Hyperfocal help.

[Dan Fromm]

Thanks for giving a link to the spreadsheet. I set the focal length to 90 mm, used blur circle = .1 mm, looked in the f/22 column. Hyperfocal distance is 12.08' as you reported. I set that in one of the focused distances, got near and far limits of DoF as 6.99 and 44.30 feet respectively for that focused distance. Spreadsheets are handy that way, one plugs numbers into the right cells and others recalculate to conform.

Schneider uses a blur circle, conventionally called Circle of Confusion, of 0.100 mm for 4x5. This will barely allow contact printing, won't allow enlargement. Remember that the amount of blur that can be tolerated in the negative depends on how much it is to be enlarged.

Do you have any books on LF photography or optics? If not, you'd do well to get at least one good book on LF photography and study them. You'll learn more from any of them than by asking questions here. The two that are most recommended here are Steve Simmons' Understanding the View Camera and Leslie Strobel's View Camera Technique. Both are available through sellers who list their wares on, in alphabetical order, abebooks.com, alibris.com, amazon.com, ... at very reasonable prices. Interestingly, the French LF forum recommends Jim Graves' A user's guide to the view camera.

I'm not sure which book on optics offers a good combination of price and usability. You might want to look for Arthur Cox' Photographic Optics. Rudolf Kinglake's A History of the Photographic Lens is sometimes touted here but the last time I looked it was hors prix. His Lenses in Photography might be helpful and less expensive.

[RodinalDuchamp]

I own a copy of Ansel's three books but I will try to get my hands on your recommendations. Thank you.

[BetterSense]

This is a very interesting article. I'll have to sit and read thoroughly.

It truly is a revelation, and once it sinks in, you will find yourself looking into the front of your lens instead of the aperture scale, particularly when changing between formats. In one studio setup, I know I need to use an aperture of about 4mm when I want sharp portraits; format is irrelevant... THEN I look at the aperture scale on whatever camera I am using to see how much light is needed.

[Peter De Smidt]

See also:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/fstop.html
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...-to-focus.html
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...IntroToDoF.pdf
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...DoFinDepth.pdf

[RodinalDuchamp]

See also:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/fstop.html
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...-to-focus.html
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...IntroToDoF.pdf
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...DoFinDepth.pdf

Will surely. Thank you for taking the time to link those.

Edit: I bet my algebra professor is laughing at me now.

[cyrus]

Hyperfocal focusing is not exact enough for it to make any real difference if you measure from the lens or the film plane etc

[Jim Jones]

Technicians have formulae for DOF. Photographers also have to consider their subjects and how the image will be presented. The dreamy nudes of Anne Brigman certainly didn't demand meticulous attention to DOF. In some of Edward Weston's macro-photographs, an extremely small aperture masked the limits of any calculated DOF. We have to balance science with art.

[RodinalDuchamp]

I've solved my issues by just stopping down to f32.

[Heroique]

We have to balance science with art.

Worthy of printing and taping to the camera or meter...

But just to play devil's advocate, if one in the field insists on determining DOF, precisely and accurately, down to the nearest decimeter – let alone centimeter or millimeter – how much art is it going to take to "balance" this?

I've solved my issues by just stopping down to f32.

I applaud this K.I.S.S. approach, but just be sure that f/32 doesn't become an auto-pilot switch.

[RodinalDuchamp]

Well for this particular subject matter f32 is necessary for my artistic vision. I don't like the idea of 8-17 minute exposures though so that's a tradeoff In will need to see if I can live with.