Nikon 55~200 AFS

[robbins.photo]

OMG
i have been doing it all wrong. If DOF is the same as it is in 3d, then i really understand it. However i'm pretty sure that if I aim at the string grommets to the left of the bag, that the right extremity of the bag at f11 will be slightly out of focus. IN 3D DOF only pertains to depth in a straight line and not right and left.
Let me try a shot now aiming at the left tassels.

A point further to the left or further to the right won't matter, what matters is it's distance from the camera's sensor. So lets say that the grommet is exactly 3 feet away from the camera, and that's what you choose as your point of focus.

Everything that is also exactly 3 feet away on that same horizontal plane will be in focus. Anything that is 3.1 feet away or 2.9 feet away may experience some focus fall off depending on your DOF. The DOF tells you how far away you can move from the plane of focus before your focus starts to fall off, either toward or away from the camera.

Hopefully that makes sense.

 

[Quovadis]

Oh, i see what you mean, the left tassels (A) are the closest point (less distant) portion of the bag.
The top of the bag (b) is the farthest away.
That is the DOF (A-B).
So the blue line that I also want to get into focus is irrelevant.
Maybe f11 is way too high then for this pic, because the DOF is pretty small

 

[Quovadis]

I have been reading that all the modern day prime lenses AFS are made of plastic, and the really good primes are made in Japan they are called AF. When you guys speak of prime do you mean the AF or AFS? I have one 80mm afs on order. Should I have bought the AF instead?
I can always return it.
At this point I am really leaning towards a 60mm prime. I suddenly realized that I do not have to stand back as much as previously imagined

 

[Quovadis]

Here is better example. Now i need to read up on techniques to determine what F value I need for this specific DOF distance.

 

[robbins.photo]

I have been reading that all the modern day prime lenses AFS are made of plastic, and the really good primes are made in Japan they are called AF. When you guys speak of prime do you mean the AF or AFS? I have one 80mm afs on order. Should I have bought the AF instead?
I can always return it.
At this point I am really leaning towards a 60mm prime. I suddenly realized that I do not have to stand back as much as previously imagined

The S in AF-S stands for Silent Wave Motor - something you'll need if you want to be able to use the autofocus features of the lens. Older model lenses, such as AF-D, rely on a focus motor that is built into the camera body to autofocus, which your model does not have. The newer entry level nikons, D3xxx and D5xxx series lack this focus motor built into the body and rely on the lens itself having it's own focus motor built in.

 

[Quovadis]

I have been reading that all the modern day prime lenses AFS are made of plastic, and the really good primes are made in Japan they are called AF. When you guys speak of prime do you mean the AF or AFS? I have one 80mm afs on order. Should I have bought the AF instead?
I can always return it.
At this point I am really leaning towards a 60mm prime. I suddenly realized that I do not have to stand back as much as previously imagined

The S in AF-S stands for Silent Wave Motor - something you'll need if you want to be able to use the autofocus features of the lens. Older model lenses, such as AF-D, rely on a focus motor that is built into the camera body to autofocus, which your model does not have. The newer entry level nikons, D3xxx and D5xxx series lack this focus motor built into the body and rely on the lens itself having it's own focus motor built in.

GOT IT

 

[Quovadis]

Where do I focus when there's no DOF?
look at this pic, no apparent DOF

 

[robbins.photo]

GOT IT

If at some point you decide to look at other brands of lenses, Tamron refers to lenses with the motor built in as BIM (Built in Motor), Sigma calls it HSM (HyperSonic Motor).

Nikkors will be referred to as AF-S or will be designated as a G model lens. The older D models do not have built in focus motors.

 

[Quovadis]

GOT IT

If at some point you decide to look at other brands of lenses, Tamron refers to lenses with the motor built in as BIM (Built in Motor), Sigma calls it HSM (HyperSonic Motor).

Nikkors will be referred to as AF-S or will be designated as a G model lens. The older D models do not have built in focus motors.

GOT IT

 

[Designer]

i have been doing it all wrong. If DOF is the same as it is in 3d, then i really understand it. However i'm pretty sure that if I aim at the string grommets to the left of the bag, that the right extremity of the bag at f11 will be slightly out of focus. IN 3D DOF only pertains to depth in a straight line and not right and left.
Let me try a shot now aiming at the left tassels.

Actually, the DOF is more of a slight curve, where the plane of focus is slightly curved around the lens, so that every point is equidistant from the lens.

For practical purposes we tend to think of this as a flat plane, but it's actually somewhat curved. A bit like your arm's reach is equidistant from your shoulder, no matter which way your arm is extended.

Get your focus area positioned over one of the grommets, press the shutter button only half way and hold it there while you move the camera to the right to get the entire bag in the frame. If you haven't taken your finger off the button, you may now finish pressing the shutter button the rest of the way which will release the shutter, and the focal plane should still keep the grommet in focus, even though it is no longer directly in the focus area.

 

[Designer]

Maybe f11 is way too high then for this pic, because the DOF is pretty small

The best way to know what aperture to use for DOF is to actually calculate the DOF using a DOF calculator. There is one online that you can use here: Online Depth of Field Calculator

Plug in your variables, such as; camera, lens, focal length, aperture, and distance for find the DOF for that shot.

If the DOF is "thicker" that your subject, then you can take the shot. If the DOF is thinner than your subject, make some adjustments to make it "thicker". Then take the shot.

All of those variables affect the DOF, so you should do that every time you change something.

 

[Designer]

Where do I focus when there's no DOF?
look at this pic, no apparent DOF

For this example, the bag appears to be no more than 4 inches thick, at least for the parts that we see. So you will want to make sure your DOF is at least 4 inches, front to back. You would focus on any handy "edge", such as where the handle is attached to the bag, lock focus, then re-frame and finish the shot.

 

[Quovadis]

i have been doing it all wrong. If DOF is the same as it is in 3d, then i really understand it. However i'm pretty sure that if I aim at the string grommets to the left of the bag, that the right extremity of the bag at f11 will be slightly out of focus. IN 3D DOF only pertains to depth in a straight line and not right and left.
Let me try a shot now aiming at the left tassels.

Actually, the DOF is more of a slight curve, where the plane of focus is slightly curved around the lens, so that every point is equidistant from the lens.

For practical purposes we tend to think of this as a flat plane, but it's actually somewhat curved. A bit like your arm's reach is equidistant from your shoulder, no matter which way your arm is extended.

Get your focus area positioned over one of the grommets, press the shutter button only half way and hold it there while you move the camera to the right to get the entire bag in the frame. If you haven't taken your finger off the button, you may now finish pressing the shutter button the rest of the way which will release the shutter, and the focal plane should still keep the grommet in focus, even though it is no longer directly in the focus area.

Oh, this is getting really interesting.
In other words, we have to perform this operation because of the lack of focus points? In other words, Imagine, the D3300 had many focus points and one landed right on the left gromett, and the bag was perfectly framed, we would not need to re-position the viewfinder after the focus? Am i correct?
The problem is that I have a wireless shutter release button, I will not be able to use that, but I can use the 2 second delay.

Alternately would either of these two work:
1. place any red focus point on the left grommet
2. focus half way shutter press
3. Lock the focus. ae-l BUTTON
4. re-position bag in frame
5. take shot

OR
1. place any red focus point on the left grommet
2. focus half way shutter press
3. Slide The A to M for manual focus
4. re-position bag in frame
5. take shot

 

[Quovadis]

I tried the AE-L button to lock focus, it did nothing.
I tried it the way you suggested with the 2 second delay, it's not as difficult as it seems, but I have to remember not to release shutter button one bag is repositioned in the view finder.

 

[Quovadis]

I just tried to use the online calculator and chose the Nikon D300 because my D3300 was not in the list.
I plugged in the following F11 43MM AND im about 4 feet back from my bag.
The problem is that I am trying to determine the best F value to shoot these bags at.
Bags are only a few inches thick so distance in depth of field is small, we are talking a few inches. Does this mean I have to use a low F value? Maybe f11 is overkill.