Category Archives: Reader Questions

Reader Questions, Technique

Reader Question: About Depth of Field

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Lupine, Upper Sabrina Basin
Lupine, Upper Sabrina Basin

I recently received an email from David, who has some questions about depth of field:

As you have a lot of experience of using the Fuji X-E1, may I please ask you for some advice regarding landscape focusing.

My aim is to use the 18-55mm kit lens with the majority of shots taken at the widest end. I have in mind setting the lens at Hyperfocal distances, based on a crop factor of 1.5 and a circle of confusion of 0.02. I think the first figure is reliable, but I’m not sure about the second in relation to the X-E1 – perhaps you could confirm.

I have already done some testing at home using the attached table (which come from the well respected DOFmaster site).

In my experiment I carefully measured distances at apertures of f8 and f11 using a tripod and a printed card as the subject. I set the lens manually at the hyperfocal distance, using the EVF distance scale. I was disappointed to find that the closest point of focus was not as sharp as I had hoped. Have you any idea why this may be?

I did a further test on aperture f11 and this time set the distance scale at 4 feet (2/3 of the way between 3 and 5 feet). This resulted in a sharp image from 3.5 feet. This would suggest that the distance scale is not accurate.

Any suggestions you have to overcome the problem would be much appreciated.

Let me preface my response on the depth of field (DOF) issue by congratulating you for taking the time to conduct your own experiments. One of the great things about digital cameras is that we don’t have to trust what we read — we can easily and quickly conduct the experiments ourselves. In addition to getting the answer to the question at hand, we end up knowing our gear at a much deeper and even intuitive level, which is extremely important when we are in the field and we don’t have time to ponder and calculate, but must instead make a photograph in the moment.

The rest of this post is going to be somewhat involved, so let me share a quick thought right at the beginning:

The usefulness of DOF calculators is very limited, as they are based on subjective assumptions that may not match what you are doing with your photographs. The best way to align your expectations with exposure choices is to test them yourself and evaluate images in the form that you most often produce — and not just at 100% magnification on a computer screen.

What is DOF? Essentially the depth of field is the distance range in front of and behind (unless you focus at infinity) the focus point within which subjects are likely to sharp enough to seem in focus when the photograph is viewed at some arbitrary magnification. This size of this range increases as we stop down (for example, going from f/2.8 to f/8 expands the DOF) and decreases as we open the aperture (going from f/8 to f/2.8 contracts DOF). This is a source of creative control for the photographer. A smaller aperture can allow subjects across a greater distance range to appear relatively sharp, while a larger aperture can keep the primary subject in focus while pleasingly “un-focusing” elements in front of and behind the primary focus point. Continue reading Reader Question: About Depth of Field →

Equipment, Reader Questions

Reader Questions: Landscape Lenses

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From time to time I get questions from readers, and I usually like to share the answers so that other might learn something, too.

Recently “Gregory” wrote:

I just read one of your articles on appropriate lenses to use for landscape photography. I’m a hobbyist photographer in California that has a passion for landscape photography. I sold my Canon equipment and will be purchasing some Nikon lenses and camera body. I wanted to get your input as to what the majority of landscape photographers use – prime lenses or zoom lenses? Based on my limited budget, here is what I am thinking of:

Option A — Primes: 20mm, 28mm, 50mm, 85mm
Option B — Zooms: 24-70mm, 70-200mm
Option C — Zooms: 16-35mm, 24-70mm

I don’t have the budget to purchase both a super wide zoom AND a telephoto. I’ll have to settle for one of these and then acquire an additional zoom later on. I’m thinking the primes maybe slightly sharper in the borders and lighter to carry, but what about the hassle of constantly switching lenses back and forth? Not sure I want to do this. I would appreciate any recommendations/suggestion you might have.

Before I reply here, let me share a couple of articles that I wrote about more or less this topic:

By the end of this article… I probably will not tell you which lenses to select! But perhaps I’ll help you consider factors that will assist in making a good personal decision that is right for your photography.

To a great extent, many of these decisions are personal and they come down to your own personal preferences and the ways in which you approach your subjects. Some people have reasons for preferring prime lenses, some have reasons for preferring zooms, and others have good reasons for wanting both. Some are comfortable working with a relatively narrow range of focal lengths, while other feel the need for a wider range. Some have a predilection for wide-angle lenses, while others are drawn to longer focal lengths. And this doesn’t even get into the questions about tilt/shift lenses and other variables.

I mention this for a couple of reasons. First, there are going to be people who disagree with my preferences — listen to their perspectives, too, and then use your own judgment. Second, consider your own preferences at least as much. Continue reading Reader Questions: Landscape Lenses →

Reader Questions, Technique

Reader Question: Photographing in the Rain

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My friend Ernie writes:

I’m not sure if you ever covered this – what rain protection do you use for your cameras?

I don’t think I have written specifically about that, Ernie, so here goes.

Evening Shower, Sierra Pond
Raindrops from a late afternoon shower mark the surface of a small Sierra Nevada pond reflecting the sky

Evening Shower, Sierra Pond. Kings Canyon National Park, California. September 14, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Before I get too deeply into my personal experience and preferences, I should remind readers that modern digital cameras are full of electronics that are sensitive to moisture. I’ve heard stories of people running into camera problems — including some very serious problems — after what seemed like minimal exposure to sprinkles or light mist. You should refer to your camera’s manual to find out what the manufacturer tells you about its resistance to water. While I’m sometimes willing to take chances with my own gear, based on my judgment about the importance of the shot and my ability to keep the gear dry enough, you should be careful since you could well encounter problems if you do what I do.  While I’m going to share some of my personal experiences and approaches to shooting where water is a concern, I do not recommend that you rely on my experience if it conflicts with what the manufacturer tells you about your gear.

With that out of the way, here are some ways that I deal with moisture in a variety of situations in my own photography.

Continue reading Reader Question: Photographing in the Rain →
Ideas, Reader Questions

Reader Question: Concerned About Image Theft

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Blog reader “Dan” writes to ask whether he should be concerned about “photo piracy” and other forms of unauthorized use of photographs he  shares online.

I am a great admirer of your photos and I especially like reading your blog and the detailed captions you include with your photos. I also follow on occasion some of the forums on DPReview and one I found very interesting concerned the unauthorized use of photos that are posted on websites. I would like to start posting some of my images on Flickr and Facebook but have had second thoughts after reading the forum thread on photo piracy (not that anyone would find my images worth stealing of course!). Since you post photographs on a number of places on the web, I was wondering what you thought about that and whether it is even worth worrying about. Thanks very much.

Thanks for writing, Dan, and thanks for your kind words about my photography and this blog.

While I’m not an expert on all of the legal ramifications of image theft and photo sharing, I can share a few thoughts with you and other readers. I do think that it is a good idea to be thoughtful about what you share, where you share your photos, and the form in which you share them. The Internet is a very big place and a lot goes on “out there” that you and I may not know about or understand and which we cannot control. Once a photograph is out in the wild, wild west of the Internet, it can take on a life of its own.  There are risks, and some of them are impossible to completely control.

However, there is also a lot of potential value in having your work seen. This could come from the simple pleasure of sharing your photographs with family and friends. It might progress to sharing your work in forums where you might get valuable (and not so valuable!) comments and criticism. It can also be a form of marketing and building your brand, especially if the photographs are part of a more substantial web and social media presence. Continue reading Reader Question: Concerned About Image Theft →