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Thread: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

  1. #11

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    Re: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Finder View Post
    The lens was pretty close to the subject with the camera tilted down plus front tilt and aperture around f22. Attachment 167719
    Wrong distance, in my opinion.
    In cases of looking for DOF, I walk back one or two steps, and later I crop the negative.

    Concerning tilt questions, I would like to see the whole picture.

    Best,
    Ritchie

  2. #12
    Drew Bedo's Avatar
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    Re: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	03 As It Is Written.jpg 
Views:	17 
Size:	59.5 KB 
ID:	167787More Tilt
    Smaller Aperture
    Slower Shutter speed
    More light


    Another approach would be to raise the camera position a little. Another thing I have done is to check the plane of focus by placing a small high contrast target in various places in the composition and check the GG. Do it wide open and stopped down if you can make it out in the dimmer view. A convenient target is a retail barcode from a package or tag. The high contrast bars can be made out when stopping down.
    Last edited by Drew Bedo; 2-Aug-2017 at 13:35.
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  3. #13
    Resident Heretic Bruce Watson's Avatar
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    Re: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Finder View Post
    The plane of focus I selected seems to run from the front of the golf clubs up through the top front of the golf bag. The golf shafts are quite soft. Is it possible to get everything sharp?
    IMHO (there's a lot of that going around these days) your plane of focus is in the wrong place. Easiest thing to do would be to align your plane of focus with the surface your subject is laying on. It's got a nice texture, should be easy enough to do. Once you've done that, pull the plane up (using your focus knob, not camera movements) to the level of the top club. Then stop down until you get everything in focus.

    So what I'm suggesting is you put your plane of focus in a compromise position (half way between the extremes), and using aperture to pull the extremes in.

    Now... are you sure you want everything in focus? Because the end result of all this is likely going to be fairly boring. It's often better to let the uninteresting things go out of focus. Like you've already done. Nothing wrong with using focus as a tool.

    Bruce Watson

  4. #14

    Re: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

    Quote Originally Posted by plaubel View Post
    Wrong distance, in my opinion.
    In cases of looking for DOF, I walk back one or two steps, and later I crop the negative.

    Concerning tilt questions, I would like to see the whole picture.

    Best,
    Ritchie
    Here it is. I am wanting to include as much as i can in the frame.
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	adox_007 copy jpeg.jpg 
Views:	22 
Size:	75.9 KB 
ID:	167788

  5. #15

    Re: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Watson View Post
    IMHO (there's a lot of that going around these days) your plane of focus is in the wrong place. Easiest thing to do would be to align your plane of focus with the surface your subject is laying on. It's got a nice texture, should be easy enough to do. Once you've done that, pull the plane up (using your focus knob, not camera movements) to the level of the top club. Then stop down until you get everything in focus.

    So what I'm suggesting is you put your plane of focus in a compromise position (half way between the extremes), and using aperture to pull the extremes in.

    Now... are you sure you want everything in focus? Because the end result of all this is likely going to be fairly boring. It's often better to let the uninteresting things go out of focus. Like you've already done. Nothing wrong with using focus as a tool.
    Thank you, all opinions are welcomed by me. I am new to 8x10 and have many close up subjects I'll like to shoot. I agree that everything sharp may be monotonous however I would like to learn how to do it in case I need/want to.

  6. #16

    Re: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

    Quote Originally Posted by Drew Bedo View Post
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	03 As It Is Written.jpg 
Views:	17 
Size:	59.5 KB 
ID:	167787More Tilt
    Smaller Aperture
    Slower Shutter speed
    More light


    Another approach would be to raise the camera position a little. Another thing I have done is to check the plane of focus by placing a small high contrast target in various places in the composition and check the GG. Do it wide open and stopped down if you can make it out in the dimmer view. A convenient target is a retail barcode from a package or tag. The high contrast bars can be made out when stopping down.
    Thank you. This makes sense to me.

  7. #17

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    Re: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Finder View Post
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	adox_007 copy jpeg.jpg 
Views:	22 
Size:	75.9 KB 
ID:	167788
    You don't need to change your camera position. This is a classic exercise in rotating the plane of sharp focus from one that is some distance out in front of the camera and at 90 degrees to the lens axis, and parallel to the front and rear standards, which themselves are rigidly parallel to each other.

    The plane of sharp focus is rotated so that it intersects with the plane of the table just about directly under the lens and slowly rises to about halfway up the "width" of the bottom of the golf bag at its far end.

    (Optional - to maintain perspective - important with rectilinear subjects) With the camera pointed slightly downward, as it appears to be from the picture, tilt both the lens board and the rear standard back to be true verticals. Then drop the front standard or raise the rear standard, or both to center the image.

    1. Focus (by moving the rear standard) on the near edge of the clubs. Tilt the lens board forward slightly to bring the rear edge of the bag into focus. Adjust rise or fall if needed.

    2. Re focus on the front edge of the clubs. Slightly re-adjust lens board tilt to again bring the rear edge of the bag into focus.

    3. Re focus on the front edge of the clubs. Even more slightly, re-adjust the tilt to again bring the rear edge of the bag into focus.

    Ever so slightly tweak the focus on the front edge of the clubs, Stop down and shoot.

    There are tables that will tell you exactly what tilt and f/stop to use, after measuring your distance above the plane of the table to your lens. But without them, I'd bet that f/22-32 will do it.

    Rich

  8. #18
    Ron (Netherlands)'s Avatar
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    Re: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

    You can also have a look at how Edward Weston did close up shots with (U)LF gear, raising the f-stop to a very high number. I think he even put in extra cards which further raised the f-stop.
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  9. #19

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    Re: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

    The answer provided by Rich is excellent.

  10. #20

    Re: Help Wanted for Close Up Plane of Focus and Sharpness on an 8x10

    Quote Originally Posted by Rich14 View Post
    You don't need to change your camera position. This is a classic exercise in rotating the plane of sharp focus from one that is some distance out in front of the camera and at 90 degrees to the lens axis, and parallel to the front and rear standards, which themselves are rigidly parallel to each other.

    The plane of sharp focus is rotated so that it intersects with the plane of the table just about directly under the lens and slowly rises to about halfway up the "width" of the bottom of the golf bag at its far end.

    (Optional - to maintain perspective - important with rectilinear subjects) With the camera pointed slightly downward, as it appears to be from the picture, tilt both the lens board and the rear standard back to be true verticals. Then drop the front standard or raise the rear standard, or both to center the image.

    1. Focus (by moving the rear standard) on the near edge of the clubs. Tilt the lens board forward slightly to bring the rear edge of the bag into focus. Adjust rise or fall if needed.

    2. Re focus on the front edge of the clubs. Slightly re-adjust lens board tilt to again bring the rear edge of the bag into focus.

    3. Re focus on the front edge of the clubs. Even more slightly, re-adjust the tilt to again bring the rear edge of the bag into focus.

    Ever so slightly tweak the focus on the front edge of the clubs, Stop down and shoot.

    There are tables that will tell you exactly what tilt and f/stop to use, after measuring your distance above the plane of the table to your lens. But without them, I'd bet that f/22-32 will do it.

    Rich
    Well, I am ever so grateful for the assistance rendered to my question. I reshot the golf clubs and I'm pretty sure I achieved sharpness throughout and depth of field. Here is the result. I shot on 4x5 not to waste a sheet of 8x10.
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Golf Clubs001.jpg 
Views:	18 
Size:	62.7 KB 
ID:	167991

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