This is not so much the idiots guide to Hyperfocal distance, but simply a way of quickly working out how to maximise the depth of field that you have available.

Because it is not the full and comprehensive guide, you will need to search elsewhere for detailed guides to hyperfocal distance charts for different focal lengths and aperture combinations, this page is just designed to give a flavour of what is capable of being achieved.

Looking at the image of the lens above, you will see that the lens is focussed on a subject at 10 metres. The Aperture is set to F16.

Using the DoF guide on the lens you can see that the depth of field will extend from about 4 metres to some point beyond infinity.

Now obviously there is nothing in the image “beyond Infinity” and as we have illustrated in another page on the website that Depth of Field is an area in front and behind the point of focus that is acceptably sharp, there is little point in wasting that depth of field that is extending beyond infinity.

There may be times when you won’t want to have everything pin sharp, but for this example we will assume that you are shooting a landscape that would benefit from the maximum amount of depth of field.

The second image shows the 50mm lens focussed at the hyperfocal point for the aperture chosen (F16) by using the DoF scale we can now see that the depth of field for the photograph would extend from 3 metres to Infinity.

Here is an example where it is preferable to have as much depth of field as possible.

Principally because there is detail in the foreground and the middle distance as well as on the horizon that it is essential it is sharp, also, even though the sun has burnt out, had there not been enough depth of field to ensure that it stayed sharp it would have spread even further, across the image.

Here is the same lens focused at the hyperfocal distance for F4 which gives an area of Depth of Field that covers from a little beyond 10 metres right up to infinity.

The wider angle the lens the greater the depth of field and correspondingly the shorter the hyperfocal distance for a given aperture. I will show a couple of examples with a 24mm lens at F22 the hyperfocal distance is at about 0.90 metre and the depth of field will extend from 0.5 metres to Infinity.

These examples are based upon 35mm film cameras and lenses, there are variations to be taken into account if you are shooting on Digital Cameras with smaller than 35mm imaging sensors, taking the 24mm lens for example on a Canon EOS1D (or variants) the Hyperfocal distance will be 1 metre, on a 350D it will be about 1.3 metres.

With this in mind, and the fact that many users now use Zoom lenses which do not have depth of field scales calculating the Hyperfocal distance can be a little hit and miss.

Some Canon users have the advantage that their cameras will have a DEP mode, enabling the user to select to focus points that they require the depth of field to cover, the camera will then calculate the aperture required.

For those that don’t have this function don’t despair, you can either find a chart of Hyperfocal distances and print it out and carry it around with you.

You can memorise the Hyperfocal distances for the lenses and aperture combinations that you most frequently use, you can bracket your exposures at differing focus points or you can use your preview screen. You may also run into a phenomenon known as diffraction if you regularly start shooting at very small apertures, which can result is some loss of sharpness.

Want This as a PDF File, Click Here

Please feel free to contact us on 075 88 66 95 80

All Images are © pressphotos-uk.com. If you use them without permission you are in breach of copyright laws.

©2010 pressphotos-uk.com