How do I keep a distant background sharp while a foreground object stays blurred on a Fujifilm X100T?
Asked 2/4/2017
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I want to create a photo where a nearby object in the frame is blurred, but the distant landscape behind it is in focus, like looking past leaves, grass, or another foreground subject. On my Fujifilm X100T at around f/3.5, autofocus tends to lock onto the foreground object instead, which makes the background blurry. What focusing method should I use to get the background sharp and the foreground out of focus?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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One way is to simply use manual focus. Since the landscape is very distant, there is only one thing to focus on once, then you frame and shoot multiple pictures as you like.
Originally by user7603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user7603
9y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Use the background as your focus target, not the foreground object. The simplest ways are:
- Manual focus: Set focus manually to the distant landscape. This is often the easiest solution when something close to the lens keeps attracting autofocus.
- Focus and recompose: Aim the camera at the background, half-press the shutter to lock focus, then reframe so the foreground object is back in the shot and take the picture.
- AF-L / back-button focus: Lock focus with the camera’s AF lock control, then compose the image and shoot.
At f/3.5, a nearby foreground object can stay soft while the distant scene remains sharp, as long as focus is set to the distance. This effect works because the foreground is much closer than the chosen focus distance.
If autofocus keeps grabbing the wrong subject, manual focus is usually the most reliable method.
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