Focusing help

[steveo]

Thanks for the help guys, I'll go try again once the wind drops below gale force.

[Liquid Artist]

Interesting bridge, I'm looking forward to seeing your finished product.

I love the exposure in your top pic (on a tiny BlackBerry screen though)

[Nathan Potter]

If you want maximum sharpness in the bridge then treat the bridge itself as a pretty flat Schiempflug plane running from right foreground to left end of bridge. Thus you could use backplane tilt by moving the right edge of the rear standard slightly backward (toward you) such that the entire length of the bridge is in focus with the lens wide open. To the degree that you want the area to the left and right of the bridge in focus you'll have to then use a smaller aperture especially at the left and right edge of the image.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Sorry, I meant backplane swing not tilt.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Lenny Eiger]

There was an earlier thread where participants suggested that the focusing ground glass was a bit off. You might check this. I agree with a couple of degrees of swing to match the bridge's angle a bit, but close down to f45 and see what happens...

[steveo]

Interesting bridge, I'm looking forward to seeing your finished product.

I love the exposure in your top pic (on a tiny BlackBerry screen though)

Thanks I'll get it posted just as soon as I get a chance to get out and reshoot.

Sorry, I meant backplane swing not tilt.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Thats okay I knew what you meant.

There was an earlier thread where participants suggested that the focusing ground glass was a bit off. You might check this. I agree with a couple of degrees of swing to match the bridge's angle a bit, but close down to f45 and see what happens...

I relatively confident the screen is fine, I've shot a couple of frames since that and they were fine. F45 EV2 with Illford film I'd be there till day break

[Lenny Eiger]

F45 EV2 with Illford film I'd be there till day break

Fair enough. However, I get a lot of film to scan here that is less sharp than people wanted. All the calculations, swings and tilts in the world seem to add up to something just a bit shy of what most intended. Try just one stop down from where you are and see if things fall into place...

Lenny

[steveo]

Probably a stupid question but wide open, should I be able to see this all sharp on the gg or is it one of those intuitive least out of focus situations?

[steveo]

Fair enough. However, I get a lot of film to scan here that is less sharp than people wanted. All the calculations, swings and tilts in the world seem to add up to something just a bit shy of what most intended. Try just one stop down from where you are and see if things fall into place...

Lenny

Cheers lenny took your advice and stopped down an extra couple of stops helped it was still daylight when I got there,hopefully I'll get a decent one this time.


Unfortunately the lights don't come on till after 10 now so I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to reshoot the flood light scene.

[john borrelli]

For me, bridges may be a better subject for a panoramic type crop.

With this type of crop you may not need to work so hard to get everything in the foreground in focus. The foreground isn't really the subject with this beautiful evening lit bridge. Without needing to emphasize the foreground sharpness you may find a little front swing to work miracles here. If you are committed to the foreground then I would suggest while you are checking your local weather for the wind, check it out for high tides as well. It is more acceptable to the human eye to see water that is not "sharp" and some will even emphasize the water being "soft" with long exposures.

[Leszek Vogt]

If you really need the lights, I'd try to get the shot before the lights are turned on....and then run second exposure with lights. Naturally, balance of the exposure is required in order to minimize the lamp illumination. It's bit of an experiment, but worth a try.

Les