Large Format Focusing Technique

In this video I discuss four techniques to achieving sharp focus using a view camera.
Chamonix 8x10 view camera overview: • 8 x10 Chamonix Alpinis...
Mat Marrash Sinar System Overview: • Sinar System Cameras -...
Filmed on the Canon R5C.
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Пікірлер: 52

  • @O.Persson
    @O.PerssonАй бұрын

    Nice explanation, I've never really thought about the last part before. But it makes sense when you think about it.

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you my friend! I appreciate your support. 😎

  • @StephaneBihan
    @StephaneBihanАй бұрын

    thank you! I learn a lot with you

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    Ай бұрын

    You are very welcome! I appreciate your support. 😎

  • @Shiunbird
    @Shiunbird2 күн бұрын

    Brilliant video, thank you!

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    Күн бұрын

    Thank you for the kind words! I appreciate your support.😎

  • @diegoramosg
    @diegoramosgАй бұрын

    Love these videos ! Really helpful as I have never taken a LF class

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    Ай бұрын

    I’m really happy that you are enjoying and learning from my videos Diego! I appreciate your support. 😎

  • @andyvan5692
    @andyvan56924 ай бұрын

    one other focus technique unique to the sinars/Toyo and other monorail modular systems is a binocular finder, a mirror inside a pentagonal p.v.c. box, with a welding goggle piece at one end to view through; this has magnification, and is a great isolator of light, and can be affixed on either ground glass frame, or in the sinar case, on the standards themselves (the bellows frame of the standards is the same size!)- increases the systems' adaptability to shooting scenarios.

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    I appreciate your wealth of knowledge Andy! Thank you for taking the time to share with all of us.😀

  • @andyvan5692
    @andyvan56924 ай бұрын

    Tony at 8:48 this axial focus technique has another, similar method on the sinars, they have a sheimpflug scale on the focuser a dial which when a near subject is focused, this dial is set at zero, the second far away subject is then focused, the dial setting shows +\- and a number, this is then translated to the swing\ tilt axis the +/- giving the correct direction of motion..... the subjects NOW are focused at the same time (the plane of focus is now adjusted correctly), now just refocus to the optimal point for the scene.

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    Cool! I did enjoy using the Sinar system when I had the chance. Wonderful cameras! Thanks for watching!😎

  • @martincutrone5816
    @martincutrone58164 ай бұрын

    Great review, in a straightforward manner, demystifying some of these techniques. Good job!

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the kind words Martin! I appreciate you taking the time to watch!😎

  • @jaytayag810
    @jaytayag8104 ай бұрын

    Great video, Tony! It's nice to see what I missed by not going to school for this stuff. :P

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    Thanks Jay! That’s what YT is for now guess! 😂

  • @willthethrill521
    @willthethrill521Ай бұрын

    WOWE that was informative :) ty sir

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you Will! I’m glad you found it informative. I appreciate your support.

  • @user-dk7uk8wx8j
    @user-dk7uk8wx8j4 ай бұрын

    Great aid to me a beginner, thanks Tony.

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    You are very welcome! Appreciate your support! 😎

  • @andyvan5692
    @andyvan56924 ай бұрын

    Tony, if you want a lighter sinar camera, Try the F2, a 'Field' version of this monorail system, the function cars (where the knobs are), is a lot lighter in construction- Not that is so light it can't do it's job, it still is strong enough to hold a lens out at 1M+ ( as is customary in the extended condition for macro work), there is even 8x10" rear standards which can be affixed to this monorail if so desired.

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    That’s interesting. I’ll have to check it out. Thank you! 😃

  • @wilbertvandenberg3158
    @wilbertvandenberg31582 ай бұрын

    Excellent explanations.

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    Ай бұрын

    Thanks Wilbert! I appreciate your support.

  • @johnkawooya8421
    @johnkawooya84212 ай бұрын

    Tony, Very good! I think Fred Newman's method of iterated focusing to the farthest object and tilting the lens to bring the nearest objects in sharp focus foollwed by stopping the lens to bring the entire scene in sharp focus is simpler and nore interactive than Alex's mathematical method. I want to get your take on the latter method

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    Ай бұрын

    Hi John. Thanks for watching this video. Have you watched my other video on optimizing aperture? That's where I discuss Alex Burke's method. I appreciate your support.😃

  • @chriscard6544
    @chriscard65443 ай бұрын

    very well explained

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the kind words!

  • @TheMungo54
    @TheMungo543 ай бұрын

    Great content

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @alanhuntley55
    @alanhuntley554 ай бұрын

    Very clear and concise explanation of these techniques. One thing I learned long ago when applying base tilts is to keep my hand on the focus knob and slowly refocus as I move the standard. This avoids the multiple iterations to "get it right."

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    Great tip Alan! Thank you for sharing! I appreciate your support!😎

  • @ruudmaas2480
    @ruudmaas24804 ай бұрын

    I mostly use front axel tilt.

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    Cool. Thanks for watching!

  • @Narsuitus
    @Narsuitus3 ай бұрын

    When I take high camera angle shots of boxed food products, the high camera angle results in distortion caused by the rear standard no longer being parallel to the vertical subject lines. Adjusting the rear standard to make it parallel to the vertical subject lines eliminates this distortion. From the high camera angle, I may also need to tilt and/or swing the front standard to control the plane of focus. What tips do you suggest for using front and back standard movements for the same subject?

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    3 ай бұрын

    That's definitely a series of complex movements. I would recommend building one type of movement at a time. For precise work, f you use a high output light source, you could stop down the lens and look on the ground glass if you are getting what you were looking for. Thanks watching! 😎

  • @thomaspopple2291
    @thomaspopple22914 ай бұрын

    One of the better explanations I have found on this subject. Thank you.

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    Thank you for the kind words! I appreciate your support!

  • @c.augustin
    @c.augustin4 ай бұрын

    You said "Scheimpflug" the right way - I'm impressed! 😁 A good overview over all of what I would ever need - the moment I get my real lenses operational … (Not having to worry about all this is one appeal of pinhole photography. "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept.", as Henri Cartier-Bresson said.😉)

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    Thanks Christian! I appreciate your support! 😎

  • @michaelricco81
    @michaelricco81Ай бұрын

    This was very interesting, and I think i have an idea why my photos are not focused all the way through. I will have to watch this video over and over again in increments. To back up and begin at a very elementary level, when you begin focusing, is your lens wide open? To attain deep focus, much like Ansel Adams, do you suggest (once focused) stopping down to f64? Or a larger aperture. Btw, I have an Intrepid 4x5. Thank you so much.

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    Ай бұрын

    Hi Michael. I'm glad you are here. I always begin focusing wide open, then I stop down the lens as I'm viewing the ground glass to make sure all the areas I want to be acceptably sharp are good. Have you watched my other video on optimizing aperture. Hope this help. Thanks for watching!

  • @Dark_Viking
    @Dark_Viking4 ай бұрын

    Handy tips! With great demo and explanations. Thanks!

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to watch!

  • @jpdj2715
    @jpdj27153 ай бұрын

    When you're wondering why "we needed" tilt/swing in order to change the focused-on plane, it's because your 35mm camera's portrait lens would be ~600mm at 8"*10" and even at f/90 has shallow Depth of Field (DoF). That's why the tilt in the tree/house example is needed to get both sharp. The "Constitution" of focusing is Scheimpflug's Law that says that when the intersection (crossing line) between film plane, focus plane, and lens plane is in one line, then you have a perfect match. This works in the neutral/zero position because of the axiom in geometry that defines that parallel lines/planes cross at infinity. In tilt/swing it really helps to keep Scheimpflug (shime pfloog) in mind.

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for adding to our discussion JP. I appreciate your Support. 😎

  • @tamasnemeth2161
    @tamasnemeth2161Ай бұрын

    It was a very entertaining video, but to be honest it was way less informative that what Thomas Cristopher Moore uploaded 16 years ago ( Scheimpflug / Plane of focus on KZread). Still it was fun to watch!

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    Ай бұрын

    Tamas, I am always happy to entertain. I appreciate you taking the time to watch. Cheers!😃

  • @peterebel7899
    @peterebel78994 ай бұрын

    But how to shoot birds in flight?

  • @tonysantophotography

    @tonysantophotography

    4 ай бұрын

    LOL! 😂 That’s a lesson for another video! Thanks for watching!

  • @peterebel7899

    @peterebel7899

    4 ай бұрын

    @@tonysantophotography ... with the very same camera .... ;-)

  • @peterebel7899

    @peterebel7899

    4 ай бұрын

    @@michaelmoss2901 And the exposure to be selected alongside the nice rule best in in our language: Die Sonne lacht Blende acht In English there is the "sunny 16"