who zone focuses?

[sean_reid]

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Sean Reid has a great article on zone focusing techniques that I am practicing, but I wonder who out there also uses these techniques and in what situations?

 

You may encounter some who believe that zone focusing (in any of its variations) is an anachronistic method in the age of auto-focus. I disagree, however, and believe that thousands of skilled photographers work this way when needed/desired. But to zone focus well does require more practice and attention than is sometime suggested. It's one of the many (valuable IMO) practices in photography which requires some knowledge, experience and active engagement in the process of making a picture.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[pgk]

Hyperfocal is one type of estimated focus technique among several. I don't ever use it myself but many do. "Hyperfocal" and "Zone" focusing are not necessarily the same however and that distinction is one I tried to draw in the article.Sean

Sean, I haven't read your article but would say that I have have considered Hyperfocal distance focus settings being either 'zone' or 'estimated' as they are precise, calculable settings which depend on a variety of factors including the infamous 'circle of confusion'.

[sean_reid]

Sean, I haven't read your article but would say that I have have considered Hyperfocal distance focus settings being either 'zone' or 'estimated' as they are precise, calculable settings which depend on a variety of factors including the infamous 'circle of confusion'.

 

Hi Paul,

 

They are one way to zone focus. If they work well for you, that's good. There are many ways to skin a fish of course.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[Gawain Hewitt]

Hi,

 

I zone focus/ guess focus a lot. I find it really allows me to use the Leica to one of it's strengths, as a high quality and responsive manual camera which I can use to react to the world about me and record my view of the world. It allows me to take the photo at the very moment it occurs to me, as often, if I "think" the moment has passed. Been doing even more of it recently in response to a book I just bought called "The New Vision: Photography Between the World Wars"

 

Was out photographing using zone focus last night actually (having read Sean's article during the day - thanks!, I was inspired) and at a gig last week - here are a couple of examples. Clearly much clearer images would be possible, and there would be a million ways to achieve that - but they caught what I was looking for, and crucially the M8 and zone focussing meant I took photos that I may not have done otherwise.

1. Breakdancer at "Build An Ark" gig. M8, Voigtlander 35mm 1.7, no filter. ISO 640, f1.7, Shutter 1/45, focus estimated. Thursday 19th Nov.

2. Street performers, London Bridge. M8, Voigtlander 35mm 1.7, no filter, ISO 2500, f5.6, 1/8 second, focus estimated. Thursday 26th Nov

3. Street conversation, Bishopsgate. M8, Voigtlander 35mm 1.7, 1/45 second, no filter, ISO 2500, f4, focus estimated. Thursday 26th Nov. - It was nearly pitch black there...

4. Bobby Gillespie (from the band Primal Scream) and friends. Spitalfields Market. M8, Leica L39 f3.5 lens (not sure which one, was testing it on a stall, tiny silver thing), no filter, ISO 2500, f3.5, 1/90 second, focus estimated. Thursday 26th Nov

5. Bengali Hairdresser, Brick Lane. M8, Voigtlander 35mm 1.7, no filter, ISO 2500, f5.6, 1/500 second, focus estimated. Thursday 26th Nov

 

Gawain

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[Guest mc_k]

I can understand the cutoff at 35mm or 50mm. But if someone is walking toward you at a normal pace, all you really need is a zone about a foot wide and a landmark. So you can use a somewhat longer focal length. This, from experience...

[dpattinson]

I quite often set my focus to a specific distance at which I want to frame, and then shoot when the subject is at that distance. I do this while walking, with the subject walking towards me in many cases. It's not too difficult once you get used to estimating the distances.

 

However, I prefer to focus precisely when possible. Always resetting the focus to infinity means you always know which way to turn, and getting good results even on a moving target is not that difficult.

 

edit: I rarely (almost never) use hyperfocal - since the point of focus in that case is almost never going to be where i want it to be - and i rarely care if the trees at infinity are in focus when shooting on the move in the street.

[mikenic]

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Do M8 users need to make allowances on these zone focus lens settings for sensor crop factor?

[norm_snyder]

I use the 28mm in place of the 35, which I used for years with M2's, 6's. The width of the field of view roughly coincides to the distance to the subject, from my experience, so on the street, I tend to use that as one guide. As I bring the camera up, I can use feel of position of the focusing tab to focus to intermediate distance and with the 28, work about a stop wider than I used to with 35 on full frame. Depth of field, e.g. at f5.6 is similar to to the 35 @ f8, for all practical purposes. I tend to be aware of the field of view from experience, and can roughly pre-set the lens to, e.g. 10 feet, knowing what it will take in at that distance. With experience, it's a very workable system..

[Guest mc_k]

...roughly coincides to the distance to the subject, from my experience...

 

the math works out too.

 

good gallery

[gberger]

I have macular degeneration in my right eye, so, I zone focus my 24mm f2.8 and compose, using my left eye to frame the photo. It works most of the time - - and zone focusing permits me to shoot with my M7.

[ho_co]

Rubén Osuna recently mentioned (http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/98987-request-m9-m8-bokeh-dof-comparison-3.html#post1053807) a simpler definition of hyperfocal distance which I hadn't seen before:

 

Hyperfocal distance is that focus setting which maximizes depth of field.

 

That's exactly the same as Lars's definition, of course, just phrased differently, and putting the emphasis on the effect instead of the mechanics.

[lars_bergquist]

That is true of course -- in a way. After all, infinity is infinity; it goes all the way to the end of the universe.

 

But it is a literally useless definition, because it does not tell you anything you can use. It is like telling someone that photography is the art of taking photographs.

 

The old man from the Age of Encyclopedias.

[lct]

Simply put the hyperfocal distance is the distance setting producing the greatest DoF. It is never infinity of course but we all agree with this i guess.

[wstotler]

I quite often set my focus to a specific distance at which I want to frame, and then shoot when the subject is at that distance. <snip>

 

However, I prefer to focus precisely when possible. <snip>

 

I rarely (almost never) use hyperfocal - since the point of focus in that case is almost never going to be where i want it to be <snip>

 

+1. I'm with David on this one. I zone focus the Super-Elmar 18 when shooting fast from the waist, and sometimes the Summicron 35mm. But, I'll use the rangefinder to set focus whenever possible, which is almost all of the time. I learned how to set and then used hyperfocal distance for a period of time, but I wasn't happy with quality. I only use that technique now in rare cases and when I know that the images will be shrunk and used for on-screen Web viewing at smaller sizes.

 

Cheers,

Will

[RJF]

The techniques used.

 

Equipment : Usually a 35mm or 50mm on an M8.

 

Aperture : Almost always wide open, so either 2, 1.4 or 1.2

 

Distance : If the picture is taken while moving, choose a distance before the time.

For me this would usually be either 3 metres or 2 metres.

Practise makes perfect, or if not perfect, then better.

If not moving, then a more leisurely guess can be taken.

 

ISO : Either 160 for sunny days or else 320.

 

Shutter : Set manually for the desired effect.

 

All that then needs to be done is to envisage where an interesting picture might occur,

get the camera into the desired position and release the shutter.

No need to use the rangefinder, beautiful as it is.

 

Working manually like this leads to a lot of mistakes.

Mistakes are great teachers.

 

Following picture taken with M8, Hexanon 50 at 1.2, 1/1500 sec and ISO320 at a distance of 2m.

 

Focus not text book perfect, but still pleasing enough. Exposure is what was wanted, auto would have had different idea.

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[Guest mc_k]

wide open I would call it "pre-focusing;" there is not really a zone, at least none you can pull from the scales.

[offshore]

Not following the argument between zone and hyperfocal focusing but the method I was taught, and still use today, is to select the aperture you want to use for the scene ( in my case I researched each lens I own for its sweet spot and typically leave it on that f stop) then set the center of the infinity mark over the f stop hash mark. You can then go to the other side of the lens, where the other set of f stop marks are and read your DOF. I also use the same technique for IR focusing with an IR filter. Every one I know, who's been in photography for as long as I have (long time), uses this method.

[lars_bergquist]

Not following the argument between zone and hyperfocal focusing but the method I was taught, and still use today, is to select the aperture you want to use for the scene ( in my case I researched each lens I own for its sweet spot and typically leave it on that f stop) then set the center of the infinity mark over the f stop hash mark. You can then go to the other side of the lens, where the other set of f stop marks are and read your DOF. I also use the same technique for IR focusing with an IR filter. Every one I know, who's been in photography for as long as I have (long time), uses this method.

Well, thats hyperfocal. But when I had a M8 and did IR photography, I found that this was not much good. I leearned to focus the lens, and then move the focus over to the further d.o.f. field for 5.6. That gave the best sharpness.

 

Now if we are to be a bit pedantic, we do all zone focus. There is always a depth of field, and we are always using it even when we point focus. Auto focus, manual focus, no matter -- there is always a time lag between the completion of focusing, and the release of the shutter. During that time, the subject can move, and so can you. So ideal and actual focus do seldom coincide perfectly. Depth of field does save us, even at f:2 or f:1.4. At 0.95? Well -- I have tried it at close range, but never on a moving subject!

 

The old man from the Age of the 3.5cm Elmar

[dpattinson]

I think that zone-focusing properly refers to the practice of setting the focus on the lens to a distance which ensures that dof at the working aperture will cover the expected actual subject distances. (ie - I'm walking in the street and expect to be shooting at about 3-5meters so I set focus to about 3.5M and stop down to fit 5M inside dof).

 

Hyperfocal is setting the focus on the lens without regard to the expected subject distance, but purely to maximise dof out to infinity at the working aperture (presumably where the expected subject distance falls within that dof).

 

Pre-focusing, for me - means setting the focus to the expected subject distance based on my current shooting environment, and letting dof fall where it may based on my working aperture. This is what I do most often in practice, often to distances like 1, 2.5 or 2 meters. I almost never use hyperfocal, because I almost never care about stuff in the far distance being in focus unless I'm shooting landscape - in which case I have plenty of time to set focus however I want.

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[offshore]

"But when I had a M8 and did IR photography, I found that this was not much good"

 

Been working fine for me up to 20"X24" since I bought my M8 almost three years ago.

Hyperfocal is what we always called it.