Hyperfocal focusing and manual focus.

What is hyperfocal focusing? In a nutshell, it means getting the most depth of field you can in a photograph; this usually includes objects both far away (sharp at the "infinite" setting) and near. The way to do this involves following a series of steps. Fortunately, they are relatively easily achieved.

Before starting the procedure it is important to select the scene you want to capture, the focal length you hope to employ, and the closest and furthest points you want in focus. The concept of "in focus" needs a little refining, because whether something is in focus or not partly depends on the size of the print and your relative position to it. This gets somewhat daunting, so we will go with an 8x10 print viewed from arm's length; this tends to be satisfactory most of the time.

1. Pay attention to your lens' focal length (the mm value of the lens which can change in a zoom lens but is fixed in a prime lens). Lower focal lengths are easier to work with when hyperfocaling. The more you zoom in, the more difficult it will be to get great depth of field. Ultra-wide angle lenses, such as 20, 18, and 16 mm focal lengths (relative) produce better results. The trade-off is that distant objects become increasingly smaller and may not produce the desired image. It is important to find the right balance.



2. Select the smallest aperture available on the lens. This will mean shooting on aperture priority mode and may require you to ensure that all your other settings are where you want them. If you have never used any of the automatic modes (P, S, A) then you may need some help doing this. Be sure that your main camera parameters such as ISO, white balance, quality, size, and JPEG settings (if not shooting raw) are appropriate. Once you are on aperture priority mode rotate the command dial until the aperture shows a high f/number. The actual value varies depending upon lens and camera type, but a value of f/16 to f/22 should suffice.



3. It is important to pay attention to your shutter speed at this point because a small aperture lets in very little light. The minimum acceptable shutter speed varies highly with the camera's settings and accessories. Will you use a tripod? Does the camera/lens have some form of vibration mitigation? What is the focal length? Will there be any action in the shot? This may seem a little overwhelming so I will give you a general value to go with. I usually use a focal length of 28 mm down to 18 mm (relative) and shoot with a shutter speed of 1/15th to 1/30th of a second. If your shutter speed is lower than this you will have to increase your ISO to compensate (unless you are using a tripod).



4. Now comes the critical focusing part. I like to use manual focus when doing this. You can achieve manual focus usually by switching from auto-focus to manual focus - the switch may be found on the lens or camera, sometimes both have it. At this point there is another concern - is the optical viewfinder's (OVF) focus adjust at the proper setting? When using automatic focus does the OVF show your subject in focus? If it doesn't you can rotate the tiny wheel attached to the OFV's housing to correct it. If this doesn't work for you or if you find it all too much you can always use live view (that's when you see what the camera sees using the rear-view screen). Regardless of how you look through your camera, it is time to adjust the focus.



5. There are several ways to do this but we will keep it simple. Focus on the closest object that you want to appear sharp. Rotate the focus ring on the lens halfway between that point and the infinity mark (∞). Take a picture. Press "play" and look at the image on the back of the camera. Chances are it will look good, so you will have to zoom in by pressing the 🔍 with the "+" symbol a few times. Use the navigation controls to go to the near and far places to check on sharpness. If they are fine then you are done.



6. If one or both are out of focus you will have to change something. If the distant one is out of focus then you will have to move the focus ring on the lens towards the infinity mark. If the reverse is true then rotate it in the other direction. The amount depends on a variety of factors so you will have to play with it - you may want to try a number of shots at different focal settings (this is called focus bracketing). If BOTH are out of focus then you will have to reduce your focal length, increase your f/number, or both.

Hopefully, there was something here you could use. Happy shooting.

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen