Filzkoeter
stray animal
I know that some people here like to shoot scale focusing folders... and I know that it's not always easy to judge the distance right.
I played with some depth-of-field/field-of-view calculators and figured out a reliable way to guess-focus your folder, even at wide apertures and in near distances.
I know, it's not 100% accurate, but it brings you in the right ballpark... and the depth of field (even at f3.5) should do the rest.
This method is based on judging the size of the object you want to focus on & the field of view of the lens.
I find it much easier to judge or know what size an object is then to try to guess my distance from this object.
Now: x = focus distance
For 6x6 and a 75-80mm lens, the horizontal and vertical field of view is approx. x/1.5
For 6x4.5 + 75-80mm lens it's x/1.5 for the long side and x/2 for the short side of your frame.
For 6x9 & a 105-110mm lens it's x/2 for the short side and around x/1.25 for the long side.
This sounds way more complicated then it is... what you have to do is to guess/know the size of an object and multiply this size with 1.25 or 1.5 or 2 (depending on your format and orientation).
Let's do an example: you want to photograph a standing person with your 6x6 folder & 75mm lens. The average size for a person is around 170-180cm, you possibly want to leave some space at the top and bottom of your picture... so you opt for the field of view of 200cm.
Well, you take the 200cm and multiply it by 1.5 = 300cm. This is your focus distance! Easy as pie
(well, actually the 75mm lens would give you a field of view of 218x218cm... but 200x200 is within the depth of field even at f3.5).
Example #2: An object of the length of 1m.
1 * 1.5 = 1.5
Focus at 1.5m and fill your viewfinder with the object.
Example #3: A car, 4m long.
4 * 1.5 = 6
Focus at 6m and fill your frame with the car
I find this way easier then to count my steps or trying to imagine my own size on the ground, so I wanted to share this with you
I played with some depth-of-field/field-of-view calculators and figured out a reliable way to guess-focus your folder, even at wide apertures and in near distances.
I know, it's not 100% accurate, but it brings you in the right ballpark... and the depth of field (even at f3.5) should do the rest.
This method is based on judging the size of the object you want to focus on & the field of view of the lens.
I find it much easier to judge or know what size an object is then to try to guess my distance from this object.
Now: x = focus distance
For 6x6 and a 75-80mm lens, the horizontal and vertical field of view is approx. x/1.5
For 6x4.5 + 75-80mm lens it's x/1.5 for the long side and x/2 for the short side of your frame.
For 6x9 & a 105-110mm lens it's x/2 for the short side and around x/1.25 for the long side.
This sounds way more complicated then it is... what you have to do is to guess/know the size of an object and multiply this size with 1.25 or 1.5 or 2 (depending on your format and orientation).
Let's do an example: you want to photograph a standing person with your 6x6 folder & 75mm lens. The average size for a person is around 170-180cm, you possibly want to leave some space at the top and bottom of your picture... so you opt for the field of view of 200cm.
Well, you take the 200cm and multiply it by 1.5 = 300cm. This is your focus distance! Easy as pie
(well, actually the 75mm lens would give you a field of view of 218x218cm... but 200x200 is within the depth of field even at f3.5).Example #2: An object of the length of 1m.
1 * 1.5 = 1.5
Focus at 1.5m and fill your viewfinder with the object.
Example #3: A car, 4m long.
4 * 1.5 = 6
Focus at 6m and fill your frame with the car
I find this way easier then to count my steps or trying to imagine my own size on the ground, so I wanted to share this with you
