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I've been reading more about hyperfocal distance and its importance
when taking landscapes that require as much in focus as possible.

However how do you actually apply it in the field? (pun intended)

I have read that you "focus on infinity, then locate the leading edge
of whatever is in focus, and focus on that". I'm not sure that my eyes
would be good enough to see where the leading edge of anything was in a
wide scene.

Next to taking one of those laser guided "tape" measures on a shoot how
can I practically apply knowledge of a hyperfocal distance?

Thanks,
Steve

In article <. com>,
wrote:

> I've been reading more about hyperfocal distance and its importance
> when taking landscapes that require as much in focus as possible.
>
> However how do you actually apply it in the field? (pun intended)
>
> I have read that you "focus on infinity, then locate the leading edge
> of whatever is in focus, and focus on that". I'm not sure that my
> eyes would be good enough to see where the leading edge of anything
> was in a wide scene.

The way I've always done it is to first determine the f/stop I'll be
using, and then set the infinity marker on the focus ring to that
f/stop. That will set the focus to the hyperfocal distance.

<> wrote in message
news: ups.com...
> I've been reading more about hyperfocal distance and its importance
> when taking landscapes that require as much in focus as possible.
>
> However how do you actually apply it in the field? (pun intended)
>
> I have read that you "focus on infinity, then locate the leading edge
> of whatever is in focus, and focus on that". I'm not sure that my eyes
> would be good enough to see where the leading edge of anything was in a
> wide scene.
>
> Next to taking one of those laser guided "tape" measures on a shoot how
> can I practically apply knowledge of a hyperfocal distance?
>
> Thanks,
> Steve
>
Hi there.

That is what I always did using my film Cameras and AI lenses, but neither
of my Auto Focus Nikors have DoF scales on the Lens, to which you can set
the Infinity mark.

So it just becomes a matter of Auto Focussing on a middle distance object
and hoping for the best, sort of.

Roy G

On 26 Oct 2005 07:33:07 -0700, wrote:

>I've been reading more about hyperfocal distance and its importance
>when taking landscapes that require as much in focus as possible.
>
>However how do you actually apply it in the field? (pun intended)
>
>I have read that you "focus on infinity, then locate the leading edge
>of whatever is in focus, and focus on that". I'm not sure that my eyes
>would be good enough to see where the leading edge of anything was in a
>wide scene.
>
>Next to taking one of those laser guided "tape" measures on a shoot how
>can I practically apply knowledge of a hyperfocal distance?
>
>Thanks,
>Steve


There are programs available that let you make a chart for your lens, and you
just follow that.

http://dfleming.ameranet.com/

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 23:15:31 +0000, Roy wrote:

>
> <> wrote in message
> news: ups.com...
>> I've been reading more about hyperfocal distance and its importance
>> when taking landscapes that require as much in focus as possible.
>>
>> However how do you actually apply it in the field? (pun intended)
>>
>> I have read that you "focus on infinity, then locate the leading edge
>> of whatever is in focus, and focus on that". I'm not sure that my eyes
>> would be good enough to see where the leading edge of anything was in a
>> wide scene.
>>
>> Next to taking one of those laser guided "tape" measures on a shoot how
>> can I practically apply knowledge of a hyperfocal distance?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Steve
>>
> Hi there.
>
> That is what I always did using my film Cameras and AI lenses, but neither
> of my Auto Focus Nikors have DoF scales on the Lens, to which you can set
> the Infinity mark.
>
> So it just becomes a matter of Auto Focussing on a middle distance object
> and hoping for the best, sort of.
>
> Roy G
Have you tried the dof button and looking at the image through the
view finder?

--
Neil
Delete delete to reply by email

"Nikon User" <nikon-> wrote in message
news:nikon-user-...
> In article <. com>,
> wrote:
>
>> I've been reading more about hyperfocal distance and its importance
>> when taking landscapes that require as much in focus as possible.
>>
>> However how do you actually apply it in the field? (pun intended)
>>
>> I have read that you "focus on infinity, then locate the leading edge
>> of whatever is in focus, and focus on that". I'm not sure that my
>> eyes would be good enough to see where the leading edge of anything
>> was in a wide scene.
>
> The way I've always done it is to first determine the f/stop I'll be
> using, and then set the infinity marker on the focus ring to that
> f/stop. That will set the focus to the hyperfocal distance.

In article <. com>,
> wrote:
>
>I've been reading more about hyperfocal distance and its importance
>when taking landscapes that require as much in focus as possible.
>
>However how do you actually apply it in the field? (pun intended)

You will get some good answers here. Permit me to add: keep in mind that
hyperfocal figures (the range given for a specific F-Stop) depends upon what
is called the acceptable Circle of Confusion (CoC). Think of it as the
'blurr tolerance'. The larger your print, the more strident or critical one
has to be for the figures given. Large prints from a small sensor can look
horrible when the hyperfocal figure (range) given presumes a large CoC, in
other words, a CoC for small print.

Even the top film-camera makers, for example Hasselblad, says not to use the
hyperfocal scales on their lenses when the work is to be printed very large;
but to use a more conservative range instead.

"Roy" <> wrote in message
news:n6U7f.10176$...

> That is what I always did using my film Cameras and AI lenses, but neither
> of my Auto Focus Nikors have DoF scales on the Lens, to which you can set
> the Infinity mark.
>
> So it just becomes a matter of Auto Focussing on a middle distance object
> and hoping for the best, sort of.

That's a fair rule-of-thumb. More accurately, the acceptable depth-of-focus
is more like 1/3 in front of the focused image, and 2/3 to the rear.

On Thu, 27 Oct 2005 11:07:45 -0500, "Lorem Ipsum"
<> wrote:

>"Roy" <> wrote in message
>news:n6U7f.10176$...
>
>> That is what I always did using my film Cameras and AI lenses, but neither
>> of my Auto Focus Nikors have DoF scales on the Lens, to which you can set
>> the Infinity mark.
>>
>> So it just becomes a matter of Auto Focussing on a middle distance object
>> and hoping for the best, sort of.
>
>That's a fair rule-of-thumb. More accurately, the acceptable depth-of-focus
>is more like 1/3 in front of the focused image, and 2/3 to the rear.
>
That's ok except for hyperfocal focusing (which is what the
OP asked about) - it's a bit hard to estimate what
constitutes a third of infinity...

--
John Bean

John Bean wrote:
[]
> That's ok except for hyperfocal focusing (which is what the
> OP asked about) - it's a bit hard to estimate what
> constitutes a third of infinity...

Not when expressed as 1 / distance, it isn't!

David