How to Set Optimal Aperture

[@robertdito8968]

Tony, This series of videos you’ve been doing on the principles of large format cameras and lenses is great. You do a really nice job of describing, and teaching people, how these cameras work. These videos have been both fun to watch and informative at the same time. Thanks for the time and effort you have put into these recently.

[@tonysantophotography]

Thank you for the very kind words Robert! Viewer’s such as yourself keep me motivated to create more! I enjoy spreading the excitement about large format photography! 😎

[@BobN54]

First class. One of the very few You Tube photography videos I've seen where the presenter actually knows what they're talking about.

[@tonysantophotography]

Thanks Bob! I’m humbled to hear that. I appreciate your support!😎

[@lorenroot7667]

Just catching up on your latest videos. Good stuff!

[@tonysantophotography]

Hi Loren! Thanks for taking the time to watch! I appreciate your support!😎

[@lorenroot7667]

@@tonysantophotography I always learn something new from your videos and very much appreciate the time you put into them!

[@constantinestewart7416]

Thanks Tony, I’ve been planning to take my 4x5 out this week and this is something I plan on trying.

[@tonysantophotography]

Glad to hear it Constantine! I appreciate your support.😎

[@stevewilliamson7264]

Super helpful. Thank you for being so clear. That is refreshing!

[@tonysantophotography]

Glad it was helpful! 😎 I appreciate your support.

[@williamorford6966]

I’ve been using this method for a while. I obtained a similar chart from Linhof many years ago. Always worked fine. The Sinar P system has a rotating focus knob which works on the same principle. I ended up making a brass replica for my Wista which worked in the same way. Enjoying your videos.

[@tonysantophotography]

Thank you William! I appreciate you sharing with all of us. 😎

[@Ryan33G]

Tony the Great! Keep em coming🙌🏽

[@tonysantophotography]

LOL Ryan! I appreciate your support my friend!😎

[@sebastiantrandafir5607]

Thank you Tony for the very informoitive video! Great!

[@tonysantophotography]

I appreciate your support Sebastian! Thanks for watching!😃

[@largophoto]

Tony ..love the presentation ..wish I had tuned into this sooner ..I am kicking off ..etith s crown graphic and Calumet 4 X 5

[@tonysantophotography]

Thank you for the kind words! I appreciate your support. 😀

[@YSoreil]

I used a Mamiya RZ67 which is a 6x7 system which uses bellows focusing as well. It had a really nifty scale for calculating things such as DoF on the side of the camera built in and has different lines for different focal lengths. Neat to see this used as well on large format.

[@tonysantophotography]

Cool! Thanks for watching and contributing to our discussion!😎

[@andyvan5692]

one other fyi, a video from Calumet (1980's vintage) called "Large Format the Professional's choice" goes into this "dance"{a term from Mat Marrash channel-Large format Photography} saying, in summary, camera position with a lens to select perspective, decide on focal length (amount of subject in the shot), then rough focus, select movements (most important to the shot, at first, to save confusion), Then re-focus (movements themselves change focus), select aperture ,shutter speed, then shoot. the focus technique they used was to get dof by tilt/shift, focus far, tilt to the near, until both points are at the same bellows extension(point on the focus rack, monorail position).

[@tonysantophotography]

Thanks for sharing the “dance” with us Andy. Lots of steps to remember. I appreciate your support.😎

[@synlfo7828]

the sinar p2 has this scale for focusing built in. Superb video.

[@tonysantophotography]

Thanks for sharing this information with us. I appreciate your support!😀

[@tonysantophotography]

Thanks Nat! I believe you may have watched the video while it was still processing. CC is now functioning. Thanks for watching!😎

[@Nat.ImagesLarge.F.Photographer]

ok perfect Tony,thank you very much!!!👍

[@qvisionstudios]

Perfectly explained. Will be trying this technique out with my next 4x5 outing. Thanks Tony.

[@tonysantophotography]

Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to watch!😎

[@pierlombardini8705]

Excellent! This is the most interesting and instructive video I remember watching in quite a long time !! ..now I have to make my scale!

[@tonysantophotography]

Thank you for the kind words Pier! I appreciate your support. 😃

[@mikemcnelly2780]

Thanks Tony, awesome video and channel. Very helpful!

[@tonysantophotography]

Thanks Mike! I appreciate your support!😎

[@otroargentinocamioneroenes5805]

Wow, very generous! Great video!

[@tonysantophotography]

Thanks! 🙏🏻 I appreciate your support!

[@alanhuntley55]

I chuckled to myself when you were reaching around to stop the lens down while viewing the ground glass; love to see the "monkey stance" you'd get into, if that were a 19-inch lens! 🤣The second technique you show using the scale is the very useful one I've used for many years on my Arca-Swiss 4x5 as the scale is built right into the rail of the camera.

[@tonysantophotography]

😂 Thanks Alan! I appreciate your support!

[@jaytayag810]

Great video, Tony!

[@tonysantophotography]

Thanks Jay! 😎

[@richardsimms251]

Nice video. Thank you

[@tonysantophotography]

You are very welcome! Thanks for your support. 😎

[@andyvan5692]

yes, great discussion, but Tony, one point, as the aperture decreases the shutter time increases, to several seconds (at f 64) so you have reciprocity failure and also motion blur to contend with, as a longer shutter speed means you can only shoot still life, urban or rural landscapes, as any motion especially of the subject can decrease focus, due to motion blur, camera shake, etc.

[@tonysantophotography]

That’s an excellent point Andy! That could be a great topic for another video. 🤔 Thanks for watching!

[@Мойдом-Алтай]

Tony, you're going to laugh, but I carry one caliper with me! First, I focus on "infinity", then I measure the distance between the standards of the Cambo gimbal camera 4х5". Then I focus on the foreground object and measure the distance between the standards again. Next, I find the arithmetic mean and shift the back standard by the resulting value.

[@tonysantophotography]

Wow! That’s a great idea! You can’t get more precise than that! Thanks for sharing with us! 😎

[@bernardkelly235]

Very useful. Thanks, Tony.

[@tonysantophotography]

Thanks Bernard! I appreciate you taking the time to watch!

[@adriancozma6102]

Extremely helpful! Is there such a reference table for medium format or even 35mm?

[@tonysantophotography]

Film cameras had indicators on the lens barrel to show the depth of field at a given focal plane. Thanks for watching!

[@adriancozma6102]

@@tonysantophotography indeed, but I never found them to be so distinctively accurate as the process you presented for large format

[@kirkleadbetter1093]

Great video. Thank you.

[@tonysantophotography]

@@kirkleadbetter1093 Thanks Kirk! I appreciate your support!😎

[@valedmond]

Great teaching as usual, focus spread method would it same as tilt the front lens down focus near and distant object until both sharp (the focus point is in the middle?)then stop down the lens to f45?

[@tonysantophotography]

Focus spread works with swings and tilts. Same technique is applied after swings and tilts. I appreciate your support!

[@steveh1273]

@@tonysantophotography but you are not moving the lens over a spread after the tilt/swing is set for focus on the scene. Shouldn't that apply only to a perpendicular focus plane, or a plane not encompassing your desired near and far objects? Thanks.

[@tonysantophotography]

@@steveh1273 I would recommend doing your swings/tilts first, then set your aperture. Of course, always check the ground glass to see if you like everything. Thanks for watching!

[@jamesbarnes3063]

Thank you

[@tonysantophotography]

You are very welcome! I appreciate your support.😎

[@steveh1273]

Does the focus spread method (difference and set to half way between) work with tilts and swings? Or is that irrelevant? Would you use the tilt/swings to get near and far in focus then stop down the aperture to help with the middle ground?

[@tonysantophotography]

Steve, I would recommend doing your swings/tilts first, then set your aperture. Of course, always check the ground glass to see if you like everything. Thanks for watching!

[@stevef2114]

Is this measurement method really most useful when you cannot apply tilts? I mean I know it can work in all senarios, even with tilts done, but im thinking if your setting up in the dark and you are really rushed, and can only see with the lens wide open this would be the method i would use, or say at the coast and your FG has very high rock starta in front of you but you want whats down and lower behind it in focus, I would use this method. Using this method, is this like hyperfocal focusing a large format camera.. do you need to know how far from the fg you are in order for this to work?

[@tonysantophotography]

Steve, the best thing to do is experiment with your set up to see if you like using this method. Thanks for your support!

[@Nat.ImagesLarge.F.Photographer]

Excellent video, but too bad there are no subtitles, thanks Tony

[@OrelRussia]

It looks like this method of focusing is just is not entirely correct. One can easily check it for oneself using a high mpx digital camera. No matter how much you close the aperture the sharpest point will remain the same. Yes, closer subjects to the focus plane will become sharper but still the maximum sharpness will be at the focus plane.

[@tonysantophotography]

Thanks for watching! I appreciate the support.😎

[@andrewcallahan3834]

Go mountaineers

[@redruth-iq8uo]

Thanks for the focus spead link.

[@tonysantophotography]

Anytime! I appreciate your support.😎