Focus Breathing: TEST & FIX IT

[@TonyAndChelsea]

PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING: Prime lenses: Yes, focus breathing can impact them. Light loss: According to our testing, focusing up-close causes light loss, regardless of whether you use extension tubes. We don't see any light loss in this scenario with extension tubes, presumably because you're not changing the focusing distance. For those who've seen Matthew's video where he calculates that the focal length of the Canon is greater than 200mm: I worked closely with Matthew and discovered he had an error in his formula; he measured distance from the sensor rather than the origin of the cone of the field of view. As a result, his math exaggerated the focal length the closer he focused. So; he accurately measured the focal length at infinity at 200mm because his fixed error (a few inches) was insignificant compared to the focusing distance. But up close, the error caused by those few inches becomes more significant. If he had continued to focus closer, the focal length he calculated would have approached infinity. The Canon 70-200 f/2.8 is 195-200mm at the long end, whether you're focusing up close or at infinity. But you don't have to take my word for it--just test it with extension tubes, as I describe in this video. If it actually gets longer at close range, then adding extension tubes will make the image *smaller*. BTW, I've never seen a lens that does "reverse focus breathing" thing at close range, and it would require a very odd design to do that. It seems like that concept only exists because of the error in Matthew's formula. Some people have seen Matt Granger's excellent review of the new Tamron 70-200 and misinterpreted his results. Matt did a great job of pointing out the severe focus breathing of the new Tamron. The fact that the new Tamron does provide for high magnification (filling the frame for a very tight headshot) is unrelated to focus breathing. Magnification determines how big your subject can be in the frame. Focus breathing relates to effective focal length (which in turn controls the compression of facial features and the background) as well as the working distance from your subject (which is critical for weddings and events, where you can't always control the distance).

[@bikefreek]

Adding an extension tube will ALWAYS make the image appear larger. Its the same principle as pulling a magnifying glass away from the paper to magnify the image. Using an extension tube to test for focus breathing is just wrong.... you shoot a tight aperture at a scene 20 plus ft away and compare the image area at close and infinity focus. The tubes are doubling the focus breathing effect... the nikon is 165mm up close. This has all been pointed out to you multiple times and you continue to ignore it. your test is flawed.

[@jamaize1]

So many people on Matt's review were commenting 'they fixed focus breathing for nikon users' it made me cry a bit. Well done for taking the time to patiently get this out to people. While he did cover it accurately, I do think he really glossed over the point and over emphasised that minimum focusing thing. Came off as a dirty puff-piece because of that tbh to nurture a newly formed relationship with tamron, especially as he can't claim ignorance of compression when he's done a video on the topic.

[@jamaize1]

"a big thing a lot of people were concerned about was the maximum reproduction ratio" - Matt Granger... He really muddied the water with that because absolutely nobody was asking that question, everyone was asking about focus breathing and, as Matt said, it's just as bad as the Nikon.

[@zagan1]

Matt hasn't done a full of any sort of review, that video is just a quick look at that lens, so people will see it before it's released. he's on a tour so he was going to review the Tamron while on tour and after he gets back. he said a little about the focus breathing but he wasn't saying more until he had done the tour and what ever other things he has planned for a review. just to note as people shouldn't be taking that video as a review he says that a few times in the video.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

+bikefreek "Adding an extension tube will ALWAYS make the image appear larger."

[@EJohnDanton]

I've been doing photography for 40 years and came across what I think was this phenomenon a few times in the film days, and had no way to explain it. Thanks - it makes sense!

[@jonpessah9414]

Yeah thanks Tony!!! This is awesome!

[@OkwyUgonweze]

I think it's high time lens manufacturers should be telling us how much a lens breathes. Thanks Tony fir the clarifications. I had high hopes for the new tamron,seem like dashed now.

[@SeanHunterMusic]

Tony is definitely not CHILL about focus breathing :D

[@gtaatmiami]

I don’t blame him. It feels like false advertising

[@stevenliszkai7419]

Fro doesn't know photo! I learn more from your videos (?) than you can ever imagine. Thank you.

[@mazennabulsi7246]

BRILLIANT ... YOU ARE GREAT MENTOR TONY....

[@mazennabulsi7246]

Thanks .. yeah, Tony, must be tired :)

[@JohnnyLeeMusic]

I still find it odd that Dxomark doesn't have this as one of thier metrics. Wish they did...

[@ObelixCMM]

There is lots of things DXO doesn't test

[@notcorrect]

They aren't a benchmarking company, they are improving their software by accomodating all possible hardware along with their specific details. They test things that can be corrected in software so that they can sell their products as the best. Just so happens that their tests prove useful as a benchmarking metric. They can't correct focus breathing through software. They only way to do that is the photographer stepping back and cropping in post or using extension tubes.

[@cooper9917]

They need autofocus speed in my opinion. That is so important for sports/wildlife applications.

[@Maxfli82]

Best explanation of this phenomena I've seen yet. Thanks Tony. My questions is if it's possible to minimize or get rid of it, why haven't other manufacturers been able to get ride of it.

[@mynameisben123]

Huge thanks for bringing light to this issue. This, along with a few other things, are features that camera and lens makers frustratingly “cheat” us on. Luckily big players like yourself advocate for the consumer. I hope more people catch on too.

[@AstroDenny]

Matt Granger did some sample images in a video and he indicated that the focus breathing problem wasn't as severe with the new Tamron 70-200. Can you site your source for the info about the Tamron?

[@t12013]

ive seen some people saying that the new tamron is as good or even better than the nikon or canon, and here is this guy saying that he wont even talk about it ?

[@BrownieX001]

No, pretty sure Tony said the new Tamron was better than Canons in another episode. He must be talking about old tamron.

[@bowhunterxxx]

Matt didn't believe the last version of the Nikon 70-200 mm 2.8 had a bad focus breathing problem.

[@bowhunterxxx]

He is only talking about focus breathing not fast focus or sharpness, for something to be better it does not mean in every aspect does it?

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Matt did a good job of demonstrating how severe the focus breathing is with the Tamron.

[@simianinc]

By way of comparison, Fuji has announced new cinema zoom lenses for the the Sony E mount. Initial testing shows constant t-stop through the range, no focus breathing and the lenses are par-focal. I'd love still lenses with the same characteristics- but they're $6.5k

[@AstroDenny]

Also, the 'video' version of focus breathing actually is used by a lot of macro photographers as a lot of macro lenses change the subject framing as you focus. You guys always put out great videos! Thank you!

[@touringband]

My head is focus breathing after that... great work Tony

[@Glorfindale]

I just can't decide, guys. I'm frustrated that this issue exists. My sights were firm on the Tamron G2, but now I'm considering a used Canon instead. It's a lot of money to give for a product you may regret for years to come. I may be overreacting, maybe it's not that big of a deal, but it certainly puts a pause in my decision. I wanted the lens for portraits primarily, but also because of its versatility for other things, since I can only get one lens this year. I guess I'm still leaning towards Tamron G2, hopefully it's good enough to where I will be able to work around it without issues.... If you are planning on it, I would still love to see you guys review the Tamron G2, since it may have a lot of other things going for it, like focusing distance and sharpness overall. Thank you for doing good work and putting this material out there. I really appreciate it!

[@Pingu-rd9rx]

Canon lenses focus breathe too, but they breathe at longer focus distances, while most other lenses breathe at close focus.

[@prufesuroak]

would still love to see a review of the new tamron 70-200 because of its closest focus range. you can get closer if you wanted the subjet to be more in your frame. so yes if possible would still love to see a full video from you guys.

[@OkwyUgonweze]

prufesuroak seconded.

[@Shadowspawn66]

Thirded! I can't afford the Nikon 70-200 but thought the last gen Tamron was lacking in VC and perhaps durability, both of which seem to be addressed. So I'm pretty excited about the G2 and would love a T&C review - even if it mentions the focus breathing. I'd be using it on a D500 so want know how it works on a crop sensor too.

[@WilliamJohnston]

Thanks Tony, you're my favourite oompaloompa! I remember asking you this on one of the live shows a while back so I really appreciate you expanding more fully on this!

[@KaReEdCa]

Also... Great point on "you adjust to your gear". It's important to know this things to adjust and correct or simply understand the limitations of one's gear, but it's not a claim to go out and buy the most expensive gear.

[@AlexZettl]

oh man why did Tamron didnt get it right this time, the G2 was realy a option for me... does anybody now about the Sony GMaster 70-200 is there any information about that

[@mmathes4704]

Not always 100% a fan of your videos, but this is spot on and the best I have seen on this topic!

[@CyberDocUSA]

Tony, thank you for the propeller head explanation of focus breathing. It was very in-depth and extremely helpful to me! Keep up the great work.

[@Stego86]

best explanation ever! I've always used macro tubes for super close up work, but I've never thought about using them like that! thanks for the tip!

[@danev1969]

Once again, a truly informative and easy to understand factoid that helps us in the field. Thanks Tony.

[@kab4]

Thank you for this video. I had a Tamron 70-200mm that got stolen. Now I bought a Canon 70-200mm & noticed the subjects are closer then with the Tamron. Now I know why. Thank you again.

[@legin6487]

It's true I have both tamron and canon 70-200 lens Thanks for the tip Tony

[@samgove7871]

i thought you guys were kinda neat when i discovered you a month or so ago. this video makes me respect you on a technical level that i rarely encounter. cheers!

[@samgove7871]

also as a cinematographer i still enjoy this very much. its very valuable for us as well.

[@Zakna]

picked up a 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II because I knew that was the best lens for the job. :D

[@smaakjeks]

Congrats! That lens is so much fun to work with!

[@stevenlui8105]

I think you need to review both the new Tamron and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses and find out how they perform in terms of focus breathing at short distances. I've already got the latest Nikon 70-200/2.8e , and it's huge improvement in focus breathing comparing with the previous version. Minimum focusing distance has also been reduced to 1.1m. According to specs of the new Tamron 70-200/2.8 G2, its minimum focusing distance is 0.95m which is class leading. I know it doesn't make sense to have such short minimum focusing distance and a lower than expected magnification ratio at the same time. But Matt Granger's recent review really showed the lens has decent magnification on shooting close subjects. It's worthwhile to take a look.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Yeah, it has good magnification, but terrible focus breathing.

[@floex831]

Steven Lui the focus breathing seems to me the only down real down side of the new Tamron 70-200 G2 when compar d to the new Nikon 70-200 E and considering its $1500 less, I'm willing to live with the focus breathing. I still have the original and it's amazing.

[@tricamel]

Thank you for the explanation. Really useful info about the why. I am sure it has been mentioned elsewhere but just in case. To simply test if your lens focus breathes, put your camera on a mount so it won't move, focus at infinity on an image. Look for something far left or right of the frame, turn the focus ring to the closest focal length and see if the object moves out of frame. If it moves, there is a potential issue. It doesn't empirically measure the difference but if you are in a shop you can instantly see if there is a problem....and to some extent how big a problem.

[@MundtStefan]

Great video! When focus stacking for product photography, we definitely change the focus in a given "scene". Option is a macro slider or a lens that exhibits less focus breathing.

[@StephonRen]

how about fixed focal lens? According to the explanation, it is not necessarily only for zoom lens. Can you compare several 85mm or 135 lens with different working distances, such as head shots and half/full body shots?

[@chrishastings]

Genius....I have a tamron 70-200 im going to try this on next weekend :) thanks Tony

[@lesjones7617]

Your doing a great job keeping them lens manufacturers on there tows!!

[@thetrombonehub6254]

Thanks for looking into this issue and for clarifying! Excellent video! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@poikatiikeri]

I'd love a video of lenses that are best at not having these focus breathing issues

[@RWJonesAIC]

Tony, you and Chelsea can come up with some the best info on photography! I didn't even know focus breathing was a problem. Now I have to know how to check for it and then fix it. Sort of like when we discovered the snail darter was an endangered species. I had never heard of them before. Now, we have to have a nature/biology scientist tell us ok before we can stick a shovel in the ground. Keep up the great work. ;)

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Thanks!

[@martinaee]

Not necessarily a problem as he said, but just something to be aware of. I have used the Tamron 70-200 VC version 1 and love it. It does have focus breathing at 200mm, but it's no big deal to me. Some people will not care, but I guess some people would if you are specifically doing long range photography or something. Even then though it's not that big of a deal.

[@happyjr6288]

It’s not a problem there’s benefits for it to even canon have a whole pile of lenses that focus Breath usually means that the lens can focus closer which is a benefit in weddings most of the new lenses focus breath to some degree throwing away your lenses because they focus breeze is just stupidity I’m sorry for being so blunt

[@happyjr6288]

Focus breathing is not a problem you can just move in or zoom in more when they’re at the maximum distance they are all the same there’s also benefits for focus breathing like closer Focus A lot of canon lens also Focus breathe even the L-series and Nikon i’ve known this for years it’s not a new thing throwing away lenses that focus breath is like throwing your sharp lenses in the bin it makes no sense yes lens companies should provide that information but it only applies if you’re extremely small studio

[@happyjr6288]

Focus breathing isn’t a problem it happens on Canon lenses two its been like that for years Canon 100 to 400 has massive focus breathing but it’s not a problem Tony stop it One step forward one step back fixes the problem

[@russelljf56]

Tony thanks for the great info. I didn't quite get it the last time you talked about focus breathing but got it straight up with the examples you used. Nice one.

[@Traumglanz]

That is interesting. So focus breathing can be fixed by extension tubes and they help you with minimum distance for focus as well. Can we have some tests of those extension tubes? Those tubes have massive price differences from original canons at about $120 down to some cheap china plastic below $6 per tube which seem to break the first time you attach some heavy lense to them.

[@konczyke]

now that was very, very helpful, I started to enjoy and learn a lot from your great reviews, so keep up the great job, well done Sir!!! :)

[@SimplestUsername]

Thank you for doing this video! Focus breathing is a very important lens attribute that film makers need to understand. lenses with strong focus breathing cause noticeable distortion when trying to rack focus and can be very unforgiving if your subject requires slight focus adjustments to keep in focus.

[@Fresno1199]

Interesting technical class. Fun way to start my Saturday.

[@philscomputerlab]

Are there any gadgets that can do the opposite? Reduce focal length?

[@chanakasat1]

Hi Phil, didn't knew you are interested in photography! :) huge fan of your retro gaming channel!

[@LouieBaLLz]

@1:00 you explain that you use a Cannon and Nikon lens both on a sony body. Dont you need adaptors to be able to use them on Sony bodies? Could that be an issue when testing? Why wouldnt you use the lens on the native bodies? Something just doesnt seem right with that "test". Also, when you explain the extension tubes you use Nikon lens on a Nikon body. Why not use the same Sony body you used @1:00?

[@Karreth]

You do need adapters, but the adapters are passive. They don't change anything about the image. At any rate he has demonstrated focus breathing using native cameras in the past too.

[@metals2546]

That is really unfortunate about the new Tamron 70-200. Was hoping the focus breathing would be minimal. And thank you for making this issue much more well known. What I find annoying are those people that will say the focus breathing is not an issue, just more closer. To all those people,....let me explain myself,....I don't care what you think about the focus breathing, if it is not an issue for you, wonderful, go on with your wonderful life. But for those of us that do have an issue with it your opinions are not relevant.

[@lakejindsay]

Tony - Does this vary from lens to lens even from within the same make and model? In other words is it a matter of manufacturing tolerances? In the golf equipment industry you can buy a driver that is supposed to have 9* of loft, but given the manufacturing tolerances of +/- 1* it could actually be 8* or 10* which is pretty significant. Like driver loft, focal length is kind of important so I feel like they should at the very minimum say something like 50-200mm +/- 25

[@josephmcfarland6103]

Thanks for sharing that tidbit of info.

[@davidruzicka8479]

Great and very helpful video. Made me rethink the lens I was about to buy!

[@classicrockonly]

So switch to Canon to solve focus breathing?

[@redbutton_photo]

Tony, what if your extension tubes have pins and work with your autofocus? I have a set that does but I haven't tested to see if it'll fix that issue. XIT XTETN kit.

[@LongManeDude]

This is the best explanation of focus breathing I've seen on KZbin. Can you tell me what brand of extension tubes you use in the "Fix It" discussion? I have Nikon's PK-11, PK-12 and PK-13 extension tubes, but they're absolutely useless for the newer lenses having an internal aperture. I'm looking forward to more of your excellent videos!

[@osamaismaeel7771]

Excellent explanation, thank you Tony.. your videos are very important and beneficial

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Thanks!

[@RonzuGaming]

Please review the new sigma 70-200mm f2.8 sports version. I'm pondering between sigma or used canon. Mostly for portrait and wildlife use.

[@smaakjeks]

This was nerdelicious!

[@floex831]

Smaakjeks K he's been voted sexiest nerd.

[@smaakjeks]

+floex831 Nothing sexier than a sharp mind!

[@floex831]

Smaakjeks K couldn't agree more. However I love the ladies. But I do admit Mr. Northrup is a very good looking man.

[@smaakjeks]

lol

[@michaelasmeets7809]

Great explanation. I noticed just using live view that I could see it. With my cheap 75-300 canon f4-5.6 the front of the lens moves when focusing, so it doesn't breath: the image blurs but nothing moves/translates. With my sigma 17-50 f2.8 the objects at the side translate off-frame as they blur. I bet it'll be even more clean comparing the tamrom 70-200 vs the canon 70-200

[@raphaellencrerot]

Excellent... what about teleconverts? by adding a distance from the lense to the sensor fix focus breathing on the new focal distance?

[@TonyAndChelsea]

It'll add distance, yes, but also reduces the f/stop. sdp.io/tc

[@raphaellencrerot]

Tony & Chelsea Northrup thanks !

[@chrisviolette6303]

Thank you for this. Frustrating re: the new Tamron. A 70-200mm w/ a true 200mm focal length up close for portraits seems to be a bit of a unicorn, particularly for Nikon bodies. Aside from Nikon's ridiculously priced 200mm f/2 prime is there another lens for Nikon w/ a true 200mm focal length?

[@percent20net]

I was thinking. If you have an ASP-C and get the Tamron 70-200 with a focus breathing problem. Wouldn't that really make a mess with what you actually capturing? Would it even be worth it to buy the 70-200 lens? It seems like you wouldn't be capturing what you are expecting and if you move to a Full Frame body you would have to re-learn a lot.

[@arthurshagall2119]

That is such a brilliant idea (extension tubes)! Kudos, sir. Today I learned something new.

[@ivankiefer3886]

Not practical at all

[@Ranblv]

I heard you mention it before, I was hoping you will dedicate a video for it. Thanks.

[@burning1rr]

This video is a great explanation of focus breathing. Technical comments ahead: The focal length of a lens is literally defined as the distance between the lens and sensor when focusing at infinity. A camera maker is not cheating you when they advertise a 200mm lens with focus breathing problems as being a 200mm lens. Focus breathing can be treated as a weakness of the lens rather than as a lie. To focus on near objects (anything with an object distance less than ∞), we can reduce the focal length of the lens and maintain the same image distance (causing us to breath out as with most 70-200 zooms), increase the image distance (causing us to breath in, as with macro lenses) or balance the use of both techniques to minimize focus breathing (the ideal.)

[@Biker_Gremling]

I always carry a 12mm extension tube if I want to perform very tight head-shots with my Tamron 70-200 f2.8 (previous generation). However, as Tony mentioned, does cut you flexibility and it's a hassle in the case of paid work. Just for fun I threw a Nikon 80-200mm f4.5-5.6D (a plastic fantastic kit lens from the 90's) to my D810 and found no focus breathing on it. For some reason pictures where a little warmer, and less sharp than the Tamron, but hey, not bad for something you can buy second hand for ~80 bucks.

[@LukasRauchPhotography]

Hi Tony & Chelsea, maybe you can give me an answer for that, would highly appreciate your thoughts on this. I'm still shooting with my Tamron 70-200 VC of the first generation and was actually thinking about switching to the G2 version due the compatibility with extenders. I'm shooting concerts like 90% of the time and thought this would be great to get some kind of "on stage portraits" of the artists when shooting outdoor festivals where the available light is sufficient to shoot with a 2x TC. Shooting in photopits in front of 2m high stages isn't really around the closest focussing distance, therefore I think the focus breathing will be a a huge problem especially with a 2x TC attached (the closest focussing distance of 0,95m should be around 1,8m then) since my subjects are usually 2,5-5m away from me. Do you possibly have an idea how far I'd need to be away to not have much focus breathing at all? Not really looking for something like 250mm when shooting at 400mm, wouldn't be worth the upgrade I guess. Thank you!

[@Martin-nu6ym]

Using the Fuji 50-140 but for controlled situations I will normally switch to the 56 and 90 primes. I will need to test the 50-140 for focus breathing, I do have both of Fuji extension tubes for testing. I'm curious to see what happens when I use the 1.4x TC on the lens as well. If the 196 close focus would be closer to the 140 then that might be another option for me.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

Let me know what you find; I haven't tested the Fuji but it doesn't seem to breathe (just real-world shooting it)

[@PatrickOSullivanAUS]

Hi Tony, Excellent, but can you tell me if you lose from the bottom end.I have the tamron 70-200mm in the crop sensor Nikon d500 and I find the bottom end 70mm which is effectively 105mm on the cropped sensor is often to lane for close up work. so can the W extension tubes give some benefit here? from Adelaide, South Australia. Bye patrick

[@TonyAndChelsea]

+Patrick O'Sullivan yeah extension tubes let you focus closer. Check chapter 12 of Stunning Digital Photography.

[@wmk0100]

Great explanation. Do you have a video on how to measure and test the focal length of lenses?

[@TonyAndChelsea]

No... it's exceptionally hard at close range, because you have to identify the location of the physical aperture of the lens (where the cone of the angle of view originates), and that can move around depending on where a lens is zoomed or focused. It's fairly easy at infinity, but most lenses are honest about their infinity focusing (within about ~5-10mm).

[@lucabellomo]

Tony please do a review of the new Tamron, because even if it suffer focus breathing it also have a close focus of only 0,95mt which probably compensates the focus breathing.

[@daysleeper1701]

Thanks for the great videos! did you guy ever got around to test if the Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM has focus breathing? if you did, can you please post the link? Thanks so much!

[@PaulKentSkates]

does this phenomenon ever work by increasing magnification of the subject the closer you focus (same issue but in reverse)? I read a review about the 105mm sigma that states the magnification increases by 13% at the closest focusing range from infinity. The closer you are the tighter it crops would actually be okay in my book having less distance to walk. Or would that likely be a mistake by the reviewer?

[@camilov8968]

So what about the new "Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR". It seems that it has NO focus breathing problems at all. It will be nice if you review this lens, so we can now if it is a GAME CHANGER or not. But thanks for the video.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

We have reviewed it and it has much less focus breathing, but it still has some. I think I show it in this video, right? Nonetheless, it's "good enough" for us and we bought it and happily use it.

[@camilov8968]

Well thanks a lot Tony & Chelsea for the answer. As every one knows, almost every lens has some Focus Breathing, but if in this case it is significantly less than the last one it will be game changer for me and for that reason I will keep Nikon. Thanks a lot.

[@MattArmon]

so I remember watching this 2 years ago and thinking, "wow I am certainly not gonna buy the tamron G2" and here I am now realizing that the focus breathing isnt that big of an issue 90% of the time. if I need a 200mm its because I need that extra reach. if I wanna shoot something closer, id probably get a macro lens anyways. Here I am in 2019 buying a tamron g2 because its dirt cheap and nobody cares about focus breathing haha.

[@BigWhiskey91]

Yeah it’s such a trivial quality to complain about unless you’re working with video. Most will get the 70-200 because they want reach. This ‘issue’ only means folks should test their gear and know how it works before using it in a working environment (like they continue to mention as their example).

[@matasmendelis1073]

Great video! Do extension tubes effect the auto focusing capabilities?

[@TonyAndChelsea]

They shouldn't (if you buy extension tubes with AF capabilities) but focusing at close range is always harder for a lens.

[@ericsmyth2221]

Thanks you for this information. I'm always learning from you channel

[@rallisf1]

Do macro lenses suffer less or more from this or is it irrelevant? I use a DX Tamron 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 Macro lens and I have noticed it looks more like 135mm when shooting >=170mm up close and I mean it won't make the slightest difference between 170mm and 200mm, it's like it caps there. For landscapes no such issues.

[@gbrllopez3]

Tony, have you heard anything about Canon's 120 MP Camera and the 250 MP sensor they said they had been working on?

[@TonyAndChelsea]

No, and it's been years since they first showed those high-res sensors! We might never see them now that the market has plummeted.

[@tedp9945]

Also would be nice if they told you what kind of motor was in the lenses you bought too.

[@ivankiefer3886]

I will say that depends in the application that the lens intended to be used for, if it really matters or not.

[@buyaport]

Great video. Only I thought "focus breathing" means that the focused lens goes out of focus when you zoom in or out. When shooting a video in autofocus mode and zooming in or out you then get the effect that the picture becomes shortly defocused and then focused again. This gives the "breathing" effect, hence the name. (Many lenses do that, esp. when designed for stills, not videos, but some don't.) Am I wrong?

[@Dulliesa]

Thank you. Please keep making videos

[@christianpetersen1782]

Hi Tony, I'm a bit late to the party but having just been very impressed with your explanation of focus breathing, I'm now subscribing to you. So thanks very much for that. I'm a Fuji user and as you know Fuji lenses have a good reputation for quality. Have you tested any Fujifilm lenses please?

[@bdfrankmeow]

This is the kind of stuff for wich i watch Tony Northrup . I consider i just learned something important and a different use of extension tubes. I also have a question : am i wrong in thinking that there is also some focus breathing on fixed focal macro lenses ?

[@TonyAndChelsea]

It's common for macro lenses to have focus breathing, because they have to move the optics so far away from the sensor to focus up close.

[@Canoneosmiami]

Good explanation Tony .

[@SaltyJim4]

Tony, This was a great explanation of focus breathing. As an amateur, I didn't really understand it until this video. THANKS. I would also like to ask your opinion about equipment for a crop sensor. I currently have the Nikon D5200. I'm thinking about getting a 24-70mm 2.8 zoom. I'm wondering about your opinion about getting this lens on a crop sensor. Obviously the effective focal length of the 24-70mm on the crop sensor is like 36-105mm, right? So would you suggest getting a true 24-70mm understanding the effective focal length? Or would it be better to get something like the Sigma 17-50mm which would effectively be closer to the 24-70mm? And then maybe later get something around 50-135mm to mimic the 70-200mm? Love your videos! Jim Deegan

[@EmoEmu]

Any idea how the Sony FE 70-200/2.8 GM does in this regard? Seems like no one actually tested this and reviews brush over it.

[@damiancanteros]

Hi Tony! Nice video. Your main videocamera lens looks too soft low on contrast. Great video quality on the B camera (detail view of the Mamiya and Nikon) though.

[@Holtenstein]

I was only thinking of it for video. Thanks Tony

[@sayharris1361]

i have a canon 600 f4 prime and the 70-200 f2.8 with a 2x lll that i shoot motor sports with but thinking about the sigma 150-600mm sport lens

[@JeffSpeers]

Seeing how Sony is coming on strong, how does their 70-200mm f/2.8 and f/4 fair? As a soon-to-be new owner of the Sony A7MK3 am I better off with the Sony lens or adapting to use Canon glass. I will be using mostly for close range shots. Thanks!

[@zemekiel]

How are they at the lower end though? Is a Canon 70-200mm truly 70mm at the lower end? Is the Tamron?

[@LevanVerdzeuli]

Could focus breathing result in narrowing field of view when focusing at closest distance? I tested my (ancient) Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D lens at 200mm and, compared to infinity focus, at closest focus it has much narrower FOV.

[@waynemarch6681]

I guess since I have always a Nikon shooter I never noticed. I guess you can't miss what you never had. Tony, the service you can do for audience is review the Tamron and give an assessment of how it compares against the competition. My 70-200mm is broken. It will cost about $1,100 to fix so I am trying to decide whether to buy the expensive new Nikon version or is the new Tamron a feasible option. With $40K in Nikon gear switching to Canon is not an option i will have to live with focus breathing.

[@thuyvu33]

Love you guys...I have all of books and such.

[@moathahmed322]

Why dont you review the New Tamron 70-200 the focus breathing thing ? i was reading random comments and people wish that you do a review about it :) i also would love to see how the tamron will perform before buying one . thanks for this informative video :)

[@source1289]

Tony, could you please adress how the focus breathing affects the f- and t-stop. As far as I know extensiontubes increase the f-stop (less light, more focal depth), and this is also true for some macro lenses when they close to 1:1 (e.g. Tamron 90mm 2.8 VC). Is this beacuse the focal length increases and the apperature diameter stays the same? If the en the Canon 70-200 is "resueing" focus breathing by moving the lenses away from the sensor, effectifly as an extension tube, then it should be a true 200mm but not a true f2.8. Is it darker than the nikon when at close focus? If ture, it would mean all lenses suffer from focus breathing, some in the focal length - others with the f-stop.

[@TonyAndChelsea]

+Source 128 all lenses lose light when focusing closer. To the best of my knowledge focus breathing wouldn't have any impact on that.

[@MaxTheCorgs]

Can you please do a video explaining crop sensor vs full sensor DSLRs and how it affects lens performance? Hope that made sense. Thank you!

[@Lionheart2323]

Max TheCorgs i think the link to this is sdp.io/ffcrop

[@MaxTheCorgs]

DracariaEntertainment thanks so much, for some reason I couldn't find it :)

[@mikeearussi]

I appreciate you testing for focus breathing, and I wish other lens reviewers did as well (is it really that difficult?), as it is an important consideration for a zoom portrait lens. And there is no easy fix. I also use extension tubes on some of my lenses and the focus limitation that introduces is very limiting. Have you ever made a quantitative list of the various lenses and their breathing?

[@joshharris3040]

When referring to the Canon in this video, I'm assuming this is the IS II version, correct? What about the non-IS and the original IS versions? How do they perform in this category? Anyone?

[@TimLucasdesign]

So the brand new Tamron SP 70-200 f2.8 VC has Focus Breathing?

[@mynameisdeleted]

My Rokinon AF 85mm F1.4 for canon rf appears to reach 100mm when I focus close... this seems easiest to test at F8 or F11, as the blur on defocused objects at F1.4 is so extreme that it's hard to tell if a blurry or a sharp object are the same size. How common is reverse focus breathing?

[@craiglarbes6474]

I'm trying to learn the technical aspects of photphotography. I'm assuming you don't have this issue with prime lenses? If not is that an advantage of using a prime lens over a zoom lens?

[@TonyAndChelsea]

+Craig Larbes prime lenses can breathe.

[@MyJuancho2010]

Thank you Tony..excellent information..

[@AM-zn9di]

great video thanks for keeping up the research on focus breathing