How can I get more of a car dashboard in focus when shooting interiors?
Asked 9/10/2022
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I photographed a luxury car dashboard and found that the switches and gauges to the left of the steering wheel were softer than I wanted. The shot was taken at 28mm, f/8, 1/15s, ISO 400 on a Canon EOS 70D with a 24–105mm f/4 lens. The light level was decent, and the subject was stationary. What’s the best way to increase depth of field for a dashboard/interior shot without relying only on much higher ISO?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
3y ago
2 Answers
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You don't necessarily need to make the field deeper, you just need to tilt the field with respect to the camera's film/sensor. That's what the "tilt" function of a tilt-shift (Canon nomenclature) or perspective control (Nikon's term) lens is used to do.
In the case of your example, you'd swing the tilt mechanism sideways to the right until the entire dash is equally in focus.
Tilt-shift lenses mimic some, but not all, of the available movements once possible with large format 'View Cameras'.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
3y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Nothing is necessarily “wrong” — the dashboard lies on a slanted plane, so at 28mm and f/8 you may not have enough depth of field to keep the whole area sharp.
Practical options:
- Stop down more: try f/11, f/16, or even f/22 if needed. Since the car is stationary, use a tripod and a longer shutter speed.
- Focus more carefully: don’t focus too close. A hyperfocal-style focus point can help at wide angle, and focusing a bit farther into the dashboard often uses depth of field more efficiently.
- Increase camera distance if possible: backing up increases depth of field for the same framing if you can adjust composition accordingly.
- Best optical solution: use a tilt-shift/perspective-control lens. Tilting the plane of focus can align it with the dashboard so more of it appears sharp without needing an extremely small aperture.
If you’re shooting static interiors, the simplest fix is usually tripod + smaller aperture + better focus placement. A tilt-shift lens is the more specialized solution for dashboards and other angled surfaces.
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