focus and the 50mm

bdj3 · 8th of March 2007 (Thu)

I am having a problem when I shoot with the 50mm..it tends to make some of the picture oof. is there something I'm not doing? How do I guarantee the whole picture is in focus? example:

ibdb · 8th of March 2007 (Thu)

If part of the shot is in focus, and another portion at a different distance from the camera is not, then you probably need to shoot with a smaller aperture (f/8, f/11, etc.) to increase your depth of field.

This shot was at f/3.5, which is going to give you a pretty shallow depth of field in many cases. Try searching the forums for "depth of field calculator." There are a variety of them to choose from. With one, you can put in your camera, lens, distance to your subject, and aperture and get a pretty good idea of what range of distances will be in focus for any given composition.

Another possible issue, and one that I don't have any personal experience with (I don't have a nifty 50), is that the nifty 50 has been said to hunt for focus in low light situations, which could also affect your outcome.

ibdb · 8th of March 2007 (Thu)

Found a few more minutes and used Curt's Photography Calculator.

Assuming the subjects are 6 feet away (wild guess and just for an example), a 50mm at f/3.5 would have everything from 5.7 to 6.3 feet in focus -- meaning your total depth of field would be about 6 inches. Anything closer than 5.7 feet, or farther than 6.3 feet will start to be out of focus. Go to f/8, and you have 1.3 feet to work with; f/11 gives you 1.8 feet.

bdj3 · 9th of March 2007 (Fri)

thanks so much! big help!

8th of March 2007 (Thu)	#1
bdj3 Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: SE PA Posts: 557 IMAGE EDITING OK	focus and the 50mm I am having a problem when I shoot with the 50mm..it tends to make some of the picture oof. is there something I'm not doing? How do I guarantee the whole picture is in focus? example:

8th of March 2007 (Thu)	#2
ibdb TD's worst nightmare! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Puyallup -- Don't worry. Nobody else can pronounce it either. Posts: 6,484 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: focus and the 50mm If part of the shot is in focus, and another portion at a different distance from the camera is not, then you probably need to shoot with a smaller aperture (f/8, f/11, etc.) to increase your depth of field. This shot was at f/3.5, which is going to give you a pretty shallow depth of field in many cases. Try searching the forums for "depth of field calculator." There are a variety of them to choose from. With one, you can put in your camera, lens, distance to your subject, and aperture and get a pretty good idea of what range of distances will be in focus for any given composition. Another possible issue, and one that I don't have any personal experience with (I don't have a nifty 50), is that the nifty 50 has been said to hunt for focus in low light situations, which could also affect your outcome. __________________ -David "David raises a good point. . ." -- CDS "Once again, David Raises a good point! " The Wise and Powerful CDS Gear List \| Proof I Use The Gear In My Gear List (not necessarily proof I use it well)

8th of March 2007 (Thu)	#3
ibdb TD's worst nightmare! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Puyallup -- Don't worry. Nobody else can pronounce it either. Posts: 6,484 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: focus and the 50mm Found a few more minutes and used Curt's Photography Calculator. Assuming the subjects are 6 feet away (wild guess and just for an example), a 50mm at f/3.5 would have everything from 5.7 to 6.3 feet in focus -- meaning your total depth of field would be about 6 inches. Anything closer than 5.7 feet, or farther than 6.3 feet will start to be out of focus. Go to f/8, and you have 1.3 feet to work with; f/11 gives you 1.8 feet. __________________ -David "David raises a good point. . ." -- CDS "Once again, David Raises a good point! " The Wise and Powerful CDS Gear List \| Proof I Use The Gear In My Gear List (not necessarily proof I use it well) Last edited by ibdb : 8th of March 2007 (Thu) at 20:24.

9th of March 2007 (Fri)	#4
bdj3 Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: SE PA Posts: 557 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: focus and the 50mm thanks so much! big help!

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