Finding Focus

LCD Focus
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Zoomed Live View Focusing |
It may be surprising, but some people actually still gaze through a viewfinder to compose and focus their images, but with the proliferation of larger sharp LCD screens many cameras have dispensed with the optical viewfinders all together. The LCD provides an excellent real-time view of the scene and, when zoomed in, can be helpful in the fine adjustment of focus, especially in low light, but the viewfinder is better for routine focusing when a quicker response is necessary.
Although helpful in some special situations, manual LCD focusing is general awkward. The screen works best to compose the image while relying on auto-focus to control; the focusing.

One major challenge LCD focusing is the difficulty seeing the image clearly in bright light. It is a simple thing, but adjusting the LCD brightness to its maximum level can make a difference. Just remember to have a spare battery on hand, since the bright screen will more quickly drain power from the camera.
Through the Viewfinder
If your camera is still blessed with a good viewfinder, it offers some definite advantages for manual focusing. It is less bothered by bright light, but I find that, on occasions, I still have to shield the eye cup from glare using my hand or hat visor. Here a few other points to consider on your search for perfect focus.
Diopter Adjustment

If, as you gaze through the viewfinder, you never seem to get the scene to appear sharply in focus, the first step should be to adjust the diopter. Most cameras have a knob on the side of the viewfinder which adjusts the optics to match your vision. Start by focusing the best you can and then turn the knob until the view becomes clear. The adjustment will vary from person to person and with or without glasses. My diopter knob tends to easily get knocked out of focus, so I need to readjust every so often.
Using Focus Points
My vision isn't as sharp as in my youth and the act of manual focusing is additionally complicated by my variable focus glasses. The result is that I have come to depend more on my

Following Focus


Finding infinity
Although the broad concept of infinity may be impossible for our feeble minds to fully grasp, when focusing a camera the location of infinity seems quite comprehensible and finite. By definition, infinity focus is the point of focus beyond which all more distant objects remain sharp regardless of how far away.
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Mount Monadnock - Infinity Focus |
It would seem that all you should need to do, to focus on infinity,


Be aware, on many zoom lens (those described as "Varifocal"), the focus will vary as the focal length changes. Zooms that maintain focus while zooming are called "Parfocal". My 24-105 is of the Varifocal variety, and so I can't zoom in to focus and then expect to be able to hold sharpness as I pull back.

The hyperfocal distance is the closest point of focus beyond which everything will appear sharp. This distance varies depending on the focal length and aperture. The hyperfocal point is key to capturing those dramatic landscapes, with both foreground detail and distance vistas in sharp focus. There are various precise and a few approximate approaches to determining this distance, but I well save this more involved discussion for another blog.
Focus Stacking

As I mentioned at the beginning, Focus stacking is a technique in which multiple, variably focused, images are blended to create a potentially limitless depth of field. I've discussed this approach in previous articles, but it should be noted that this is another area in which digital photography has expanded creative capabilities and broken bonds to the physical limitations of our expensive optics.
Focus Stacking I
Focus Stacking II
Hand-Held Focus Stacking

Hopefully these few tips will be of help in achieving consistently sharp focus. The key is to use careful technique to control both the sharpness of your focal point and also the size of the full depth of field.
And finally if you feel that you have done everything right and your images are still uniformly fuzzy, make sure that you are holding the camera steady. Perfect focus can't compensate for even a little camera jiggle. Get a tripod! and more than that, actually use the damn thing!!
Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com
Looks amazing your article and photographs .
ReplyDeleteWOW! Nice article. I am loving your tips. Thanks
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