Getting eyes sharp and completely in focus.

[MWC2]

Yes bump the f stop down a couple of stops, focus on the corner of the eye and try to have your shutter speed around 1/100+ for hand-held.

Do you use BBF? I found using the back button focusing method works better for me than pushing the shutter button half way down to gain focus.

 

[vonstarrphoto]

Yes bump the f stop down a couple of stops, focus on the corner of the eye and try to have your shutter speed around 1/100+ for hand-held.

Do you use BBF? I found using the back button focusing method works better for me than pushing the shutter button half way down to gain focus.

Oh hey.Ok I shall try the BBF method

Thanks!

 

[eUgalde13]

No wonder why I was having the same issues with my Nifty Fifty :/ Please let us know how it goes vonstarrphoto

 

[vonstarrphoto]

No wonder why I was having the same issues with my Nifty Fifty :/ Please let us know how it goes vonstarrphoto

Hey yes I shall do! Gonna do some experimenting today

 

[ryan_caldero]

I use a prime lens, single point focus, move that over the primary eye that I want to focus, and give the focus light a second before taking the shot. If the eyes are not at the same distance, relative to the camera, then I use a smaller aperture to make sure both are focused.

YMMV.

This is the exact same method I use to make sure that my subjects eyes sharp.... Are you using another technique?

 

[mwcfarms]

Try stopping the lens down to 1.5 or 2 stops from its largest aperture. I too moved to BBF and found that helps a bit. I always sharpen eyes in post as well. I have heard that you should always focus on the eye closest to the camera as well if your subject is angled.

 

[ghache]

Its doesnt matter how fast your shutter speed is, just make sure its well exposed.

For heatshots that i want the eyes to have all attention. , I usually use a prime, 50mm 1.4 or 85mm 1.4 and i shoot it wide open, single focus point directly on the eye.
I use a little bit of sharpening and clarity to the eyeball.

Shooting wide open gives you sharp eyes and everything else will be out of focus and this will lead your viewer to the eyes and blur your background

If you dont own a prime, shoot your zoom lens in the middle of the zoom range and you should get sharp images.

 

[KmH]

Are you having focusing issues with both the D200 and the D40?

Did you know there are 2 kinds of focus points?

Your D40 has Nikon's Multi-CAM 530 auto focus module that only has 3 of the basic type of focus point that can only detect contrast in one direction (horizontal or vertical).

The D200 has Nikon's Multi-CAM 1000 auto focus module that has 11 focus points, with the middle focus point being a cross-type focus point that is more accurate because it can detect contrast in 2 directions, both verticle and horizontal.

 

[pgriz]

A D7000 with 50mm lens, at f/1.8 has a DOF of about 10 inches when focused at 10 ft (according to the DOF calculator Ms.Cream referenced). If you shut the aperture down to f/5.6, the DOF becomes 2ft.9inches. At f/8, your DOF is 4 ft. Depending on the camera, and the specific sensor you are using, the focusing accuracy varies, but let's say for purposes of discussion that it is about 10%, which means that you could be completely missing the focus when using the lens wide open. When shooting at f/5.6 as Dee suggested, your DOF is almost 3 x more, and even if your focusing accuracy is off by 10%, you still will have your subject within acceptable DOF.

 

[ghache]

A D7000 with 50mm lens, at f/1.8 has a DOF of about 10 inches when focused at 10 ft (according to the DOF calculator Ms.Cream referenced). If you shut the aperture down to f/5.6, the DOF becomes 2ft.9inches. At f/8, your DOF is 4 ft. Depending on the camera, and the specific sensor you are using, the focusing accuracy varies, but let's say for purposes of discussion that it is about 10%, which means that you could be completely missing the focus when using the lens wide open. When shooting at f/5.6 as Dee suggested, your DOF is almost 3 x more, and even if your focusing accuracy is off by 10%, you still will have your subject within acceptable DOF.

What is the whole point of getting a f1.8 lens and shoot it a F5.6? I shoot my 50mm at f1.8, f2 all the time and get sharp images. its true that shooting wide open you get less play because of the short dof but its nothing different then shooting at different aperture. You focus, you shoot, you just have to make sure your shutter speed is fast enough.

 

[kundalini]

Hmmm...... same person, same thread, replies twenty minutes apart.

Its doesnt matter how fast your shutter speed is, just make sure its well exposed.

You focus, you shoot, you just have to make sure your shutter speed is fast enough.

Where I'm from, that is considered talking out of both sides of your mouth. Which is it?

 

[ghache]

Hmmm...... same person, same thread, replies twenty minutes apart.

Its doesnt matter how fast your shutter speed is, just make sure its well exposed.

You focus, you shoot, you just have to make sure your shutter speed is fast enough.

Where I'm from, that is considered talking out of both sides of your mouth. Which is it?

I was refering to MWC2 who was saying to keep it at 1/100th to get sharp images. You can get perfect sharp image at 1/40 1/50 with 50mm. 1/2 would be forced a bit. I should have been a bit more clear

 

[KmH]

 

[Vtec44]

What is the whole point of getting a f1.8 lens and shoot it a F5.6?

It's when you want to have everything within 2'9" of depth to be in focus, based on the DOF calculator. hahahahah

 

[ghache]

What is the whole point of getting a f1.8 lens and shoot it a F5.6?

It's when you want to have everything within 2'9" of depth to be in focus, based on the DOF calculator. hahahahah

For portraits? yeah right. It all depends on the situation i guess