hyperfocal settings

Once upon a time lenses had guide lines on them that you could use to set
the lens so that the selected region was in focus within the limits of the
available depth of field. This feature was available on zooms as well as
fixed lenses. It is particularly useful for landscapes where you can have
the focal plane closer than infinity but get infinity in focus thus having
as much of the scene in focus as possible for any given aperture. How do I
do that with a lens that has no such focal limit markers on it? Why do lens
makers no longer put these markers on?

David

On 2013-06-20 17:12:59 -0700, "David Hare-Scott" said:

Once upon a time lenses had guide lines on them that you could use to
set the lens so that the selected region was in focus within the limits
of the available depth of field. This feature was available on zooms
as well as fixed lenses.
It is particularly useful for landscapes where you can have the focal
plane closer than infinity but get infinity in focus thus having as
much of the scene in focus as possible for any given aperture.

All still possible.

How do I do that with a lens that has no such focal limit markers on it?

Shoot in aperture priority mode, or shoot manual, and make the
hyperfocal DoF calculations yourself. There are calculators and charts
which can help in this.
There are apps available for smart phones and computers which will make
this easier for you.
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html
http://dofmaster.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simp...301222730?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...enrg.dof&hl=en

http://www.nikonians.org/reviews?ali...and-calculator


Why do lens makers no longer put these markers on?

That is a question you will have to put to the lens manufacturers.

David


--
Regards,

Savageduck

Savageduck wrote:
On 2013-06-20 17:12:59 -0700, "David Hare-Scott"
said:
Once upon a time lenses had guide lines on them that you could use to
set the lens so that the selected region was in focus within the
limits of the available depth of field. This feature was available
on zooms as well as fixed lenses.
It is particularly useful for landscapes where you can have the focal
plane closer than infinity but get infinity in focus thus having as
much of the scene in focus as possible for any given aperture.

All still possible.

How do I do that with a lens that has no such focal limit markers on
it?

Shoot in aperture priority mode, or shoot manual, and make the
hyperfocal DoF calculations yourself. There are calculators and charts
which can help in this.
There are apps available for smart phones and computers which will
make this easier for you.
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html
http://dofmaster.com/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simp...301222730?mt=8

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...enrg.dof&hl=en

http://www.nikonians.org/reviews?ali...and-calculator



Thanks for those.

As portable computing devices (except cameras) are against my religion I
will have to print some charts. One for each lens. And find the right one
and read it before the light changes or the subject moves. Groaaaaaaaan.

Why do lens makers no longer put these markers on?

That is a question you will have to put to the lens manufacturers.


This is crazy. Why do I have to carry a chart or a pocket computer to get
at this, the old analog solution was far more convenient and quick and
sufficiently accurate. So much for progress.

D

In article , David Hare-Scott
wrote:

As portable computing devices (except cameras) are against my religion

strange religion, one which is opposed to progress.

I will have to print some charts. One for each lens. And find the right one
and read it before the light changes or the subject moves. Groaaaaaaaan.

or just let the camera do it for you.

for instance, some cameras can pick the f/stop needed to keep
everything in focus, based on the distance measured at each autofocus
point.

Why do lens makers no longer put these markers on?

That is a question you will have to put to the lens manufacturers.

This is crazy. Why do I have to carry a chart or a pocket computer to get
at this, the old analog solution was far more convenient and quick and
sufficiently accurate. So much for progress.

lenses have been moving away from physical aperture rings, so where
would these markings go?

zoom lenses are almost always a two ring design (not push-pull) and
there's no way to put the markings on such a lens.

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message ...

Once upon a time lenses had guide lines on them that you could use to set
the lens so that the selected region was in focus within the limits of the
available depth of field. This feature was available on zooms as well as
fixed lenses. It is particularly useful for landscapes where you can have
the focal plane closer than infinity but get infinity in focus thus having
as much of the scene in focus as possible for any given aperture. How do I
do that with a lens that has no such focal limit markers on it? Why do lens
makers no longer put these markers on?

David
In an emergency:

If you're using a DSLR, flip to manual focus and use your DOF preview.

Start with the horizon in focus, back off a bit till the image goes fuzzy,
then dial it back till the image becomes clear again.

For P&S cams that don't have a DOF preview, but which still have manual
focus, you can achieve a similar result with a sequence of picks.

Put the cam in manual focus, and manually focus to infinity.

Then, bring the focus back a bit and take a pic.

Check the result, if it's blurry, you've backed off too far, so focus a bit
farther out and recheck.

If it's clear, repeat the above step until you find the hyperfocal limit.

Of course, if your P&S cam doesn't have a manual mode, make sure you're in
an aperture priority mode (if possible), so the DOF is the same for each
picture.

If you play around with your cam enough, I'm sure you can find a way to make
it work...

Take Care,
Dudley

On 6/20/2013 8:12 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Once upon a time lenses had guide lines on them that you could use to
set the lens so that the selected region was in focus within the limits
of the available depth of field. This feature was available on zooms as
well as fixed lenses. It is particularly useful for landscapes where
you can have the focal plane closer than infinity but get infinity in
focus thus having as much of the scene in focus as possible for any
given aperture. How do I do that with a lens that has no such focal
limit markers on it? Why do lens makers no longer put these markers on?

David

If you don't have a calculator handy, try your DOF preview, if your
camera has one. Otherwise f16 focused at about 1/3 of infinity is a
decent rule of thumb. Since you are shooting digital, you can bracket
that setting.

--
PeterN

In article ,
peternew wrote:

[ ... ] Otherwise f16 focused at about 1/3 of infinity is a
decent rule of thumb. [ ... ]

Hum. inf/3=inf. So how does that work again?

On 6/21/2013 2:00 PM, BobA wrote:
In article ,
peternew wrote:

[ ... ] Otherwise f16 focused at about 1/3 of infinity is a
decent rule of thumb. [ ... ]

Hum. inf/3=inf. So how does that work again?


Figure it out.

--
PeterN

In article ,
BobA wrote:
In article ,
peternew wrote:

[ ... ] Otherwise f16 focused at about 1/3 of infinity is a
decent rule of thumb. [ ... ]

Clearly, the manufacturers of digital cameras
ought to have a hyperfocal button or menu
pick. It would be very easy for them to do.

On 6/21/2013 3:16 PM, BobA wrote:
In article ,
BobA wrote:
In article ,
peternew wrote:

[ ... ] Otherwise f16 focused at about 1/3 of infinity is a
decent rule of thumb. [ ... ]

Clearly, the manufacturers of digital cameras
ought to have a hyperfocal button or menu
pick. It would be very easy for them to do.


You may very well be right, but they don't. The workaround is fairly simple.

--
PeterN