G9 and Macro

Hi All

When using the G9 in macro mode particularly - I find the AF Assist beam does not hit the target - it is always some way off - is this normal on your models?

Yes. I MF all my macro's that are in a controlled environment. Otherwise, if I'm doing bugs or something moving, I'll use the AF.

Yes, since you really have to figure the 1/3rd-2/3rds hyperfocal rule in when you do a lot of macro, or better yet, to focus exactly on that point you believe to be most important; it really seems important to use manual focus cause it's unlikely the whole shot's often going to be in focus even stopped down some.
Jannie

Hi Jannie

Hell - I thought I knew a bit about photography - but it seems we learn all the time. Please explain - 1/3rd-2/3rds hyperfocal rule - I simply hate to think I'm just plain thick! Even worse to be told by a lady member (Just me being put in my place - don't take offence Jannie - I'm only joking)

What I really wanted to know is if every other G9 missed the target with it's AF assist beam. I know I need a tripod and manual focus etc: etc: but sometimes we need to take pictures 'on the hoof' - so to speak.

The reason I'm asking is because I'm doing a bit of macro shooting/testing/compa​ring and my feeling at the moment is that the G9 - with a little care - can provide as good macro shots as the 40D+60mm macro lens. Any comments?

1/3rds rule is when in doubt about your depth of field and if you cannot preview it, then set your focus 1/3rd of the way into the part of the picture that is most important to you, knowing that the focus will hold in a ratio to the lens length and f stop, 1/3rd of it's depth of field in front of the point of focus and 2/3rds of the distance behind the focus. Hmmm, that sounds blurry but it's called hyperfocal focus and if you are shooting a wide shot of a room and want to know where to focus to keep the most of it within your depth of field (what will be mostly sharp throughout the scene front to back then you can either preview the shot in the lens by pushing the preview button or in some cases refer to a chart appropriate to that lens, in motion picture we had the American Cinematographers Manual lens charts or my asstant and I both carried something called the Samecine Calculator, a tool with charts that would help us figure this out.

I.e. you have a scene where the talent is walking into the scene about ten feet away, turns to the gunslinger accross the street who is standing there and a train is pulling into the background. You figure the place to set your focus where it will include all of those elements or find out what you have to do to make it work, i.e. move the two guys closer to each other etc..

You can find this in photography books written by people who can teach better than I but you're G camera if it's like mine will pick a point it thinks will be the best focus, try putting it on a tripod, locking down the shot and letting auto focus do it's thing. Then set it on manual and lets say you are shooting a spoon on a table, try focusing 1/3rd of the distance away from the tip towards the back and take the shot. Then do it again several times each time adjusting to a higher f stop (i.e. going from 4-5.6-8) while appropriately adjusting the shutter speed and then go look at the results on your computer, you should be able to figure it out visually, or look it up in a book or on the internet.

My G9 usually focuses in the middle the way I have it set up when on auto focus, it works best for most street and landscape shooting but not closeups.
I'll try to find something I've shot macro with that camera.

Here's a macro of a dead bud of some kind of flower, if you look closely, you will notice that the front of it is out of focus, then as you move up and back it's in focus and then the back part is out of focus, I focused at what I figured was 1/3rd of the way back on the surface of the bud knowing that that is probably where my eye would go. You can have parts of a scene out of focus if the main interest point of the subject is in focus. I.e. sometimes you can get away with a shot of a person if the near eye is in crystal sharp focus and the rest is out..not for weddings and that sort of thing but for the artsy stuff.

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I've been thinking about this while I went to visit my hairstylist. We paid a lot more attention to this in motion because a lot of what we shot were scenes in addition to single subjects. Mostly just focus where you think it's most important, look at it on your screen and if it's too blurry in some area you want focus, try adjusting the exposure or adding more light so that you can shoot at a higher fstop and then check it (on your screen, zoom in like you focus but move the image to the objects closer in the frame that you want to have in focus and then move to the objects further away that you want to see if they are in focus and see if they really are.

Sometimes you can use the same f stop but focus closer or farther away and the overall depth of field will shift frontwards or rearwards to accomodate you.

I'm trying to think of a simple way to explain this, once you get it, it will be inherent in your thinking and seem so much easier than what I'm trying to explain.

Or in the case of someone useing strobes or flash and you don't want anything out of focus, just use enough light.

FatCat on another thread reminded me that there is another use for setting the lens at it's hyperfocal point, i.e. your shooting street photography (this is moving away from the question of this thread) and you are using a wide angle, setting your lens at say five feet at f 4.5 might keep everything in focus from 3 feet to 20 feet and you don't have to bother waiting or figuring out focus per shot at all.

Going back to the original question, I have also found that the AF Assist beam is off centre for macro shots. I think it is simply the fact that the AF beam is about an inch offset from the lens centre and aimed straight ahead - so at close distances can't line up with the central position of the picture. This offset distance doesn't show up beyond, say a foot.

Correct, it is mounted on the outside of the lens and doesn't move to allow for not being through the lens. Mine is a little high and to the right when closer than a foot but aligns in the center when further out.

Hi - we got there in the end Jannie. I have since checked on a friend's G9 and it is as you and Ovation_m have said - a little to the right and and up a bit. Annoying but it works.

At the risk of me being shot down - Although hyperfocal distances etc are ok and perfectly understandable in theory neither me or my friends bother to make any calculations or worry much about it. We are all happy to use our experience and judgement - I am sure this is the more general case. High f numbers increase DOF & low f numbers decrease DOF.

Thanks for the posts. I just can't wait for the 50D with a 12MPix (or better) sensor! I think I will be giving the 450D a miss though and wait till one of my friends gets one first - or I'll have dozens of unused digi SLRs hanging around in various states of sensor evolution.

Yeah, most of the time with the stuff I'm shooting now, I just focus at the 1/3rd point in a wider scenic and check it with the preview button on the 5D or on the screen with the G9 must to see if anything is way off. It can help in shots like this one where I wanted to be sure the bottom of the frame was in focus as well as the whole thing

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https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=462906 thats my post with some pics of the other day. Zero noise reduction in the first one (iso 200) and a little of ps on the second one (the eye ball one)

Autofocus on the G9 is TTL (through the lens). The AF assist beam helps with low light situations, but AF is not dependent on it to set focus. You can also turn it off in the menu. If you're having trouble with AF in macro, lock in the center focus point & train this on the area you want in focus. Then use focus lock, reposition & take the photo.