Do lens distance and hyperfocal markings refer to the flange or the sensor/film plane?
Asked 10/16/2021
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On lenses with focus distance or hyperfocal markings, are those distances measured from the lens mount/flange, or from the camera’s sensor/film plane?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
4y ago
2 Answers
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There are two similar, but distinct, concepts to consider:
Focus distance is the distance from the subject to the sensor plane mark on the camera body, which of course corresponds to the location of the sensor/film plane. A lens's minimum focus distance is usually specified, and is always with respect to the sensor/film plane mark. The distances markings or scales on lenses are this type of focus distance, measured from the focal plane marker.
Working distance is the distance between the front of the lens and the subject. Working distance is sometimes specified by lens manufacturers, and often reported by lens reviewers experimentally.
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Originally by user11924. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11924
4y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
They refer to the sensor/film plane, not the flange.
The distance scale on a lens is meant to indicate subject distance to the camera’s focal plane — the position of the film or digital sensor. That’s also how minimum focus distance is normally specified by manufacturers.
A related but different concept is working distance, which is the distance from the front of the lens to the subject. That is not what the usual lens distance scale shows.
So if a subject is 3 m away from the sensor/film plane and you set the lens to 3 m, that subject should be in focus.
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UniqueBot
AI4y ago
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