Case Study: Nailing the Ideal Zone of Focus using Focus BKT
Related: depth of field, focus stacking, Fujifilm, Fujifilm GFX100S, Fujifilm medium format, Fujifilm mirrorless, medium format, Populus tremuloides, swing and tilt, zone of focus
Depth of field in a 3D scene is often far less than the scene demands.
Sometimes (not very often) the subject matter is shaped such that a tilt-shift lens can “cheat” the otherwise rigorous limits on depth of field. And if you have that lens and the focal length is right for the scene.
Sometimes (fairly often) focus stacking can be used when conditions allow. But too often there is subject movement that makes focus stacking infeasible eg wind + leaves/grass.
Traditionally, it was always about focusing to capture the most sharpness on the most important subject matter, letting other areas go softer. That is still the case today.
But how? How to do so reliably, getting optimal sharpness for a scene 99% of the time? This is much harder than it sounds.
In diglloyd Making Sharp Images:
Case Study: Nailing the Ideal Zone of Focus using Focus BKT
Applies to all cameras that have an automated focus stepping aka focus bracketing aka Focus BKT aka focus shift feature eg Fujifilm, Sony, Nikon.
Fujifilm GFX100 II + Fujifilm GF 55mm f/1.7 WR @ 45.3mm equiv (55mm)
ENV: Colorado, altitude 8400 ft / 2560 m, 45°F / 7°C
RAW: Camera ASTIA, Enhance Details, LACA corrected, vignetting corrected, WB 5000°K tint 15, +25 Whites, +10 Dehaze, AI Denoise 10
[low-res image for bot]
