The first time I heard the term “hyperfocal distance,” my first thought was that it would be too technical. Gladly, in reality it’s not. With this quick overview and online app, you’ll be on your way with sharper, in-focus landscape images. And when we mean sharp, we’re referring to the foreground, middle ground and background.
Plus, you don’t have to always be at an f/16 to get sharp, big depth of field landscape images. You can get sharp front to back landscapes with other f/stops too.
So, What is Hyperfocal Distance?
Hyperfocal distance is the focus distance that gives you the maximum depth of field . That’s it! Once you’ve focused on the hyperfocal point/distance – everything from 1/2 that distance to infinity will appear in focus. (For a depth of field recap, see below**)
How to Select Where to Focus?
What do you need to know to calculate the distance for maximum depth of field? Your camera model, the f/stop (aperture), your lens focal length and focus distance. The best distance changes with your settings.
There are easy-to-use apps that calculate this distance for you. I’ve had great results with Simple Dof. For $1.99, it’s go time when I need to show a quick calc in a workshop or in the field. This depth of field calculator shows you what is in focus and what is soft based on your selected settings. By rotating each section with your settings, the hyperfocal distance will be calculated for you.
Here’s two examples using the Simple Dof tool. The images below compares the distance needed to have optimal infinity focus. Example 1 shows the distance needed for infinity focus with a 14mm lens. On the left is the hyperfocal distance at f/16 and the right is at f/9. What changes do you see?
Example 2 shows infinity focus using a 50mm lens. What happens when the focal length is 50mm using the same f/stops as above?
Isn’t this the Same as Focusing to Infinity?
When focusing to infinity, the photographer is focusing far in the distance. Aperture setting does not impact the focus subjects. Infinity focus examples include stars, fireworks, northern lights.
Hyperfocal distance maximizes the possible depth of field from front to back.
**Depth of Field Recap
Depth of field is the amount of the image that is in focus in front of and behind the actual focus point. With a shallow depth of field (small f/stop number), the area around your focus point is softer. With a larger depth of field (large f/stop number), a larger amount of the area around your focus point appears in focus.
Combine Hyperfocal distance knowledge at sunset with: Fast Tips for Stunning Sunsets
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