Banding with wide angle and filter

[NancyMoranG]

went out to a small waterfall to try my newer Manfrotto tripod with 90 degree center column. I am aware of the wide angle having banding issues when using a filter but have not had much practice yet.
So question is, how do you focus the camera when its eventual position is going to be somewhere you can't see the focus area?
Ie; camera is out over a small ledge or over a fence? And how to minimize the banding?
Thanks guys and gals.

 

[table1349]

Post an example so we can see the issue.

 

[NancyMoranG]

your wish is my command.....

 

[480sparky]

I don't understand. You're tossing out the inability to focus and banding as problems, but those are two totally different issues.

Banding from what filter? CPL? VND?

And how much are you moving the camera that would prevent you from focusing accurately? Moving the camera 3 feet in this scene really won't affect focus.

 

[NancyMoranG]

Yes, 2 different issues.
Singh Ray Var-N -Duo 3-8 stop filter on Tokina 11-16 lens.
Was out in bright sun, yes that is mistake #1, but that was my opportunity. So hard to see back screen for my banding issue at the moment.

Tripod column was out over ledge in this shot and I used back button focus before its final positioning over the ledge. Just wondering how it stays focused but maybe since I was shooting F8-16, it is ok when I moved camera.

 

[Derrel]

I see what looks like a bit of flare, a slight greenish blob, at the bottom of the frame, 40% in from the left, and there appear to be two dark bands, one on the left, one toward the right. Focus-wise, I think this needed a tiny bit more focus shift to the nearer parts of the waterfall...seen large, I think the foreground needs a tiny bit more DOF. In this case, I am not really sue that the polarizer is actually helping much. In fact, I think it's probably causing the flare, causing the near part of the stream's bedrock to go "darkish", and I'm not sure that cutting the glare on the creek as it approaches the waterfall is really a net plus. It's always a judgement call, as to whether to polarize, not polarize, or partially polarize and the decision is often hard to make looking through the finder; do you eliminate ALL the diffuser highlight on the water's surface? Some of it? None?

Focusing...well, there's focus stacking, but also just old-fashioned focus bracketing, starting with the foreground in best focus, then moving the focus back a bit, for two or three frames...and ALSO...sometimes you need to stop down another stop, or stop and a half, or even two stops, and shoot at a smaller aperture, like say f/13, instead of f/7.1 or f/8. At this distance, you ought to be able to get a decent DOF that will look pleasing by just focusing close, shoot,move focus back a bit, shoot, repeat, 3 or 4 frames total. I would focus manually while doing my focus bracketing. That's my normal way.

 

[NancyMoranG]

Thanks Derrel, all good advice. I am going tomorrow to another spot and will try again.

 

[480sparky]

I doubt the center column can move enough laterally to make any difference to focusing in a scene like that. Set focus and leave it there before placing camera.