I am aware of what hyperfocal distance is and the general principles behind it. However, most of the tutorials I have seen and read regarding it make use of lenses with focus distance indicators. Unfortunately, neither of my lenses (Nikkor 18-55mm & 35mm f1.8) have indicators.
I have read that you can 'cheat' and simply focus a third of the way into the shot (which I have done previously simply by spot-focusing on the lowest focus point in my VF). I also assume you could pace out the distance and note an object to focus on when you get back to the camera (though that might be easier said than done).
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to achieve maximum sharpness from front to back without focus distance markers. A new lens is not an option; global economic crisis and all that!
Answer
Take a look at The Ins and Outs of Focus by Harold Merklinger (it's a free download). There's danger in believing everything you read, of course, but give his suggestions a try.
To summarize: when a lens is focused at infinity, the size of the smallest details that can be recorded at the plane of focus is determined entirely by the size of the aperture of the lens -- distance matters not a whit. If you are using, say, a 35mm lens at f/11, then anything 3mm (approximately) or larger will be recorded throughout the entire image depth. Obviously, for things that are very close to the camera, you would expect things much smaller than 3mm to be recorded before you would call it a clear image. But at 20 feet? A 35mm lens at f/11 is better than 20/20 vision at 20 feet and beyond, and at least as good as using the CoC at the inboard end of the distance supposed to be acceptable using the hyperfocal distance.
No comments:
Post a Comment