Hyperfocal Distance Calculator

[Scaff]

One thing that bugs me about modern lenses (both zoom and primes) is the sheer lack of depth of field information that they carry.

The main reason being that back when I had 35mm kit I used to use the DoF marking to set the hyperfocal distance all the time, as it makes a huge difference with landscapes with wide angle lenses.

As an example, using an 18mm at f16 on a DSLR, if you focus on infinity you would have a Depth of Field that stretched from just under 7 feet to infinity.

However if you set the hyperfocal distance (which in this case would be around 7 feet), you would have a depth of field that ran from 3.5 feet to infinty.

With a wide angle lens that could quite easily be the difference between a foreground object being in or out of focus.

Info on exactly what hyperfocal distance is can be found here...

http://www.dofmaster.com/hyperfocal.html


.....but this quote sums it up quite well.

... the hyperfocal distance setting ... is simply a fancy term that means the distance setting at any aperture that produces the greatest depth of field.

How to Use Your Camera, New York Institute of Photography, 2000.

The above site also has a link to both Windows and Mac downloads for a hyperfocal distance calculator, its free and I've downloaded and installed it and have to say it works very, very well (hence the reason for this thread).

So as lens manufacturers have basically removed this handy info from our lenses, these calculators may well help out.


Regards

Scaff

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I'd just like to add to this with a reminder to all dSLR users: use your DOF preview button (even you 1d users, where the DOF preview button is in a rubbish place). It's hugely useful. And the way it activates the flash freaks people out.