How can I keep a small product sharp without focus stacking?
Asked 5/10/2015
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I’m shooting small products like a phone on a full-frame camera with a 135mm lens at about 2 feet away, around f/8. If I shoot straight on, it’s fine, but at an angle only the front or the back of the product is sharp.
A depth-of-field calculator suggests I only have a very small zone of acceptable focus at that distance. If I change focal length, I’d also need to change camera distance to keep the same framing, so I’m not sure that really helps.
Without using focus stacking, what are the practical ways to get more of the product in focus for this kind of shot?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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You are right. A shorter focal-length has more depth of field but this will get reduced by having to stand closer. Unless you crop, the depth-of-field for equal framing will remain almost the same. I made exact calculations when shopping for a macro lens this fell within 0.1% difference.
You are left with closing down the aperture. F/8 is sharp and very safe but things will stay sharp for a few more stops down, until you reach the diffraction-limit. F/11 or F/13 is safe on most DSLRs. Again, this is dependent on the exact model.
Many product photographers use a tilt-shift lens which is costly. On the other hand, a smaller sensor is a great way to go if you do not need very large prints. You should be shooting from a tripod anyway, so can use the lowest ISO possible to maximize image-quality. For my part, I settled on an ultra-zoom for product photography which appears on my websites. It's an easy choice, considering the resolution is not really needed and at F/11 on small sensor, depth-of-field is quite extensive.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
11y ago
0
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For the same framing, changing focal length alone usually won’t help much, because you also change camera distance and the depth-of-field ends up being similar.
Without focus stacking, your main options are:
- Stop down more. Try f/11 or f/13 first; if needed, go smaller (even f/22 or f/32 if your lens allows). Diffraction will soften the image somewhat, but for product shots this can still be preferable to having parts of the subject out of focus.
- Use a tripod and low ISO so you can afford the longer shutter speeds that smaller apertures require.
- Use a tilt lens / tilt-shift lens. Tilting the plane of focus can let the whole angled product fall within focus much more effectively than simply increasing depth of field.
- Use a smaller sensor camera if ultimate image quality or very large prints aren’t required. Smaller sensors give more depth of field for equivalent framing.
So yes: a compact camera can seem better at this because its smaller sensor naturally gives more depth of field. For your current setup, stopping down further is the simplest next step; a tilt-shift solution is the more advanced one.
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