Focusing an extreme wide angle: Considering the purchase of the Laowa 11mm f.5 for my Sony aR7III. I Since my eyes are not all that good, and I'm too lazy to use the focus peaking...

Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

Considering the purchase of the Laowa 11mm f.5 for my Sony aR7III. I Since my eyes are not all that good, and I'm too lazy to use the focus peaking setting, can't I just put it ( or any super-wide manual focus lens ) on, say f8 and infinity, and be good to go for most of what I shoot ( landscapes, etc.)?

pendennis

Here's a link to a DOF calculator. Plug in the values and you're good to go.

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

For instance, with a subject @ 10 feet, you'll have sharpness from 1.42', to infinity.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

Ed Chu wrote:

Considering the purchase of the Laowa 11mm f.5 for my Sony aR7III. I Since my eyes are not all that good, and I'm too lazy to use the focus peaking setting, can't I just put it ( or any super-wide manual focus lens ) on, say f8 and infinity, and be good to go for most of what I shoot ( landscapes, etc.)?

You can of course study and try and remember DOF figures, unless you have a memory like mine.

Another option is simply to set the distance scale at one physical point, say 2m, go outside and take a few test shots and look at the results on your monitor. You will soon find the distance scale position on your particular lens that say gives you acceptable focus of everything between 1m and infinity.

If you are into astro the same principle, somewhere around infinity for the sharpest stars.

MrPhotog

Yes. Pre setting a distance works fine, and a guess is good enough. But with such a short focal length, you could even use it wide open ( f/5) as well.

tcthome Loc: NJ

At f8 something will be in focus. At affinity, sometimes you have to tweek it a little. The good thing is once you know when it is in focus, mark the lens so can go to the exact spot everytime you need to & everything from about a foot in front of the lens out to affinity should be in acceptable focus.
"To lazy to use focus peaking"= you crack me up. I wish I had focus peaking, give the camera to me!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Ed Chu wrote:

Considering the purchase of the Laowa 11mm f.5 for my Sony aR7III. I Since my eyes are not all that good, and I'm too lazy to use the focus peaking setting, can't I just put it ( or any super-wide manual focus lens ) on, say f8 and infinity, and be good to go for most of what I shoot ( landscapes, etc.)?

Yes.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

Camera makers built in focus peaking for a reason. It is easy to use. You can also the depth of field calculations to establish a zone of focus. Determine the hyperfocal distance.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

MrPhotog wrote:

Yes. Pre setting a distance works fine, and a guess is good enough. But with such a short focal length, you could even use it wide open ( f/5) as well.

I think that was f/0.5

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

A good rule-of-thumb is to focus 1/3 of the distance into the scene. It’s called the hyper focal distance where everything from near to far would be in acceptable focus. Google search for depth of field calculator apps. They will calculate this for you based on sensor size, focal length, and aperture.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

It would seem with all the computing power available in digital cameras and their lenses, the depth of field would be calculated in-camera and displayed in the viewfinder/LCD.

Stan

BartHx

Way back in the dark ages with my first 35mm camera and fixed 50mm lens I had to estimate the distance to the subject, set that distance on the lens, and then take the photo. With that system I don't remember any focus problems even with slides projected onto a large (seven foot) screen.

repleo Loc: Boston

Rule of thumb for a landscape would be to focus on something 1/3rd into the scene - if that is not too much of an effort.

Canisdirus

too lazy to use the focus peaking setting...

Lol...A touch of a button.

You are a professional at being lazy.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Ed Chu wrote:

Considering the purchase of the Laowa 11mm f.5 for my Sony aR7III. I Since my eyes are not all that good, and I'm too lazy to use the focus peaking setting, can't I just put it ( or any super-wide manual focus lens ) on, say f8 and infinity, and be good to go for most of what I shoot ( landscapes, etc.)?

Focus peaking won't be much help with that lens, especially if you stop it down. The reason it's going to be so difficult to use focus peaking is that the DOF is so deep, even at the diffraction limit of f/11, that the camera will think almost everything is in focus. For the same reason it's not even going to be easy to focus at a specific distance.

It's a little easier if you focus with the lens at the maximum aperture (f/4.5) by zooming in (magnifying the image) and then stopping down for the shot.

And don't count on setting it to a hard stop at infinity. Most manual focus lenses focus just beyond infinity just like autofocus lenses.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

selmslie wrote:

Focus peaking won't be much help with that lens, e... (show quote)

On my cameras with focus peaking, it works with the lens fully open...just like autofocus does.