Can a 55mm lens keep a nearby person and a distant background sharp?
Asked 7/27/2011
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Is it possible to use a 55mm lens so that a person in the foreground and a very distant background, such as buildings far away, both appear acceptably sharp? What settings or focusing approach would help?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
12
I assume that by "clear", you mean sharp.
The answer depends on what distance you consider "close" and how sharp is "clear" enough for you. You could use an online depth of field calculator to check what's feasible.
For example, using f/22 and focusing at hyperfocal distance (23 feet) on a Canon 1.6 crop body, your depth of field starts at about 12 feet, so this is the closest distance you can have sharp with this lens and aperture.
If you want to avoid loss of overall sharpness due to diffraction, you should open the aperture to about f/11 and that leaves 23 feet as the closest distance (focusing at hyperfocal distance - 46 feet).
Of course, those are not hard numbers - transition from sharp to non-sharp is gradual, and you might be able to position your front subject closer or be forced to move further depending on how much blur you are willing to accept.
Originally by user4390. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4390
15y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, but it depends on how close the person is and how much sharpness you need. With a 55mm lens, depth of field is limited, so this works best if the person is not extremely close.
To maximize front-to-back sharpness:
- use a smaller aperture such as f/11 or f/16
- focus a bit behind the person, or near the hyperfocal distance
- keep the foreground subject several meters away if possible
A community example noted that on a 1.6x crop camera, a 55mm lens at f/22 focused at hyperfocal distance gives acceptable sharpness from about 12 feet to infinity. At f/11, the near limit is farther away, around 23 feet. That means a very close subject will not be sharp at the same time as distant buildings.
So the short answer is: yes, if the person is far enough from the camera; no, if the person is very close. Stopping down too far can also reduce overall sharpness because of diffraction, so f/11 to f/16 is often a practical range.
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