How to focus a view camera

[Cor]

I have both of his books and they are quite interesting... but really, it just complicates things more than it has to be. I use Howard Bond's technique of picking a point on the top and bottom of the GG... then tilt (or swing) and focus until both points are focused.

I think I prety much understand a follow the method of Howard Bond, but I got this through others describing the technique, I have never seen and read the article it self..is it available somewhere on the internet ?


Thanks,

Cor

[jnantz]

hi Luke

i hate to suggest this but sounds like a little experimentation is needed to find your own warm and fuzzy place.
paper negatives are cheap, and easy... if you go out on a gray / overcast day you won't get nutty contrast
( or put a printing filter over your lens or use expired paper [base fog can be your friend] )
make a few exposures rating your paper at IDK iso 12 or 6 ... and do a couple of methods ...
complicated formulae, calculators, swings/tilts to see what works best for you.
me? i usually wing it.. focus about 1/2 way inbetween and it seems to work OK,
i've never stopped down beyond f22 (always seeme a bit overkill )
and everything from my shoes to infinity have always been in focus.

john
ps.
what lens are you using ? a WA optic might be your friend ...

[Pere Casals]

Could someone please clarify if the procedure stated out above would place the line of sharp focus half way up the rock and mountain and is so, why would you require that over 1/3.

Hello Luke,

Adding to the good recommendations in the other posts, I would suggest you make a technical approach to it.

Here you have an App (free) for the smartphone I'm very happy with: DOF by Jonathan Sachs https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...athansachs.dof



It calculates the Circle of Confusion for any object distance, focus distance and aperture. You need also to be aware of the diffraction limitation in the resolving power for each aperture: https://kenrockwell.com/tech/diffraction.htm

Many times you won't need any calculation, any table or any App to obtain a perfectly sharp shot, but what I suggest to you is that with the tools I've pointed you try to make some technically optimal shots, knowing how much resolving power you have in any spot of the scene you are interested in. This would be in the size or the CoC or in line pairs per mm.

After you make that excercise (making some technically optimal shots) you will have the skills to nail a perfect sharpness in any situation.

The complicated thing about LF focus is not acquiring the skills I'm pointing, but managing tilt-swing to creatively focus or defocus what you want for aesthetics, this is where true masterly relies !!!!

But first is learning to make technically optimal shots, IMHO if you take this learning way you'll gain that knowledge in two weeks and for ever.

Led me add a cheap way to practice all that:

> Locate a suitable scene to practice

> With DOF calculator and diffraction table establish a focus management solution

> Take a DSLR with a zoom, set the same focal, focus point and aperture you would use with the view camera. The DSLR won't take all the scene, but that's irrelevant

> From the point of view (with those settings) take shots pointing to different objects in the scene, you'll have partial crops of the scenes

> Analyze the result in the PC and repeat if you are not satisfied.

The DOF from the DSLR lens will be similar to the LF lens at same aperture/focal, but the DSLR has a lot of resolving power for the crop so you will see what you have done.


This is the learning way I used to understand the intrinsics of that, as I was recommended, and I think I can recommend it again.

Regards,
Pere

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I like this guys books. Lot's of examples, pictures and some math. Just takes a bit to wrap your head around it as it is a different way of thinking about focus and how to achieve what you want.

www.trenholm.org/hmmerk/FVC161.pdf

[G Benaim]

I would only add that if you have access to a larger camera, say an 8x10, even temporarily, you will be able to see more clearly what you're doing and how movements work visually, which knowledge you can then transfer to the smaller camera. In my brief stint using 4x5 I had a hard time seeing well what I was doing, but the moment I switched to 810 it all became much easier and intuitive. I would try to keep it visually clear as much as possible.

[pepeguitarra]

Here is all you wanted to know in easy words:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR4m70xr9mE

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Here is all you wanted to know in easy words:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR4m70xr9mE

That was interesting and another way to think about how to use swing/tilt.

[Leszek Vogt]

I do realize that good things take time.....but Luke has not said a *bleep* in over 6 months.

Les

[Luke_R]

You probably should get a copy of Leslie Stroebel's View Camera Technique. Available on line at varying prices. I have an older edition which is quite adequate. The attached info from Sinar may be helpful. Good luck. L

Attachment 178759Attachment 178760

Thank you for the recommendation, I will look into the book.

Cheers

Luke

[Luke_R]

Hi Andrew,

I apologise for the late reply

Many thanks for your words, I have been loving getting to grips with my 5x4. I completely understand I am late to the race in this, but the enjoyment of using the LF has been a breath of fresh air.

Cheers
Luke