Where should you focus for landscape or city skyline photos?
Asked 11/11/2013
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When shooting landscapes or a lit city skyline, where should the focus point be? In AF-S I only have a small autofocus point, so if I focus on one part of the scene, will the rest be out of focus? Should I use autofocus or switch to manual focus for these kinds of shots?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
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Normally when shooting landscapes it is best to mount the camera on a tripod for a variety of reasons. One of the benefits of doing so is that if your camera s capable of magnifying a Live View image you can focus manually on a central point and then spot check around the frame to check how well other elements in the composition are focused. Of course to get a true idea how focused other areas are you need to stop the lens down to the same aperture that will be used to take the photo.
Exactly were to focus, whether manually or using auto focus, depends on several variables.
- What aperture is selected? The aperture of the lens will affect the depth of field (DoF).
- How much light is available? Will that allow the aperture you desire? The advantage of a tripod here is quite clear. Assuming the subject is static, a narrower aperture can be used even if the resulting shutter speed needed is slower than practical for a handheld photo.
- What is the intended viewing size of the final image? This will also affect the perceived DoF.
- What is the nearest point that you desire to be perceived as in focus by the viewer of the final image? What is the most distant point?
Once you've answered these questions you can use a Depth of Field Calculator such as DoF Master, to compute the focus distance and aperture needed to include all of the elements you need to be in focus within the DoF. In general the best point to focus on for landscape photos is the hyperfocal distance.
Please note that the calculations are based on the assumption of an 8"x10" print viewed from a distance of 10" by a person with 20/20 vision. If you intend to create a 20"x16" print and it is viewed at the same 10" distance, the perceived DoF of the same digital file or negative will be narrower. The dropdown menu of various camera models also include a list of commonly used Circles of Confusion at the end. To determine what CoC you need to use for a given print size, see this answer. If you are using a cropped sensor camera, multiply the result of diagonal of the print in by the cameras conversion factor (1.5x for Nikon APs-C cameras, 1.6x for Canon APS-C cameras). For more about the relation of infinity focus, hyperfocal distance, and the CoC, see this answer.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A small AF point does not mean only that small area will be sharp. The lens always focuses at one distance plane, and depth of field determines how much in front of and behind that plane appears acceptably sharp.
For landscapes, the best focus point depends on your aperture and what parts of the scene must be sharp. A common guideline is to focus about 1/3 of the way into the scene between the nearest important subject and the farthest, or use the hyperfocal distance. This works because depth of field usually extends farther beyond the focus point than in front of it.
For a distant city skyline, most of the scene is often at a similar long distance, so focusing on a building in the skyline is usually fine.
Autofocus is okay if it can lock on the right area. Manual focus is often helpful on a tripod, especially if your camera offers Live View magnification so you can check focus carefully across the frame. Also evaluate focus at the aperture you’ll actually use, since stopping down increases depth of field.
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