in a coal mine mode !
So unless you are shooting a bright scene you can see B****R all on a 3.2 inch display (even Magnified) especially early morning or late evening in the golden hours. Now i know i'm an old git but i really struggle with that. I'm sure i'm not the only one that finds this a problem. So to look around a frame, in the twilight when its stopped down to say f11 isn't as easy as it first appears to determine sharpness.
Just sayn :)
I have contemplated hooking up a tablet but that's just another piece of junk i have to drag around:eek:
Going back to hyperfocal distance its not always a silver bullet people think it is and if you use an app you need to make sure it takes into account your sensor size too.
Click to expand...

Exposure simulation is your friend, tricking it if needs be by adding positive compensation in aperture priority (or extra exposure length in manual) during focusing then correcting it before shooting.

My canon cameras are pretty good in this regard metering off the little box in live view so when you zoom in and move it around it will adjust to the lighting in that enlarged part of the scene.
 
Craig_85 said:
Exposure simulation is your friend, tricking it if needs be by adding positive compensation in aperture priority (or extra exposure length in manual) during focusing then correcting it before shooting.

My canon cameras are pretty good in this regard metering off the little box in live view so when you zoom in and move it around it will adjust to the lighting in that enlarged part of the scene.
Click to expand...
Yes the D810 does similar I just don't want to admit I'm getting old and my eyesight is dodgy:rolleyes:
Cheers Craig
 
Most of it has been covered, but the first set of shots, the 2nd shot is very OOF and there seems to be some very weird banding going on in the blues on the second shot?

I don't know if I've missed something all these years, but I'm not sure what the big deal with hyper-focal distances is TBH. I either focus on the main feature of the landscape and set the aperture accordingly or if I'm doing it manually with the 14mm samyang I'll set the lens to infinity then check the focus with LV zoomed in before I take the shot with a suitable aperture already set.

If you think too much about it it goes wrong :)
 
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