Focus Help (Page 2): I have seen this advice for portraits but not landscapes. Can't wait to try this technique to see if it works for me. Just have to wait for the workday to be over...

gstephens3 Loc: Northwest Georgia

EAGLE51 wrote:

Try shooting in landscape mode, hold the button half way down to focus the flowers, then while the the button half way
recompose the shot and take it the the camera will remember
the 1st focus, and your background should be in focus also.
it works for me hope this helps
Eagle 51

I have seen this advice for portraits but not landscapes. Can't wait to try this technique to see if it works for me. Just have to wait for the workday to be over so I can go play.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Here's a link to an online DOF calculator (handy since DOF changes with focal length, aperture & sensor size)

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

BTW, I'm also in NW Georgia, on the outskirts of the metro Atlanta area

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

kens007 wrote:

You might want to explore hyperfocal distances. For example, with a 28mm lens set to f/22 and the focus manually set to 4.5 ft, everything from 2.25 ft to infinity will be in focus. You can do a search on this website or Google. I carry a small card in my wallet that instantly provides me with the info I need.

This is the same principle that the old "fixed focus" cameras used. What you have to keep in mind is that although in this example the depth of field is 2.25 ft to infinity, it is not "perfect focus", or "tack sharp" focus throughout that range, but an "acceptable" focus. Acceptable focus is a subjective thing and for people pictures, not really so acceptable. For scenery not bad.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

The camera's sensor size will affect DOF as well, thus that chart won't be accurate for all cameras...

kens007 wrote:

You might want to explore hyperfocal distances. For example, with a 28mm lens set to f/22 and the focus manually set to 4.5 ft, everything from 2.25 ft to infinity will be in focus. You can do a search on this website or Google. I carry a small card in my wallet that instantly provides me with the info I need.

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Screamin Scott wrote:

The camera's sensor size will affect DOF as well, thus that chart won't be accurate for all cameras...

kens007 wrote:

You might want to explore hyperfocal distances. For example, with a 28mm lens set to f/22 and the focus manually set to 4.5 ft, everything from 2.25 ft to infinity will be in focus. You can do a search on this website or Google. I carry a small card in my wallet that instantly provides me with the info I need.

Have to disagree . . . the cropped sensor size does not change the characteristics of the lens in any way.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Macro shots taken with point & shoot cameras appear to have much more DOF than those taken with larger sensor cameras...How does that play into this then ?

Weddingguy wrote:

quote=Screamin Scott The camera's sensor size wil... (show quote)

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Screamin Scott wrote:

Macro shots taken with point & shoot cameras a... (show quote)

As you get further from the subject the DOF increases. With a P&S with a sensor about 1/10th as large as full frame, the distance from the camera would be significantly more to capture the same amount of the subject, thus a greater DOF. Also on many P&S the focal range is quoted in "equivalent" to full frame coverage instead of quoting the actual focal length of the lens.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I have to agree. This is a cool shot and the Fstop information is a good guide as well.

rpavich wrote:

quote=gstephens3 Thanks. Just tried the DOF and m... (show quote)

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Keep in mind that although F/22 might be ideal for that particular shot, it is not recommended that you shoot all the time at F/22. Your lens is probably at it's optimal quality at about F/8 and it deteriorates as you advance to F/11, F/16 and F/22. It is critical enough that many point and shoots do not go beyond F/16 because of the deterioration of quality at that setting.

Lazy Old Coot Loc: Gainesville, Florida

gstephens3 wrote:

I was unable to bring into focus the objects (cows... (show quote)

You just need to increase your depth of field. Go to: http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html . It's an online depth of field calculator. You enter your lens focal length, f stop, and distance to your point of focus and it will tell you the beginning and end of acceptable focus for those settings. Basically, to increase depth of field, use a shorter focal length, move camera farther away from the primary point of focus and use a smaller aperture. ........ Coot

Lazy Old Coot Loc: Gainesville, Florida

Weddingguy wrote:

quote=Screamin Scott Macro shots taken with point... (show quote)

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the reason P&S cameras have a wider depth of field than DSLRs has nothing to do with the relative size of their sensors, it is because the distance between the lens and the sensor on a P&S is much smaller than it is on a DSLR. Don't recall where I read it, but I do remember thinking at the time it seemed to be someone that knew what they were talking about. ......... Coot

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

P&S cameras have more universal focus because of the way the lens has to be built to work with the tiny sensors involved. The distance to sensor is shorter because of the smaller image circle produced, and that the lens focuses at that closer distance as well. To satisfy the need for sharpness, the "circle of confusion" is very small on the point and shoot sensor plain, and this is the reason so much of the shot will seem in universal focus.

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Lazy Old Coot wrote:

quote=Weddingguy quote=Screamin Scott Macro shot... (show quote)

Right . . . sensor size has nothing to do with DOF. Everyone knows that a shorter focal length creates a deeper DOF at any given aperture opening.

One of the lenses on my DSLR is a "wide angle to telephoto" of 24 to 70mm . . . . my point and shoot is also a "wide angle to telephoto" of 5 to 25mm.

Which logically has the greatest DOF?

olydon Loc: Olympia, WA

Weddingguy wrote:

Lazy Old Coot wrote:

quote=Weddingguy quote=Screamin Scott Macro shot... (show quote)

Right . . . sensor size has nothing to do with DOF. Everyone knows that a shorter focal length creates a deeper DOF at any given aperture opening.

One of the lenses on my DSLR is a "wide angle to telephoto" of 24 to 70mm . . . . my point and shoot is also a "wide angle to telephoto" of 5 to 25mm.

Which logically has the greatest DOF?

quote=Lazy Old Coot quote=Weddingguy quote=Scre... (show quote)

Absolutely. I used to use a 4x5 camera. Its normal lens was 150mm. Depth of field was very shallow. Hence the need to stop down to f64 as Ansel Adams did.

Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

There is another option for those times when using a longer lens and there is no way to get it all in focus with one shot using a high f-stop. Have it on a tripod and shoot the back focus scene then shoot the front focus scene and in Photoshop, combine the two image to give you entire image all in one full of focus.