steelduck G2 DoF tables

[Tim CAPPLEMAN]

I have just downloaded the DoF tables from steelduck at http://www.pp.htv.fi/ksalo/dof/. I have not used DoF tables before & therefore do not understand what the various columns & figures actually mean. Please can someone provided me with detailed instructions on how to use the table correctly…
Thanks in advance
Tim

[steelduck]

They are not done by me. I just provided a mirror to a person at dpreview.com forums.

The dof table is nice if you wan't to use manual focus.

Example:

If your target is 2 meters away and you wan't to use F2.0 you can see from the table that the area of sharp focus spans from 1.4m to 3.4meters.

Also if you are taking action shots in wide (7mm), you make sure that the target is in focus by using the F5.6 and put the manual focus to "hyperfocal distance" of 1.7meters. That way everything from 0.9 meters to infinity is sharp.

There are also examples in the file.

Kristian

[Schimsky]

Can you please describe in detail exactly how to set the manual focus to "hyperfocal distance" of 1.7meters???

Thanks in advance

[Tim CAPPLEMAN]

steelduck wrote:
They are not done by me. I just provided a mirror to a person at dpreview.com forums.

The dof table is nice if you wan't to use manual focus.
Kristian

Hello Kristian
Sorry I misread your posting, I genuinely thought you had done the DoF tables…my mistake. I don’t want to use manual focus, what I’m after is sharp pictures, sharp as the ones produced by my Canon EOS30 [Elan 7E]. I’ve only recently purchased the G2 & I’m still getting to grips with the way the AF functions. I had expected my 2 cameras to use the same AF system. However I’ve come to realise both from reading on this forum & from using the G2, that they don’t. Currently, most of the shots I take with the G2 are out of focus & I’m disappointed…
Tim

[Mark Bennett]

Hi

Is there a way to view this file without Excel??

M

[jayspry]

Tim,

First, your comparing Apples and Oranges. The G2 can come quite close to being as sharp as a film camera, but to believe your going to get that tack sharp image is a mistake. Film still has the edge in that area and besides you have a larger and possibly sharper lens on your EOS. That being said, the G2 can work wonders, but you need to apply some techniques that many people find useful. The G2 is going to produce a "softer" image because the G2 normally does not sharpen the image as much as may other non-Canon digitals do. So straight from the camera it will look a little out of focus, it's not, it's just not razor sharp. Sharpening is mostly done post-process. For much more consistant results, make sure the G2 is not in continuous focus mode, unless you needed it to be. With the zone system AF used by the G2, any movement, no matter how slight, can have the camera searching for focus lock while your taking the shot. Zone systems can be easly fooled, so by setting the G2 in Single focus mode you get more consistant shots. Next if your subject is with in about 6-7 feet, set the G2 to macro mode. The AF does not wonder as much and macro mode limits the f stops (I believe) to use. I also think the zone metering is more centered in macro mode. If the stop is important, take several shots and may be move sightly left or right or a touch zoom in or out. This should help you come up with at least on shot in "sharp" focus (most likely they all will, but just in case the AF wondered off into another zone). This last piece of advice is the same for any Zone based AF camera, not just the G2. Anyway that's my opinion of getting consistant in focus shots. Will you get 100%, no, but I'll bet you get 95%.

jays

[jayspry]

Mark,

send me an email with an email address I can send an attach file to. I have converted the Excel sheet into a WEB page and can convert it to a Word document if you'd like.

jays

[slejhamer]

Greetings all,

Is there a way to calibrate the tables for close-up (macro) photography? i.e., figuring DOF ranges for shooting distances in the inches (or centimeters) instead of meters? I find DOF problematic for my close-up shots, and a table would be handy.

Unfortunately, I am in no way qualified (or smart enough) to modify this one, or I would gladly do it and post the results for all to share. Anyone willing to try?

[steelduck]

Yes, use the free OpenOffice...

http://www.openoffice.org

Mark Bennett wrote:
Hi

Is there a way to view this file without Excel??

M

[steelduck]

The reason that it is in Excel format is that all the formulas are in there, so you can expand and use different F-stops zoom settings etc.

Kristian

steelduck wrote:
Yes, use the free OpenOffice...

http://www.openoffice.org

Mark Bennett wrote:
Hi

Is there a way to view this file without Excel??

M

[slejhamer]

steelduck wrote:
The reason that it is in Excel format is that all the formulas are in there, so you can expand and use different F-stops zoom settings etc.

A-ha! I see now that I can adjust the distance inputs as well, so I can get DOF figures for shooting distances of less than one meter. (It helps to increase the number of decimals in the worksheet.)

But a new question arises - do the calculations change if the camera is in "macro" mode? If so, then using centimeters instead of meters won't be accurate. Does anyone know if these tables are accurate for macro mode? Thanks.

[BoyNhisDog]

This is a great little table. Thanks for sharing.

I just moved up to a G2 from an S100. I loved the S100 and it served me well but I am blown away by the resolution on the G2. Can't go back now.

I have been working with the focus and DOF and getting very good results. Part of this is just getting to know your camera in an intimate fashion. It is just more complicated than some cameras but with knowledge, you can get what you want with it.

[Mark Bennett]

Hi

Thanks - my e-mail address is blackice@pavilion.co.uk.

M