Focusing after back swing

[Melissen-Ghost]

Hello everyone,

probably there are a ton of threads to this topic but I didnt find any via using the search function, so Im sorry for spaming...

I literally took my first LF shot with my new Chamonix F2 and made a photo of my living room.

I used the back standard to swing, so that I transformed the image, that the left of the image would be closer in my composition (because it was too far away and I did want to bring it closer).

What would be the rule of thumb to readjust focus after using the back swing?

Do I have to swing the front standard parallel to the back standard or vice versa? I king of ended up that way, so that I had the left and the right side of the image in focus (after checking it with the loupe)...but Im not sure if I did everyhting correct.


Also Im not quite sure what the difference between the back standard tilt with the (using the black knobs) and asymmetrical tilt (grey metal knobs) is. As far as I see it, the asymmetrical tilt allows tilting without the need to refocus, right?


I think learning by doing is the generel answer, but after doing a vew movements I kind of lost track of my steps and what I need to do next to get to a result where everything is in focus after applying the rear standard swing.

Thanks in advance!

[sharktooth]

https://www.largeformatphotography.i...o-operate.html

[Melissen-Ghost]

https://www.largeformatphotography.i...o-operate.html

I lolled hard , I was asking about a basic rule of thumb.

I dont really find it what Im looking for here https://www.largeformatphotography.i...-to-focus.html ....I know maybe it is my ADHD which prevents me from learning from long and detailed manuals like that. Im better with rule of thumb instructions or visuals. The rest is learning by doing I guess.

[Robert Opheim]

The rear swing, tilt, shift, alter perspective. The front swing tilt, alters where the plane of focus is located in the real world (along with the f-stop used giving you the perceived depth of area in focus) There are many sites on the internet that describe what you are asking. There are books on the view camera by: Simmons, Leslie Strobel, Kodak, that are excellent resources for these questions. One site I found on the top of a quick search: https://paulturounetblog.files.wordp...-movements.pdf

[Melissen-Ghost]

The rear swing, tilt, shift, alter perspective. The front swing tilt, alters where the plane of focus is located in the real world (along with the f-stop used giving you the perceived depth of area in focus) There are many sites on the internet that describe what you are asking. There are books on the view camera by: Simmons, Leslie Strobel, Kodak, that are excellent resources for these questions. One site I found on the top of a quick search: https://paulturounetblog.files.wordp...-movements.pdf

Thanks a lot! The link is good source for what I was looking for: "In order to straighten converging vertical lines, it is necessary to tilt the rear standard of the camera parallel to the face of the building (or object with vertical lines). It is also necessary to make the front standard parallel to the rear standard to maintain focus."
This was the general rule I was looking for.

[Robert Opheim]

I have photographed buildings quite a bit. two point (or one point) perspectives are usually preferred over three point perspectives. In other words, using the rear standard vertical (as is the building), and front standard parallel to the rear standard - most often with quite a bit of front rise and then stopped down for depth of field). This gets rid of the keystone effect or converging vertical lines. For landscape photography (as an example) where you want to extend the plane of the land in focus in front of you there is another method of using the front standard to enhance the depth of field of the scene. Again by having the rear standard perpendicular to the ground and tilting the front standard top forward from perpendicular to the ground. In this way you change or place the plane of focus from near to far along a much more horizontal plane. You need to look at the website that I listed previously. There are many situations where you can creatively place the plane of focus and then increase the depth of field with the f/stop.

[Melissen-Ghost]

I have photographed buildings quite a bit. two point (or one point) perspectives are usually preferred over three point perspectives. In other words, using the rear standard vertical (as is the building), and front standard parallel to the rear standard - most often with quite a bit of front rise and then stopped down for depth of field). This gets rid of the keystone effect or converging vertical lines. For landscape photography (as an example) where you want to extend the plane of the land in focus in front of you there is another method of using the front standard to enhance the depth of field of the scene. Again by having the rear standard perpendicular to the ground and tilting the front standard top forward from perpendicular to the ground. In this way you change or place the plane of focus from near to far along a much more horizontal plane. You need to look at the website that I listed previously. There are many situations where you can creatively place the plane of focus and then increase the depth of field with the f/stop.

Thank you for those tipps and general rules. The latter technique which you described sounds like the Scheimpflug principle for me, right? The assymetrical tilt of the rear standard from the Chamonix F2 should be used for an easier way to perform the Scheimpflug principle, but I really dont get how it works exactly. I guess I need to try it myself when Im in the field.

[Robert Opheim]

I was alluding to extending the plane of focus along more of a horizontal plane (for landscape work as an example) instead of a vertical plane - as you do often with a building (then stopping down the lens aperture to placewhat you want in focus). The ability to set the where the plane of focus lies in a composition is one of the particularly wonderful attributes of large format cameras. With the rear standard movement; you can get Scheimpflug that you mentioned or you can get an all in focus type image. It is a creative tool to use. With the rear standard you can "distort" what the camera lens sees with perspective controls - and get: correction, distortion, enhancement. The front standard controls where the field of focus is located in the scene that you are looking at, and the rear standard controls perspective correction for the scene that you are looking at. In the example of a building:

[Kerosene Hat]

What would be the rule of thumb to readjust focus after using the back swing?

Use the ground glass, focus and swing adjustments until the plane of sharp focus you wish to strike is defined.

Preview while stopping down but by bit.

Read one of the excellent view camera books (not a YouTube video) referenced above.


Take a large format-focused workshop. If Steve Simmons offers any, he doesn’t have the softest teaching style, but you’ll learn boatloads.


The ground glass is truth…

[Ironage]

[B]
The ground glass is truth…

This is the great strength of large format. Its superpower.


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