How to Focus Your Medium Format Camera for Landscape Photography

[@edlondon3717]

Great video tutorial!

[@mactekkos]

Nice ...... also nice to let the singing blackbird act as background music ;-)

[@davidthomas670]

Very insightful video thank you.

[@sambonnett5770]

Amazing! I've just got a 50s II as my first medium format! Appreciate the help!

[@devroombagchus7460]

Hyperfocal is new to me. I always use the lines on the lens that give me the range at at f stops. Wider when the f stop is bigger and/or the distance is further. Easy. Just set the infinity symbol of the lens ring to the line on the right that corresponds with the chosen f stop, and you can read the distance of the sharpness of the foreground by the corresponding f stop line on the left. This engraving has been around for decades and is fail proof. It's so easy. At a quick glance you can check the range of sharpness.

[@StephenMilner]

I think your focus technique is the hyperfocal approach. I do the same as you on my medium format prime lenses.

[@ranellegango7197]

STEPHEN!!!! Exactly the kind of information I have been looking for! Or maybe a lot of people been looking for mate! Great info. Thanks a lot! 👌👍💪

[@StephenMilner]

Thank you 🙏

[@nevvanclarke9225]

It's really interesting I've been shooting full frame and now crops sensor with my landscape photography and I've used the hyper focal method for quite a long time even though with the crops sense you're probably don't need to as much. I'm glad that you can do this I'm not a fan of stacking images I find that it's irritating to do slow and also at sometimes that she doesn't work, especially if you're doing one second seascapes so there is time in between each shot and then the ocean looks different. The clouds have moved it just simply doesn't work so using the hyper focal method would work I was wondering about the F stop shooting around F 10 to F 13. You would still get quite good sharpness. Would that help hyper focal method as well using a medium format camera I'm very interested in the GFX 50 SII I have always drereamed of owning a medium format camera. I think with the hyper focal method you don't have to be exactly precise in the right spot. I generally aim about 2 to 3 m in front of me. Sometimes it's a rock or something in the foreground and that is my spot. Usually it's estimated that it's roughly 1/3 into an image. Is that something that I'm going to need to adjust with medium format how exact do you need to be? One of the terms that I have read is we really looking for optimal sharpness you never going to get perfect sharpness from foreground to the horizon. Line, but I think acceptable sharpness is good enough. I think it's actually more important for a camera to be sharp in the foreground probably up to 3/4 of the image and then if the mountains in the background are a little bit soft that's okay because if you're human eye sees it like that when you're standing there anyway it's a reason why I don't like stacking I don't want to see the mountains, tack sharp. I think it looks natural and I don't like the look at all, so my thinking is the hyper focal method could work really well and would give me acceptable sharpness throughout the image

[@StephenMilner]

Hey, I use the sharpness scale on the LCD screen. Usually, it’s about half way.

[@Luigi13]

The hyperfocal distance is the way to go as you mentioned it. I shoot with a full frame Nikon and even with the full frame it works well. I think though that full frame have more flexibility than medium format. Thanks for the video very instrumental in your description.

[@StephenMilner]

Thank you 🙏 Yes, full frame has better depth of field because of the lens designs ✌️

[@khurramkhan3796]

Nice one Stephen, why did you switch from the HAsselblad back to the Mamiya since they have the same 6X6 format?

[@StephenMilner]

I find the Mamiya lighter, compact and easy to use

[@jimlashell9190]

Thanks for the info on focusing medium format. Very helpful!

[@michaelwhiles5282]

Hyper focus - old as the hills 😎👍

[@bryceseidell8021]

9:45 how do you get the rear lcd to show that display of the image and the focus peaking??

[@Delphisteve]

The most pleasant photo with the most calming effect would be the long exposure.. In my opinion. Well done chap

[@johnfalloon596]

Stephen really enjoyed the video. I shoot landscapes with a Mamiya 7ii and my 43 80 and 150 lenses. The 43 is incredible for landscapes and I use the hyperfocal technique a lot - the quiet shutter in the M7II lets me shoot handheld down to 1/8 to 1/4 sec for razor sharp images. Thanks again - watch your channel everytime you post a new video. John

[@StephenMilner]

Thanks John, glad you enjoyed it. The M7 lenses are awesome 😎

[@black-and-light]

Great Video! Thank you

[@jackhoyer7467]

Very helpful video, and beautiful images Stephen! Thanks a lot! Great to know about Hyperfocal and the gfx50s II depth of field scale and how to use it in manual mode by adjusting f-stop +/or focus. You mentioned one can use the scale in auto-focus mode, as well on the camera. So, in that case I guess one can use f-stop +/or the area auto-focused on (small area best?) to achieve the desired hyperfocal depth of field? Seems just using manual focus would be simpler, though?

[@StephenMilner]

Yes, you are correct. Beware of the lenses, if you are focusing at infinity, in manual mode they focus past infinity.

[@tsmithh]

Hi Stephen, How do I apply hyperfocal focus on my Hasselblad 80mm 2.8 Carl Zeis lens? It does not have the necessary information needed on the lens for me to apply hyperfocal focus it seems like, although I might be mistaking

[@StephenMilner]

On the lens, you align the distance numbers with the f stop numbers.

[@paultaylorphotography9499]

Nice episode mate full of great info and images in cracking locations

[@StephenMilner]

Thanks mate 🙏

[@Sergio-gy2gu]

Bonjour Stephen, Je regarde vos vidéos depuis quelques temps et je les trouve très ludiques...Je pense que vous avez une belle approche de cette merveilleuse nature Néo Zélandaise et vous en félicite.. Je suis photographe amateur et je suis passé au moyen format depuis peu avec le GFX 50S II et je suis tout simplement surpris de cette définition que procure ce boitier..Je ne ne le maitrise par encore, mais j'espère m'en sortir au fil du temps et surtout de la pratique...Merci encore pour ces conseils qui m'aideront à mettre en composition les paysages de ma région..Je vis en France et plus exactement au coeur de la Côte des Blancs de la Champagne... Encore merci pour toutes ces belles photos..et d'en découvrir de nouvelles dans vos prochaines vidéos...

[@StephenMilner]

Thank you 🙏 I am glad you find them helpful ✌️

[@mickcookson8009]

Stephen I use the hyperfocal technique whenever I can great shots..

[@StephenMilner]

Thanks Mick, great to hear it works for you ✌️

[@elie231]

What are those lens cap? Looks like you had some filter adapters screwed on and those lens caps can be put on top of adapters? That's nice.

[@StephenMilner]

On my Mamiya 6 in use the Nisi 65mm system. I use Freewell Filters on the GFX. Both systems have lens caps that fix to the adapter. I leave the adapter attached all the time.

[@cb9831]

Such a shame that you didn't do any tripod shots & show us the LCD as you carried out your procedure Do you have a video where you do this - I couldn't grasp from the indoors demo with the GFX - quite where you were focussing as your focus area didn't appear to move Thank you for taking the time to make the videos CB

[@StephenMilner]

Have a read of the Aperture section of this article stephen-milner.com/blog/2019/3/15/develop-camera-equipment-skills

[@257squadron]

Good video. Love the digital hyper focal distance scale in camera. Shame manufacturers ditched the scale on most lenses. Olympus have it on their 17mm but not there 25mm for instance.

[@StephenMilner]

Thank you 🙏 I like it on the lens too ✌️

[@tonys3112]

Stephen thanks for that video well explained ..... as Fuji GFX gains ground many 35mm users see KZbin videos that don't explain the differences between the formats or if they do they don't explain how to use the new MF system. Well done. PS I need some new Tee Shirts :)

[@StephenMilner]

Thank you 🙏

[@xdm9guy]

You, and most people, get this wrong - partly. By not emphasizing the fact that your images are “acceptably sharp” front to back and not “critically sharp”. Only photos taken at the actual hyperfocal distance will be critically sharp. From that point towards the camera and towards infinity sharpness will fall off to what is considered acceptably sharp. There is nothing magic about hyperfocal focusing, your camera will not produce sharp images from 5 yards to infinity just because your lens or camera has a depth of field scale on it.

[@CapriciousBlackBox]

Agreed. I was going to leave a similar comment until I saw yours. Something along the lines of “show me a consumer camera that can be critically sharp (or even “acceptably sharp,” whatever that means) from 3m to infinity in a single image and I’ll eat my hat!” You’re right; it’s not magic….at best it can be considered an optimized *compromise* for in-camera targeted focus/sharpness.

[@xdm9guy]

@@CapriciousBlackBox the concept of zone focusing and acceptable sharpness was developed over 100 years ago. What was acceptably sharp back then is just a barely recognizable blur today.

[@CapriciousBlackBox]

@@xdm9guy We are a bit fussy these days, lol. Cheers!

[@duringthemeanwhilst]

at last!! a video that understands you don't just multiply the focal length of a lens by the crop factor. a 35mm lens (or whatever) is a 35mm lens. Its characteristics don't change when you stick it on a different camera! I shoot MF precisely because I like the lens characteristics, particularly the way the system as a whole renders depth. it's interesting that you ETTR. I find with my GFX100 (and 50R before) that shooting to protect the highlights and then taking advantage of the camera's excellent dynamic range to lift the shadows in processing gave (me anyway!!) better results.

[@StephenMilner]

Thank you 🙏 I’m still experimenting with exposure and RAW conversion to see what works best. I’ve started doing my RAW conversion in Capture One before final edit in Lightroom. If I’m away from home and editing, I use the in body RAW conversion. In these photos, there are some RGB and ICC gamma issues in the highlights. I suspect it because of the exposure but need to test.

[@thomasmaddison2171]

Thanks Steven, I have watched this tutorial twice now after pulling the trigger on the gfx 100s, so I can’t wait to get shooting, thank you again my friend