NO, Hyperfocal Distance Doesn't Result in the Best Sharpness!

It is a very important focusing method and we should know how to use the hyperfocal distance for focusing in landscape photography. But there are much better ways to get more sharpness in your photos.
Christian Irmler
Landscape Photography Artist
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Пікірлер: 37

  • @GuidoVanDeWater
    @GuidoVanDeWater24 күн бұрын

    Good video! I've never understood all those talks about hyper focal distances. It's what your saying "you just take the best you can". A photo for me doesn't have to be 100 percent in focus. 1 thing youndidbt mention but it realy helps is the size of your sensor. People always complain that micro four thirds has a shallow depth of field but for landscapes it is perfect. I rarely have to focus stack.grt guido

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    22 күн бұрын

    Hi Guido, usually I try to avoid hyper focal distance focusing, as it is too complicated and doesn't lead to the sharpest possible results. But there are also situations when I need to use hyper focal distance focusing. That is the case when I can't focus stacking because of moving elements and my depth of field is not big enough. I would say, that's even the biggest strength of smaller sensors: having a bigger depth of field. I mean, besides getting the weight down, which is also a big advantage 😊 Thanks a lot for watching, my friend! Nice greetings, Christian

  • @thomashilmersen711
    @thomashilmersen71125 күн бұрын

    I totally agree. I am amazed that more people do not point out this! These guys spend 5000 dollars on buying Leica Summiluxes, then immediately close it down to f8 and guesstimate the distance in street photography. The images would have been sharper with a 2000 dollar Sony kit with lighting fast eye detect AF.

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    22 күн бұрын

    Hi Thomas, I'm so sorry for my delayed response, but I'm currently traveling 😊 Thanks a lot for your kind comment, my friend! Yes, absolutely: using cheap gear in the right way tends to lead to better results than using expensive gear in the wrong way. Nice greetings, Christian

  • @DarrenJSpoonley
    @DarrenJSpoonley26 күн бұрын

    Great video buddy ! How also about the sweet spot if a particular lens? Great explanations and graphics in this video 👏👏

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    22 күн бұрын

    Hi Darren, I'm so sorry for my delayed response, but I'm currently traveling 😬 Yes, the sweet spot makes a difference, of course. But you know, I use hyper focal distance focusing usually when I run into a fringe situation with my focus and I can't do focus stacking. In a case like that I'm usually already happy when I get my image in focus with using the hyper focal distance method. Being able to use the sweet spot would just be a bonus in that case 😊 Nice greetings, Christian

  • @adrianalfordphotography
    @adrianalfordphotography28 күн бұрын

    Great job on the video Christian. You showed some beautiful examples photos to reinforce what you talking about. Thanks for sharing the info buddy cheers 👍🙏

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    27 күн бұрын

    Hi Adrian, thanks a lot, buddy! I thought it would make sense to make this video as there is so much of wrong information circulating around in the internet 😊 Enjoy your Sunday, Christian

  • @MattsBrabus
    @MattsBrabus27 күн бұрын

    Oh absolutely! Thank you for creating this video and hopefully getting people to understand. Keep up the great work, Christian!

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    27 күн бұрын

    Hi Matts, thanks a lot, my friend! Yes, I thought it would make sense to make this video as there is so much of wrong information about this topic out there 😊 Have a great Sunday, Christian

  • @MattsBrabus

    @MattsBrabus

    26 күн бұрын

    @@christian.irmler I’ve been trying for years to make hyperfocal work for me and gave up in the end thinking I was too stupid. Now I know from your video that it has its place IF You accept its limitations (which are fine if you are printing an image for wall display). Thank you again :-)

  • @chrissbayer9561
    @chrissbayer956127 күн бұрын

    Wieder mal sehr interessante Infos, Christian, danke für‘s Teilen. Auch die ausgewählten Beispielbilder sind absolut top 👌🏼😍! Hab ein schönes Wochenende und viele Grüße aus Bayern 🖖🏼

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    27 күн бұрын

    Vielen lieben Dank, Chris 😊 Auch einen schönen Sonntag zurück! Schöne Grüße, Christian

  • @therightfoot81
    @therightfoot8128 күн бұрын

    What an excellent explanation that was Christian. Great video.

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    27 күн бұрын

    Hi @therightfoot81, thanks a lot, my friend 😊 Have a great Sunday, Christian

  • @thomaseriksson6256
    @thomaseriksson625627 күн бұрын

    Thank you for the information of were we shall put the sharpness point. I got a laser distans meter for using during night photo so I can be more exact when focusing. I have never perform a focus stacking but I shall test it in coming mounth when I start using my new D850

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    27 күн бұрын

    Hi Thomas, funny, I also had a laser pointer in my bad for quite a long time 😀 I can really recommend to engage with focus stacking. The only problem is that common methods lead to a too oversharpness in the foreground. There will come a video about this in future, for sure. But I will take some time therefore 😊 Have a great Sunday, Christian

  • @thomaseriksson6256

    @thomaseriksson6256

    26 күн бұрын

    @@christian.irmler Looking forward to that video.I have problem with the foreground when using ultra wide lenses. But I need to get used to my two latest cameras D800E and D850 first so I cannot expect any good results. Switched from APS-C to FF D700 after my D300 broked down 3 year ago. In a few year time I hope to have a 15mmF2.8 lens untill then I using a 18mmF2.8 prime

  • @Z_EOS
    @Z_EOS27 күн бұрын

    Before i start with my toughts here....buy a tilt/shift lens ;) Hyperfocal distance is a term which is decades if not century old. The problem is not that it is a myth, but it is more about the fact how much of a sharpness and details we got used to lately. Everything today is high resolusion dependent. FF cameras with 45+ megapixels, video in 4K on 20" 4K monitor... We have started with focus bracketing around 2008-2010 and produced large prints with over 200 DPI you can stand few inches away ...non of this was bothering photographers even on medium format cameras in film days.... And then we got 50mpx, 100mpx and PTgui pro... We use 16 or 14mm lens, close it to f/11 and still need to focus bracket... Great! 🙈😂

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    27 күн бұрын

    Hi @Z_EOS, yes, that's true. I used hyper focal distance a lot in my analogue times 20-34 years ago, as there was no way of focus stacking, obviously, and the resolution you got out was not comparable to that of today. The higher the resolution the higher the requirement to the DOF. TS was never an option for me, to be honest, as I prefer zoom lenses and the existing methods of getting everything sharp in my frame work perfectly for me. Thanks a lot for your kind comment, my friend 😉🍺 Enjoy your Sunday, Christian

  • @elho001

    @elho001

    26 күн бұрын

    Hehe, watching the video the same two key aspects came to my mind to comment on: The main point is that the key issue around DOF calculators, hyper focal distance and people using insanely narrow apertures is how one defines what is acceptable in "acceptably sharp". The other is that indeed, tilt lenses should be mentioned as the special case, where the thin focus plane can be tilted to e.g. lay flat on the ground of the landscape or run through the image diagonally resulting in points at vastly different distances to the camera falling into it and being perfectly sharp. The focus plane is still closer to an infinitely thin plane than a thick layer. I say closer, because, while only looking at the lens optically it is, but looking at the imaging system at a whole, it arguably is a (thin) layer, where the circle of confusion of (slightly) out of focus points projected on the sensor is small enough to still only hit the same pixel(s in the same relation) and thus still be indistinguishably from in focus points perfectly sharp.

  • @ravimathew4123
    @ravimathew412327 күн бұрын

    Very useful information. Thank you. 🙏

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    27 күн бұрын

    Thanks a lot, Ravi 😊 Have a nice Sunday, Christian

  • @uncle0eric
    @uncle0eric26 күн бұрын

    Opinion (maybe others will feel differently?): I actually find the background music distracting, even though it is pretty quiet. Great content, though!

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    22 күн бұрын

    Hi Eric, I'm so sorry for my delayed response, but I'm currently traveling 😊 Thank you for your honest opinion. I made a poll about that some time ago, but almost everyone didn't find it distracting. I guess it has also a bit to do with how your audio is configured on the device you are watching. But thank you for the feedback. I will think about reducing the volume maybe a bit in future. It should not be distracting, of course. Nice greetings, Christian

  • @andybusard6694
    @andybusard669427 күн бұрын

    Nicely explained!

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    27 күн бұрын

    Thanks a lot, Andy 😊 Have a great Sunday, Christian

  • @thomaseriksson6256
    @thomaseriksson625626 күн бұрын

    Do you have a video on how colours are setting the mood?

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    22 күн бұрын

    Hi Thomas, I'm so sorry for my delayed response, but I'm currently traveling 😊 I made a video about colour, but not about colour psychology. Thank you for the suggestion. I'm currently not sure, if this topic is maybe too common, but I will think about it in future. Nice greetings, Christian

  • @thomaseriksson6256

    @thomaseriksson6256

    21 күн бұрын

    ​@@christian.irmler Load up the video if you are interested. No hurry. I will start to work seriously on my Woodland photo during this month but I have two new? cameras to get used to and some new lenses.

  • @joelbarto1103
    @joelbarto110327 күн бұрын

    I may be wrong, but doesn't the hyper focal distance change when you change the aperture and or focal length? Therefore, it seems incomplete to point at a rock in the foreground and say that's the HFD. I think. I'm not trying to troll you. I'm currently attempting to fully comprehend this subject because you hear so many different explanations.

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    27 күн бұрын

    Hi Joel, thank you for your thoughts. And yes, that is absolutely true: the aperture has of course an effect on the depth of field and so also on the hyper focal distance. But I'm seldom interested in taking a photo with a specific aperture or hyper focal distance, I'm more interested to take one with the best possible composition 🙂 That means, in practice we have to think in the opposite way: what is the closest element I want to have sharp in my frame and by that I can define the hyper focal distance for my particular photo. By that I find out where to focus and which aperture to use. Or in other words, I want to find out the hyper focal distance for my composition and not the composition for my hyper focal distance 😉 There is no way to troll me, by the way. I'm really more than grateful for questions like that, because that helps to clarify things in a constructive way. So, thanks a lot for your question, my friend! Have a nice Sunday, Christian

  • @joelbarto1103

    @joelbarto1103

    26 күн бұрын

    @@christian.irmler I comprehend your point now. Thanks for the reply. This is the one topic, in my opinion, where photo educators are all over the map. Anyway, I enjoy your channel! See you next time.

  • @thomaswentworth6433
    @thomaswentworth643325 күн бұрын

    I've always thought this hyperfocal distance stuff was a bunch of bs.

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    22 күн бұрын

    Hi Thomas, yes and no. Usually I try to avoid it, as it is too complicated and doesn't lead to the sharpest possible results. But there are also situations when I need to use hyper focal distance focusing. That is the case when I can't focus stacking because of moving elements and my depth of field is not big enough. Thanks a lot for your comment, my friend! Nice greetings, Christian

  • @michaelhall2709
    @michaelhall270922 күн бұрын

    I must say, I found this video to be very, very confusing. I find your photography to be excellent and very inspirational, but with all due respect, I think I’ll just stick with facts of this issue as I’ve come to understand them.

  • @christian.irmler

    @christian.irmler

    22 күн бұрын

    Hi Michael, I'm so sorry to hear that this video was confusing you. The thing is: the target group for this video are photographers who are using the hyper focal distance method already as their prefered focusing method or who are thinking about replacing it with their default one. This is why I maybe didn't go as much in detail about the focusing method itself as I usually do to cover all skill levels in all my videos. The biggest problem with KZread videos in my opinion is that the creator doesn't know exactly which target group will watch the video. This is why I always try to keep my videos interesting for beginners, intermediate, and advanced in photography or in a specific topic. I simply don't only want to produce beginner videos. Every book is written for beginners. I want to add value to experienced photographers as well. The tricky thing hereby from the creator's side is that the advanced don't get tired while the basics are explained and the beginners don't get overwhelmed by too complex explanations. I think, I've learned to solve that issue over the years here on KZread and that works in most cases, but it seems that I haven't achieved that in this video. Sorry therefore, but also thank you for the reminder that I have to think deeper about every skill level when I make a video, so that every single skill level in photography and for a specific topic is covered. Sorry again, my friend. I hope you'll like the upcoming videos more! Nice greetings, Christian