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Thread: Deep focus

  1. #11

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    Re: Deep focus

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Lewin View Post
    Mechanically, I put my thumb at "12 o clock" on the focus knob, focus on the near, then see where my thumb ends up (keeping it in place on the knob) when I focus on the far, and split the difference for the actual focus (I hope that makes sense, easier to do than describe).

    One other thought: in your image (which I like due to the variety of lines, it's slightly off-kilter geometry) that railing angles off to the viewer's right. Perhaps a slight bit of swing would have kept everything in focus at the aperture you used. But playing simultaneously with tilt and swing is something you have to try while watching the ground glass, I normally try to keep things simple and use only one of those movements at a time.
    Thank you for the explanation of the technique with the focus knob. This composition required a lot of knob turns to focus from front to back.

    i will try a different composition, with the railins entering the frame at a greater distance.

    thank you all for your answers

  2. #12

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    Re: Deep focus

    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Lee View Post
    The longer the lens, the harder it is to get adequate depth of field. People who shoot large format cameras often have to use f/64 or even f/128 to get it because they often shoot with very long lenses.

    The wide-angle lens in your cell phone is probably around 5 mm, so it can give enormous depth of field at fairly wide apertures. A 5mm lens at f/2.8 has the same depth of field as a 10mm lens at f/5.6, a 20mm lens at f/11, a 40mm lens at f/22, an 80mm lens at f/45 and a 160mm lens at f/90 !

    Therefore, use a small aperture and a small lens.
    Thanks for the precise explanation. I have been on your web site quite often, it is one of the things that sparked my interest in large format.

  3. #13

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    Re: Deep focus

    Quote Originally Posted by Draganski View Post
    Thanks for the precise explanation. I have been on your web site quite often, it is one of the things that sparked my interest in large format.

  4. #14
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: Deep focus

    As Peter says, a bit of swing would've helped, as would stopping down. If you need a faster shutter speed, then use faster film.

    If you're scanning, then you could also take two frames, one for the railing, and one for the background, and then combine them with software.

    Using a wider lens will change how big the background is relative to the rail.
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

  5. #15
    C. D. Keth's Avatar
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    Re: Deep focus

    The trick to remember is that most of the time, we're not really dealing with that deep of a volume of focus. We're creating the illusion of deep focus. We're placing the focus along surfaces where it counts. Unfortunately, since you're shooting through things and have pretty extreme near and far, those tricks don't really work.
    -Chris

  6. #16

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    Re: Deep focus

    There is only so much that is possible as one compromises between stopping down a lens aperture for increased DOF versus diffraction limits versus how much tilt/swing/shift is possible given subject geometry versus setting a lens focus point.

    So one of the most important elements to learn using large format is where to make compromises. Sometimes because of the geometry of subjects, lens movements are not much an option so instead one must rely on lens aperture DOF. For example photographing below the canopy of an oak tree up into branches that are at all manner of sections of a frame.

    A person with a 4x5 expecting to make a small say 8x10 print can get away with much less DOF and still have a sharp result versus someone expecting to make a 24x30 print. Accordingly as with your subject of that near railing, as your intent for print size becomes larger, the more DOF to bring that into focus for reasonable detail also increases. The experienced photographer quickly considers what is ballpark possible to bring frame elements into focus although sometimes when marginal one has to just take a shot and view the results to really know.

    A key reason these days I am increasingly using my 4x5 film camera less and my mirrorless 25mp digital camera more is because of far more DOF possible when post process focus stacking which blends together multiple frames of a same subject each taken with different focus points. That opens up possible subjects which were impossible with any cameras in the past. Combined with image stitching multiple frames to create larger images, it is a paradigm shift few photographers have yet grasped the impact of.

  7. #17

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    Re: Deep focus

    I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone on the forum. I have made another attempt and it was much better this time. i used my 75mm Rodenstock @f45 and used the focusing techniques from the forum. i also read a lot about depth of field on a large format camera. bottom line - only the short focal length and at least f45 give acceptable sharpness in the foreground and background.
    i have editted the image in lightroom. i could only shoot in harsh daylight, so i added a vignette for more impact. hope you like it. thank you, dragan

    Click image for larger version. 

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  8. #18

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    Re: Deep focus

    That's MUCH better, in every respect, not just focus.
    Thanks, but I'd rather just watch:
    Large format: http://flickr.com/michaeldarnton
    Mostly 35mm: http://flickr.com/mdarnton
    You want digital, color, etc?: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stradofear

  9. #19

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    Re: Deep focus

    Quote Originally Posted by mdarnton View Post
    That's MUCH better, in every respect, not just focus.
    Yep!
    Jim Cole
    Flagstaff, AZ

  10. #20
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: Deep focus

    Nice job!
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

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