 Pat Harry |
Wide angle lens focusing I splurged a couple of weeks ago, and purchased a wide angle lens (Tokina 11-16 f/2.8). This is my first real experience with a wide angles lens, and I'm really struggling. I think part of my struggle is lens flare. Skies are blown out, but even if not, the overall image is hazy. I think this is also a lens flare issue? I need a neutral density filter? But my biggest frustration right now is focusing. I can get the foreground sharp, but the background is soft. So a few questions: - I think maybe I don't know how to use the DOF charts properly. For 16mm, f/16, I get the following DOF information:
Can I use auto focus, and put one of the focus points on that object? Will that work the same as manual focus with the distance dialed in? Sorry for so many questions. I feel like a brand new newbie photographer with this lens!
|
|
|
|
||
|
Lynn R. Powers |
Hi Pat :=) UWA lenses, ho boy! It is a new way to see the world and to me it is harder to learn than Macro photography. But I will start with your first problem. UWA shots outdoors I always select evaluative metering or whatever reads the entire frame. A ND or a GND will only affect the exposure time not the haziness. I dislike a polarizer where the sky is prominent in anything wider than 35mm. YMMV Did you use a lens hood? They are mandatory for all of my shooting especially for WA lenses. They will decrease flare and glare as well as giving better contrast. You can also try a #15 UV filter. The UV1a is useless except for keeping the lens from getting junk on it. Pat you are shooting very close to your subject. The only lens that I have ever owned that would focus that close was a 100mm Macro. That is part of your problem but even this can be countered at f16. Back up a foot and raise your tripod to about 3' and shoot down on the subject while insuring that the mountain(s) are still in the frame. Yes you could shoot at the hyperfocal distance and possibly still have the near focus of the whatever. The thing to do, especially in the portrait position is to raise your camera so that the near in-focus fills the bottom of the frame. This will eliminate having to crop off the blurred area later in post. Of course you still have to compose the photo properly also. "Far limit" refers to your distance from the subject to the furthest distance from it that will be in focus. Most of the time we want it to be infinity. When you do not want it to be that far open your aperture a couple stops. I had the 17-40mm on a 5D. At 17mm I had problems with keeping my feet out of the frame. I also found that I used it most of the time at 20mm or longer. Here is a hint you may want to consider. Using the DOF calculator make some DOF charts on index cards. So far I have about 100 UWA shots in the trash bin and 40 users. But I am getting better. :=) Good Luck.
|
|
|
|
||
- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hi Pat, My 17-40mm was never quite as sharp as some of my other L lenses but when I started shooting with full frame, I noticed that the softness was a bit more noticeable. I am going to replace that lens with the 16-35mm or a 14mm prime. I also shoot most of my wide angle images using HDR and usually as much DOF as the lens allows (although 2 stops from max is usually a bit sharper). Shooting with a tripod and using HDR, I can change my focal point a bit and using multiple exposures prevents the blown out highlights and shows more detail in darker areas. A good Neutral Density filter also helps with this landscapes :) I use a Circular Polarizer with many landscapes as a simple twist of the filter will cut reflections off of water or darken the skies a bit. I have a B&W CP ($175 for 77mm) but I should belly up the $$ for a Singh Ray ($400) someday :) I hate to say this but it is also possible you have a soft copy of this lens but there are tests you can do to check this. Use a brick wall and shoot with different f-stops to compare and see what this lens characteristics are. Use the lens hood and make notice of the lighting direction to avoid lens flare. Even the thin petal shaped hood for my 17-40mm makes a difference. I can usually see the flare as I am looking through the viewfinder and just a slight turn or step to one side can make a difference. HDR technology has vastly improved and you can make many images look very balanced. I use PhotoMatix by HDRSoft. Hope this helps, Carlton
|
|
|
|
||
|
Pat Harry |
Lynn & Carlton - thank you for a wealth of information! I'll take some practice shots using your input. It will probably be the weekend before I have time to do it. Carlton, I have PhotoMatix also. I tried merging three images I took in Arkansas (used a tripod, three different exposures), and I just couldn't get the look right. I'll try again. Neutral Density filter is on my list. Lynne, I think I have the useless UV filter. I'll look at the other. When I was on vacation in Arkansas, all my mountain images are hazy. I was able to correct it some in Photoshop, but a filter would have been nice. I have a DOF cheat sheet as you described, Lynne. But the issue I'm having is when I set the f/stop and focus at the appropriate distance, the object at that distance is perfect, but the background is pretty soft. I'll tinker some more and upload my results if I'm still getting soft images. Thanks again for your help!
|
|
|
|
||
|
Lynn R. Powers |
Pat, Sometimes there isn't a filter made that will remove all of the haze. Then you have to resort to adding a little saturation and contrast. If you shoot RAW a little boost in Clarity will help. At 19" your subject is tooooo close. Back away to three feet and take the photo. According to the DOF Calculator everything from 1.42' to infinity will be in focus. I hope you are not confusing what you see in the viewfinder while focusing, and showing the blurred background, and your image after the picture has been taken. The camera focuses at the wide open setting. If this doesn't work have a friend that owns a Nikon and have he/she try the lens. If it is still out of focus the problem is the lens. You will need a lot of MegaPix to get much detail in far off subjects so don't expect too much but the major shape and gullies should be clear and defined. On another forum a person was expecting to see the individual boards on a farm house that was 800' away. It AIN'T gonna happen with a WA (24mm crop) lens.
|
|
|
|
||
|
Bob Cammarata |
Wide angle lenses and lens flare seem to go hand in hand. A lens hood will help but its effectiveness will be limited. Here's a tip to eliminate flare when shooting toward the sun: Mount your camera onto a tripod and compose the scene to your liking. Set the timer...then hold a small piece of cardboard, your hand, or even the brim of your hat high above the camera (out of frame, of course) to block the sun. Move the object around until you see a dark shadow cast over the front portion of the lens and flare will be eliminated. Then, just hold it there until the timer runs out.
|
|
|
|
||
|
This old forum is now archived. Use improved Forum here
Report this Thread |
||