hyperfocal length

[sharagim1]

Hi guys
i"m new at this forum and i"m working landscape.
i have question about hyperfocal length. this is very important in landscape photography. i just want to know how can i active hyperfocal length. i know how to calcute it . and also what"s diffrence between hyperfocal length and live view zoom 5x, 10x ?
thanks for any response.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Sharagim1,

Welcome to CiC.

I'm assuming that you're talking about hyperfocal distance? If so then there really isn't anything to it other than to (a) calculate what the distance is, and then (b) focus on something at that distance (and then I usually set the lens to manual focus after that).

I'm sorry, but I'm not understanding what you mean by "the difference between hyperfocal length and live view zoom 5x, 10x"; the first is a technique to maximise the DoF of a captured image whereas the 2nd is a camera feature for magnifying portions of the image to be captured (but has no effect on the actual image captured).

Hope this helps.

[sharagim1]

thanks for response.
zoom 5x, 10x in live view ,when you want to get landscape images ,it"s one of the option fo get it, put camera in live view find favorite subject zoom 5x ,10x and focus clearly with move lens scale,
but in the hyperfocal distance , we just move lens scale on the right number (whatever is right in the table hypefocal distance)
how is possible? beacuase without check the subject by 5x ,10x we get sharp .
i"m realy confuse how is possible?
zoom 5x,10x live view is better or hyperfocal distance?
in 5x,10x live view ,where should be focus for get max sharpness ?
much apprecried for respons.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Sharagim1,

For landscape you'd normally use a small aperture (Large F-Stop like F16 or F22) to maximise your depth of field - so when you shoot at a narrow aperture - and you focus on something that's at the hyper focal distance - then you'll get the greatest possible depth of field (everything from a certain distance in front of your hyperfocal point to infinity behind it will be in focus). In this situation I'll calculate the hyperfocal distance - measure it out - focus on something at that distance (using the camera's AF or manually using live view) - switch the lens to manual focus mode - and then take a series of shots.

Liveview doesn't work very well if you're trying to get the maximum depth of field though because even though you might have a narrow aperture like F16 selected, the lens stays wide-open at it's maximum aperture (eg F2.8 or F4 etc) until the shot is taken (unless your camera has a DoF preview button, but then it usually makes the screen too dark). So live view has it's uses, but normally I'd suggest just using the camera's AF mechanism focused on something at the hyperfocal distance.

[rpcrowe]

In the "ancient times" of manual focus cameras, I used to make great use of the hyperfocal distance. The hyperfocal distance, when focused on, allowed roughly everything located from half the hyperfocal distance to infinity to be in focus.

Most, if not all, manual focus lenses of the era had a distance scale on the lens. Some of these lenses also had the hyperfocal distance indicated.

Many early cameras did not have an integrated rangefinder, the rangefinder was a separate window through which you looked and focused the lens by means of either overlapping images or a rangefinder with a image split in half. After focusing through your individual rangefinder, you needed to look through the cameras viewfinder to compose the image. As crude as this seems, it was actually a quantum inprovement over cameras/lenses which had absolutely no rangefinder capability at all.

Whether the rangefinder was integrated into the focusing system of the lens, a total separate entity in which you needed to use the rangefinder to guage distance and then manually set that distance onto the lens; it was a slow and complicated process. Often in lower light levels it was difficult, if not impossible, to use the rangefinder.

That is where the hyperfocal distance really came in handy. Setting the focus of the lens on the hyperfocal distance would provide the maximum in depth of field from the near point of focus to infinity. Photographers (especially news photographers using the big and clumsy AND SLOW to operate press cameras) would often set the lens at the hyperfocal distance and just bang away.

We've come a long way baby!

[sharagim1]

Dear colin southern, i"m so happy , u guys consern usres"s questions, anyway thanks

[sharagim1]

thanks for response, just one things
i do have 7d with lens 10-22 ultra wide angle for landscape, do you have any info where can i find table hyperfocal distanse for crop dslr (1.6)? again thanks

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Sharagim,

Wecome to the CIC forums from me.

how is possible? beacuase without check the subject by 5x ,10x we get sharp .
i"m realy confuse how is possible?

The thing to understand is that you either focus looking through the lens, manually, automatically or even Live View OR you do it based on theory and calculation, which is what "Hyperfocal distance" focusing is - you don't mix the two methods.

Have you seen and read CiC's own Hyperfocal Distance tutorial?

do you have any info where can i find table hyperfocal distanse for crop dslr (1.6)?

Down the bottom of the page linked, is a calculator which allows selection of such crop format cameras.

Note you can change the focal lengths across the top of the grid to suit your lens; e.g.


Please note that these may not be the best settings of Max print dimension, Viewing distance or Eyesight for you, so go and have a play with those settings and click the "Calculate ~" button each time you change something to update the table values.

Cheers,

[sharagim1]

thanks for send this table, i print it and i just want to know how it"s works. now i want to go to the goldan gate and take some shot with this great photography hyperfocal distance.

[Klickit]

thanks for response, just one things
i do have 7d with lens 10-22 ultra wide angle for landscape, do you have any info where can i find table hyperfocal distanse for crop dslr (1.6)? again thanks

This is a handy and portable version that you cut out and make.

http://www.dofmaster.com/custom.html

[sharagim1]

thanks my friend for send it.

This is a handy and portable version that you cut out and make.

http://www.dofmaster.com/custom.html

[sharagim1]

unfortunately, i couldn"t use hyperfocal distance yesterday , when i find subject and setup the camera, lens tripod, and see the hyperfocal distance table, than when i wanted to move lens scale for adjust to right number, i was surprised , because lens canon 10-22 pertty new ,so that"s why i wasn"t able to do it.
last night i was searching in google for hyperfocal distansce ( for new lens ,doesn"t have hyperfocal distance) . i found somewhere ,for this problem we can use tape measure.
i"ll be happy if anybody have experience and share it with me.
thanks for all response

[Colin Southern]

unfortunately, i couldn"t use hyperfocal distance yesterday , when i find subject and setup the camera, lens tripod, and see the hyperfocal distance table, than when i wanted to move lens scale for adjust to right number, i was surprised , because lens canon 10-22 pertty new ,so that"s why i wasn"t able to do it.
last night i was searching in google for hyperfocal distansce ( for new lens ,doesn"t have hyperfocal distance) . i found somewhere ,for this problem we can use tape measure.
i"ll be happy if anybody have experience and share it with me.
thanks for all response

Hi Sharagim1,

The best advice I can think of is "don't worry too much about it" Wide angle lenses have an incredible DoF when stopped down (F16 etc) - so just focus on something 2 or 3 meters away and chances are you'll be just fine.

[sharagim1]

thanks for your respons.
more than DOF , i"m worry about the max sharpness in the forground and accepable in backgound, i"m still working on it till get my best result, if i"m not get my answer, next weekend i"m gonna do something for find it. buy sign number 1,3,5,7,9.....
and put it in some place and start to focus with combo(focal plan, apreture,,hyperfocal distance) let"s see how it works and am i able to get best result in this formula?

Hi Sharagim1,

The best advice I can think of is "don't worry too much about it" Wide angle lenses have an incredible DoF when stopped down (F16 etc) - so just focus on something 2 or 3 meters away and chances are you'll be just fine.

[PeterJ]

Hi Sharagim1,

The best advice I can think of is "don't worry too much about it" Wide angle lenses have an incredible DoF when stopped down (F16 etc) - so just focus on something 2 or 3 meters away and chances are you'll be just fine.

As Colin says with the 10-22 DoF isn't a problem, if you wish you could turn the lens to the infinity mark to make you feel more comfortable, but as a user of this lens myself I don't find it's needed.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Sharagim1,

What aperture do you shoot landscape at? Do you use a sturdy tripod? Do you use a remote shutter release? What sharpening workflow do you use in post-processing? All of these things are likely to have a bigger effect on sharpness than shooting at the hyper-focal distance.

[Loose Canon]

Just a Theory here!

Don't forget to lock up your mirror before allowing your shutter to open. On Board timer at the very least if you don't use a remote release.

Seems as if as many variables as possible can be eliminated for the trigger squeeze, the happier the result to work with in post.

[sharagim1]

Hi colin
i know the best DOF for landscape is 16 or 22, i"m use 8,11,16 on apreture, use tripod ,but i can"t use shutter remot(for some reson). i use timer. if you see my shots , that"s got it before, it"s good , but it"s not perfect. because i didn"t know how can i use hyperfocal distance. i have to learn and do it ,
colin , do you have experience .hoe can i use hyperfocal dsitance with tape measure?

Hi Sharagim1,

What aperture do you shoot landscape at? Do you use a sturdy tripod? Do you use a remote shutter release? What sharpening workflow do you use in post-processing? All of these things are likely to have a bigger effect on sharpness than shooting at the hyper-focal distance.

[sharagim1]

Hi loos canon, thanks for trying to help me, i never use lock up mirror, you think when i use 2 secound shutter timer, still should be use it? thanks

[Colin Southern]

hoe can i use hyperfocal dsitance with tape measure?

Easy.

1. Using Hyperfocal Distance tables, look up the hyperfocal distance for the aperture and focal length you're about to use.

2. Measure that distance from your camera using your tape measure

3. Put something like a camera bag at that distance

4. Let the camera focus on that object / camera bag

5. Switch the lens to MF and be careful not to bump the focus ring

6. Remove the camera bag / object

7. Take the shot.