- I mentioned before that it's important to use
manual focus when you're shooting a panoramic image,
and I think it's safe to say that
we want everything in focus.
So, a great way to do that is to understand
something called hyperfocal distance.
It's a fancy word, but it really just means that
everything is in focus from a certain distance
from the camera all the way out to infinity.
So, for instance, if I'm out shooting with
my normal equipment, I already know that
I can focus on something three feet away,
and then everything will be in focus
that's one and a half feet away or farther.
How do you figure out the hyperfocal distance
for your camera and lens?
That's a little bit harder to describe.
So, I have a few recommendations for tools and apps
and websites that are great for telling you
where your hyperfocal distance is
based on your camera, the size of the sensor and the lens.
There are a number of apps out there to help you find
the hyperfocal settings for your camera and your lens.
Let's take a quick look at this one called Hyperfocal,
which I like, because it has a nice, simple feel to it.
In the app, I've already used the set up menu
to enter my camera and the lens that's currently attached,
and I can check my hyperfocal distance
by changing the aperture.
So, in the example here,
we can see a little green photographer
and, he knows that his hyperfocal distance
is approximately two meters.
So, if he focuses on a point at 1.92 meters,
then everything from one meter away from the camera
off to infinity will be in focus.
By changing the aperture, it changes my hyperfocal distance.
If I stop down to f/8 for instance, now my
hyperfocal distance shows at 1.2 meters.
So, everything from point six meter,
about half a meter away from the camera,
out to infinity, is in focus.
After having used the app, I know that my aperture
should be set at f/8, so I'm gonna go ahead and do that,
setting this camera at f/8,
and focusing on an item about one meter, point two away,
using automatic focus, and then switch to manual focus
to ensure that it won't change throughout my panorama.
Now, I'm ready to rotate the camera throughout
my panorama without changing focus,
and to ensure that everything's in focus.
So, I know that hyperfocal distance is one of
those things that may take a little bit of experience
to get used to, but the good news is,
once you've figured out the hyperfocal distance
for the camera and lens, it doesn't change,
so you can always set it the same way
when you're getting ready to shoot your panorama.