How to Find Focal Distance in Lightroom & Why It Matters for Better Photos

[@WILDALASKA]

For Nikon Cameras: To turn on the EXIF focal distance display on a Nikon Z9, navigate to the camera menu, then go to the "Photo Shooting Menu" (camera icon), and within the extended menu banks, ensure the option is set to "ON"; this will automatically record the focal length used by the lens in the EXIF data of your images. For Sony Cameras: To turn on EXIF focal distance on a Sony A1, navigate to the camera menu, go to the "Shooting" tab, then select "File Format" and ensure that "EXIF" is selected; this will automatically include the focal length information in the image metadata.

[@Mr1Spring]

I have a Z8, extended is on and still no focus distance info in lightroom. Is there another setting that I missed?

[@markusmarschall6643]

Extended menu banks is (and was) on. It is a off/on switch, so what do you mean by "within" extended menu banks?

[@deanh9674]

Thanks, I had that problem with my z9

[@AndyAstbury]

As far as I can see, EXTENDED SHOOTING BANKS on or off, makes no difference with Z9 shots. The focus distance data IS recorded in either case, but nothing can read it - except one app that I know of, Raw Digger. Here's a screen grab on my Google Drive: drive.google.com/file/d/1th8VG1ng4ugLULUbdP0LNx0C4h_k0qUs/view?usp=sharing As you can see, Raw Digger has no problem reading the recorded subject distance data. Even Nikons own software does not give you this data! I'm 100% with Scott as to the extreme importance of this bit of data, for photographers who aspire to a greater understanding of DoF etc, but honestly, Scott, you need to do follow-up video on this to show me what we are doing wrong!!!

[@kaawe100]

@@Mr1Spring I can't find the Customise Metadata Default Panel for my Nikon Z in Lightroom maybe that is the problem ?

[@Jdilpkle]

Hello Scott! I’m hoping you get to see my comment. Firstly, I’m I brand new photographer that has a hankering for birds and wildlife, and I’m thankful I recently came across your channel. It’s refreshing how your demeanor makes your videos so pleasant to watch over and over again. Thank you so very much. I’m 70, like the outdoors, ride street motorcycles, and go off road pretty often. I recently purchased a R6 Mk2 and the 200-800 Canon lens I can use with the R6 but I haven’t had an opportunity to head out with the new setup. It may sound silly, but with new cameras coming out all the time like Mark 3’s, and continually updated equipment, I feel at times I’m already on the back foot because technology is always moving forward far faster than I ever could afford to keep up with. I do struggle with feeling I’m even starting out at a disadvantage as new gear is released seemingly every other day that would help me take better pictures and video. I guess I’m looking for a bit of perspective to help me with just moving forward. Again, thank you for a most enjoyable channel, it means more than you know. All the best. Joe

[@WILDALASKA]

The good thing is that these new cameras make it pretty easy to shoot still and video. I have a setup guide for the R6 MKII on the chan new also that might be helpful. In the new year I will be doing a series of videos on shooting manual, using the autofocus systems in the field, BIF, etc. all in simple ways to do each task. Enough t worry about without having to fuss with the camera. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[@VABrowneMDPhD]

Merry Christmas! This is such useful information for learning and understanding our own shooting patterns in a particular area. Thank you for making this video!!!

[@WILDALASKA]

Merry Christmas! Glad you found it helpful.

[@ericsmith9777]

Just ran a couple of tests through my Photopills.....what an eye opener !! Thanks !!!!

[@WILDALASKA]

Yes I love the app. You can also install it on your phone to have in the field.

[@ericsmith9777]

@@WILDALASKA I have the phone app which I got to branch out into landscape using ND filters. Your video added another useful dimension I was not aware off. Thanks again and have a great Xmas day !!!!!

[@raysinclair5857]

very practical and real world impact. Thank you!

[@WILDALASKA]

You're very welcome!

[@KingLoopie1]

Thanks for the info and the LR tips! 👍👍

[@WILDALASKA]

Glad it was helpful.

[@scooter5193]

Thanks for the tip! Hope you had a good Christmas. Cheers.

[@WILDALASKA]

You're welcome! Hope you did as well.

[@JennaCee]

Great advice and Merry Christmas

[@WILDALASKA]

Happy holidays!

[@keeskraaijeveld4704]

Nice video again! Have a nice Christmas :)

[@WILDALASKA]

Happy holidays!

[@randyschwager84]

Great info. It reminds me to be analyzing my shot more rather than just running and gunning! Merry Christmas!

[@WILDALASKA]

Yes taking notes of conditions and dates and then taking notes while editing as to the results and settings helps a lot.

[@robertharvey2580]

Thanks so much for this!

[@WILDALASKA]

Glad it was helpful!

[@neildoherty9428]

Thanks good information 👍

[@WILDALASKA]

👍

[@williambakkernl]

Great little vid Scott, much appreciated! Never knew the info was already present in Lightroom, so, again, you teached me something! Thanks for that, I wish you and your loved ones a great X-Mas!

[@WILDALASKA]

Merry Christmas 🌟🎄

[@tomdearie5165]

Thanks, Scott. Great little tidbit. Also, great to see you showing distance to subject of photos. Critical piece of info when I’m considering a shot. 👍

[@WILDALASKA]

Thanks! Distance matters a lot.

[@amyandmark1999]

Very helpful, thank you Scott and happy holidays!

[@WILDALASKA]

Thanks and happy holidays to you too!

[@JeffJones-im1dx]

Thank you...I just added showing all my camera settings in Lightroom. Didn't know how to do this before.

[@WILDALASKA]

You’re welcome! I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@steveking6204]

Wonderful info

[@WILDALASKA]

Glad you liked it!

[@1973Antoniob]

Very nice, thank you. I confirm that in Lr this work only with the Z9, not with the Z6 III and also with the Z30.

[@WILDALASKA]

According to searches the z6III should be recording focal distance, but alas it isn't.

[@Kap26]

Great video Scott, been wondering how you get that data and was meaning to ask one of these days. Happy holidays!

[@WILDALASKA]

Happy Holidays to you too! Glad you found it helpful.

[@jhmnieuwenhuis]

Thanks, very helpfull

[@WILDALASKA]

Glad it was helpful!

[@markterry3277]

Interesting stuff! You might want to adjust the shutter speed on the camera you use for video, as it is interacting with the lights in your room, and there are some dark bands drifting up the video...

[@WILDALASKA]

No, the lights in the cabin I am staying at the lights are doing that. The overhead lights in the kitchen have a very fast flicker every once in a while and a pulse wave thats visible to the naked eye even.

[@markterry3277]

@@WILDALASKA Ah, that explains it. That must be annoying!

[@irbis8801]

Thanks, I only don’t remember where in the menu to switch on focus distance recording in z8.

[@WILDALASKA]

It was on by default for me.

[@Kellysher]

I’ve been shooting on weekends for 3 years and know that there is so much more to learn. I learned a few things here and that’s appreciated! One thing that I wish I understood better is focal plane and focus points. When shooting multiple ducks I’m aware of stopping the aperture down to increase dof, but sometimes I still have 1 sharp duck and 1 not. I don’t toggle focus points well. I use bbf. 1 for eye detect and 1 for spot. So I guess the question is, would changing to a larger focus point zone increase the odds of both ducks being in focus?

[@WILDALASKA]

No. Just get a focus on the duck in the 'middle' of where you want your focus point and then to affect depth of field. to make it larger you can do 3 things: increase your aperture, move farther away form your subject, to shoot a small focal length ( instead of 500mm shoot 400mm, etc.) Applications like photopills will help you calculate your depth of field with those 3 points and then you can start understanding how to include all the heads etc in focus. Sometimes you just can't though.

[@Kellysher]

@ Thanks!

[@hstein27]

Thanks for this. I was wondering where you got this info! I had to switch to Default for the dropdown next to the Metadata label in order to be able to customize, as the EXIF setting for Metadata doesn't allow you to customize. Every picture is always a longer focal distance than I would think, past about 20 feet. Birds in flight or on a pond can easily be 100ft or more and still come out pretty well at 800 or 840mm! Heat haze has been a pain lately, especially in morning. It's really hard to see in the EVF and then you get home and it's mush 😥Happened to me this week getting down low for some ducks and loons.

[@WILDALASKA]

Very true. it's amazing what we think distance is vs what it actually was. And learning that distance and what the result is helps immensely, at least for me.

[@kilohotel6750]

Never knew you could select the info for there. I definitely will be personalizing that next time I'm in Lightroom.

[@WILDALASKA]

👍

[@bengterlandsson7921]

Thanks for the explanation, been wondering how you measured the distance to the birds.

[@WILDALASKA]

You bet!

[@baltasound08]

Thanks for explaining it and showing how to get the info. I’m currently away for Xmas so I can’t get the info on my pc, however, it doesn’t appear to be available on LR for my IPad - or at least I can’t find it :(

[@WILDALASKA]

Desktop and LRC

[@dav14pawest]

Great tip about adding the focal distance. I just wish I could change the units to feet instead of meters but I've search for a way to do that and can't find a way. I never thought about using focal distance to inform me about issues surrounding atmospheric distortion. Always in enjoy your content.

[@WILDALASKA]

Glad it was helpful. Yes I would love to change it out of metric also. Can't find a way either.

[@mariannejohnson5357]

Thanks! Very helpful! I tried to do this when you mentioned it before, but couldn’t. This time couldn’t find customize at first but someone’s comment was helpful. Is there really no option to change from meters to feet?

[@WILDALASKA]

Not that I can find

[@cathco9]

Thank you for this Christmas gift! You tried to explain how to find it in another video, but I just couldn't figure it out. I'm definitely going to add it. I need help with DOF. I have PhotoPills, so I'm going to use that calculator. Merry Christmas, Scott! 🎄🎄🎄

[@WILDALASKA]

Awesome. Glad it was helpful.

[@cathco9]

@WILDALASKA Very helpful! I already set it up, added a few things and removed some this in the Customize menu. I've already played with Photopills as well, checking DOF for a few photos.

[@acloud4]

Great information. Do you know if the distance to focus is available for display on the camera screen? Would this info be helpful while shooting or better later whin reviewing and studying images?

[@WILDALASKA]

I don't believe so. Maybe different models or brands will. Canon R5mkii will show you focal length but not distance

[@jaheuk]

Hi, great video again! Is there some guidance, table, formula with input: aperture, focal length and distance to subject and outcome DOF? So you can manipulate one of these in case of a small or very big bird and you want the whole bird in focus. Or is it trial and error ? (I have a R7) thx!

[@WILDALASKA]

Photopills app will do the calculation

[@cryptographerchris4856]

Never knew this existed. Thanks for sharing. Tried it on my lightroom, but do not have the customize button. Very strange.

[@WILDALASKA]

Lightroom Classic

[@cryptographerchris4856]

@ that’s the one. I’ll refresh and try again.

[@HotGates]

Great thanks for this but going through my Nikon images the focal distance is blank doesn't show anything, Do you have to turn it on in camera menu somewhere? With my Canon it shows the distance. BTW I have the Z9 and Z 180-600 lens.

[@markusmarschall6643]

I see the same thing: Nikon Z9. Lossless compressed or High efficiency * does not matter, Focus Distance does not show in LR Classic 14.1.1 Also, what is the difference between Focus Distance and Subject Distance?

[@fredkrampetz9612]

Same thing with my Nikon Z8 + 500mm PF. No focal distance setting available in the camera, and therefore no focal distance info in the metadata in Lightroom Classic. It's probably too much to ask for this feature in a firmware update.

[@WILDALASKA]

To turn on the EXIF focal distance display on a Nikon Z9, navigate to the camera menu, then go to the "Photo Shooting Menu" (camera icon), and within the extended menu banks, ensure the option is set to "ON"; this will automatically record the focal length used by the lens in the EXIF data of your images.

[@WILDALASKA]

To turn on the EXIF focal distance display on a Nikon Z9, navigate to the camera menu, then go to the "Photo Shooting Menu" (camera icon), and within the extended menu banks, ensure the option is set to "ON"; this will automatically record the focal length used by the lens in the EXIF data of your images.

[@HotGates]

@WILDALASKA OK extended menu Banks was already set to on so I'm not sure why it's not showing in lightroom.

[@edkight6447]

Great information but I don't have a Customize Tab at bottom of Metadata . LR 14.1.1 Mac 15.1.1. Any ideas ? I shooting Sony A7RV. The above A1 instructions don't match my menu. Thanks

[@WILDALASKA]

To turn on the focal distance display on a Sony A7R5, navigate to the menu, go to the "Shooting" tab, then select "Image Stabilization" and choose "Focal Length" where you can set it to your desired setting; this will display the focal length information used by the built-in image stabilization feature.

[@edkight6447]

@@WILDALASKA Thanks for your response. I was able to find it but it's Grayed out in the menu. Focal Length is grayed out, "This operation or setting not available " Doesn't seem to matter if SS is on or off . Weird Thanks

[@danaswan843]

Good video. I can’t seem to find focal distance in Photoshop. No customization menu.

[@WILDALASKA]

To find the EXIF focal distance in Photoshop, open the image, go to "File" > "File Info", and within the "Camera Data" section, you will see the "Focal Length" value, which represents the focal distance of the lens used to capture the image.

[@danaswan843]

@@WILDALASKA I still can't get it to work in Photoshop with either my Z9 or Z8. I have the extended banks checked and am using manual mode for shutter speed and aperture. The camera data still only shows the focal length, not the focus distance. I must be doing something wrong.

[@ChuckJ7777]

I have it turned on for my Sony Raw images but am not seeing it in the metadata. Is there something I have to turn on in the camera?

[@WILDALASKA]

Per Sony....To turn on EXIF focal distance on a Sony A1, navigate to the camera menu, go to the "Shooting" tab, then select "File Format" and ensure that "EXIF" is selected; this will automatically include the focal length information in the image metadata. other than that im not sure. DOnt have a Sony camera with me atm. Out in the field chasing owls 🦉

[@teridashfield9852]

Just watched your video and tried to get my LR set up to show focal distance but with a Sony A1 it will not show it. I tried a file from 2017 when I was shooting Canon (the eclipse) it showed the distance. Any suggestions? Thanks

[@Jonathantuba]

I have just tried for Sony A9iii and nothing, so guess Sony does not record this metadata?

[@WILDALASKA]

Per Sony....To turn on EXIF focal distance on a Sony A1, navigate to the camera menu, go to the "Shooting" tab, then select "File Format" and ensure that "EXIF" is selected; this will automatically include the focal length information in the image metadata.

[@WILDALASKA]

To turn on EXIF focal distance on a Sony A1, navigate to the camera menu, go to the "Shooting" tab, then select "File Format" and ensure that "EXIF" is selected; this will automatically include the focal length information in the image metadata.

[@teridashfield9852]

@@WILDALASKA Happy New Year and thanks.

[@gscottfuller]

Unfortunately, the cloud Lightroom does not appear to offer the focus distance. You can get that information inside the Canon R5 in the shooting display information but it’s on a ruler type scale that isn’t very precise. I would love to know exactly the distance to my subject ever time I take a picture to help me calculate the proper depth of field. I’m surprised that the Canon R5 doesn’t provide this information.

[@WILDALASKA]

Ya not sure on the cloud version as I've always used classic.

[@Gianni_Martino_Photography]

Is this possible in Photoshop Lightroom? I had a looking around, but was not successful

[@wayfinderak]

Do you want it in Photoshop or Lightroom? They are different programs.

[@WILDALASKA]

To find the EXIF focal distance in Photoshop, open the image, go to "File" > "File Info", and within the "Camera Data" section, you will see the "Focal Length" value, which represents the focal distance of the lens used to capture the image.

[@Gianni_Martino_Photography]

@@wayfinderak I have "regular" Lightroom, under about it says" Photoshop Lightroom" opposed to Lightroom Classic

[@Gianni_Martino_Photography]

@@WILDALASKA Under "about Lightroom" it is called Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, when I refer to it as Lightroom many assume it is Lightroom Classic... any advise on what I should be calling so others know what I'm referring to?

[@wayfinderak]

@@Gianni_Martino_Photography I would just call Lightroom "Lightroom" and Lightroom Classic "Lightroom Classic". That is enough clarity. Saying Photoshop Lightroom is just confusing.

[@rawbsworld6604]

👍 🤗 ✌️🤙

[@WILDALASKA]

🎄

[@jeffellis662]

It only seems to work for Canon. It doesn’t show for Nikon, Fujifilm, Leica, or Panasonic.

[@WILDALASKA]

It works for Nikon. You have to turn it on in camera. Probably why my Z6III is off. Must have turned it on for my Z8 and Z9 at some point. To turn on the EXIF focal distance display on a Nikon Z9, navigate to the camera menu, then go to the "Photo Shooting Menu" (camera icon), and within the extended menu banks, ensure the option is set to "ON"; this will automatically record the focal length used by the lens in the EXIF data of your images.

[@AndyAstbury]

@@WILDALASKA Hi, with extended menu banks ON, I still cannot get a focus distance in Lightroom - it's just blank. If I open a z9 file in Raw Digger, exif distance is recorded for focus distance but subject distance is listed as unknown.

[@WILDALASKA]

@@AndyAstbury subject distance is a legacy exif. Focus distance is the more recent measure for basically the same thing

[@Mr1Spring]

@@WILDALASKA What do you mean with the word 'within'? There are NO additional menus if you set it to 'on'. Only extended on or off in the 'photo shooting menu'. Perhaps a clarification in a video is better instead of words. Show us the menu settings for a Z8. Many thanks

[@jeffellis662]

@@WILDALASKA I have a Nikon Zf and it doesn’t have shooting banks. Maybe my z50 II will have the ability to go with the U1-U3 settings