How can I get more of a product in focus without stopping down further?
Asked 5/31/2013
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I’m photographing a product and at f/14 I still can’t get the entire object sharp. I focused around the middle of the subject using a 50mm lens on an APS-C camera, but parts nearer and farther away are still a bit soft. I’d rather not use a smaller aperture because of diffraction. What are the best ways to increase apparent depth of field in this situation?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
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If f/14 still doesn’t cover the subject, the usual solution is focus stacking: take several shots focused at different distances and combine the sharp parts in software. That lets you keep an aperture near your lens’s best sharpness while getting much more of the product in focus.
Another option is to adjust where you focus. Depth of field extends both in front of and behind the focus plane, often with more of it behind than in front, so focusing slightly closer than the exact middle of the object can help if the nearest parts are soft.
If you want to do it in a single exposure, a tilt-capable lens or bellows setup can tilt the plane of focus so it better matches the shape of the product. That’s more specialized and harder to use, but it can greatly improve sharpness across the subject.
So, in order of practicality for product work: try slightly closer focus placement first, then use focus stacking; use tilt only if you need a one-shot solution.
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