Re: Does changing aperture move the focus point
Quote:
Originally Posted by
tenniss_balls
The lens is a Goerz 12" dagor it's barrel mounted and I have the sinar copal shutter. . .
I will not tolerate focus shift. If I suspect that a lens has focus shift, it's going to get SOLD! And, longer Dagors are known to demonstrate this aberration. Life is complicated enough as it is; I will not add focus shift to that mix. :)
There are too many other options in a 12" lens; go for one of those. For example, I recently purchased a Fuji, 300mm f5.6 with inside lettering for 8x10. This lens has excellent coverage, and I'm not worried about focus shift with this lens. It's single-coated; but, I decided to stick with single-coated lenses for 8x10. (It's less expensive.) One nice thing about this lens, it takes 77mm filters, versus something larger.
I'm also seeing some decent DBM options on EBay.
Re: Does changing aperture move the focus point
How I have checked my vintage lenses for a focus shift:
1. Set up my palm sized LED flashlight on one side of my basement. It has 4 rows of 6 LEDs in a rectangular pattern.
2. On the other side of the basement I set up my Sinar at an equal height to the LED flashlight.
3. Set my back standard to the "0" setting and focus with the front standard with the lens wide open.
4. Stop down the lens and move the back standard back and forth noting the "range of focus".
If the "0" setting is in the center of the "range of focus", then there is no focus shift. If the "0" is not in the center of the "range of focus", then I have a focus shift.
addendum: when I wrote "center of the range of focus", I should have said the approximate center.
Re: Does changing aperture move the focus point
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Alan Klein
Have you ever done this, Drew? Was there focus shift?
No, I have never done exactly that. I have not felt the need to.
I do not recall setting up a shot where some focus shift was that critical to the composition.
In all openess though; I am visually impaired with no vision in my formaerly dominant eye and something like 20/150 vision in my "good" eye. When doing table-top compositions I often set high contrast focus aids in several places when focusing wide open. I get some shots I am really proud of and many that I just don't show anyone.
However, my professional experience, before losing my sight, involved medical imaging with isotopes. We did a LOT of calibration and QA work before setting up the equipment for a routine patient study.
The OP identified an effect that seems to be a variable for his way of doing LF photography . . .OK, my suggestion is based on what I know of LF technique and years of isolating variables in an imaging process. Its a cheap and not overly complicated or elaborate bit of experimentation. Shouldn't be much to do it and it could give some answers.
As an aside: My working set of lenses are of mid to late 1980s vintage by Nikon, Fuji and Rodenstock. I just can't make my photo budget take the jump to the latest AP
O formulations. Looking for s bargain on a Petzval that will cover 8x10 though.
Re: Does changing aperture move the focus point
Shine a laser pointer onto a wall in the dark. Bung a Bahtinov mask on the lens, stop down and use the defraction spikes to focus. Done.
Re: Does changing aperture move the focus point
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Drew Bedo
No, I have never done exactly that. I have not felt the need to.
I do not recall setting up a shot where some focus shift was that critical to the composition.
In all openess though; I am visually impaired with no vision in my formaerly dominant eye and something like 20/150 vision in my "good" eye. When doing table-top compositions I often set high contrast focus aids in several places when focusing wide open. I get some shots I am really proud of and many that I just don't show anyone.
However, my professional experience, before losing my sight, involved medical imaging with isotopes. We did a LOT of calibration and QA work before setting up the equipment for a routine patient study.
The OP identified an effect that seems to be a variable for his way of doing LF photography . . .OK, my suggestion is based on what I know of LF technique and years of isolating variables in an imaging process. Its a cheap and not overly complicated or elaborate bit of experimentation. Shouldn't be much to do it and it could give some answers.
As an aside: My working set of lenses are of mid to late 1980s vintage by Nikon, Fuji and Rodenstock. I just can't make my photo budget take the jump to the latest AP
O formulations. Looking for s bargain on a Petzval that will cover 8x10 though.
I'm glad you're still shooting. That's great.
Re: Does changing aperture move the focus point
Quote:
Originally Posted by
neil poulsen
I will not tolerate focus shift. If I suspect that a lens has focus shift, it's going to get SOLD! And, longer Dagors are known to demonstrate this aberration. Life is complicated enough as it is; I will not add focus shift to that mix. :)
I abide by quite the opposite rules. Any focus shift is due to the spherical aberration (SA), and it is the spherical aberration that makes the out of focus rendition beautiful. The negative SA makes the out of focus background rendition great at middle to small f-stops, and the positive SA makes the out of focus foreground rendition great when a lens is used wide open. Both mean more or less focus shift. A lens completely free of any focus shift is free of any SA and thus renders any out of focus image zones totally ugly. For me, it is this lens that's going to be sold as soon as possible.
In their background out of focus rendition, Dagors are the greatest of all the lenses ever made - because they have a lot negative SA at all f-stops from f/10 to f/45. And that just can't exist without the focus shift. So the only choices are (1) to get used to that focus shift or (2) tolerate the ugly out of focus rendition of the more "technically perfect" lenses or (3) stay with the F/64 style and have nothing out of focus in the images. I've chosen the first of the above.
Re: Does changing aperture move the focus point
Enlarging lenses can exhibit focus shift as well. It's worth checking yours out for this -- although this is usually not possible with simply a grain analyzer. Just focus wide open -- as you probably already do -- then stop down and make a small print at high magnification.
Re: Does changing aperture move the focus point
My 2 SF AKA Knuckler Cooke also
I had a lot of conflicting advice, especially the printed by Cooke pamphlets, they changed their printed story...
Re: Does changing aperture move the focus point
Most "entertaining" lenses that often have focus shift with aperture are sorta-focus (soft focus) lenses..
Many trials and tribulations to learn how to properly focus these Sorta-Focus lenses..
Bernice
Re: Does changing aperture move the focus point
Yes. Fujinon specifically states to focus its SF lenses stopped down to the taking aperture -- which usually isn't stopped down much anyway -- and focusing on a "catchlight" in the scene.
http://www.subclub.org/fujinon/lensmanual.pdf