Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/10/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>>>>>>>>> > Jesse Hellman wrote:> > > What is the best way to solve the following: you are shooting close-up, > > say at two feet, at F/2 or wider. The closer eye of your subject is > > off-center. There is nothing dead-center on which to focus. So you focus > > on the eye and then swing the camera back to frame. Now, obviously, the > > plane that passes at a right angle through the eye intersects the lens > > axis at a distance closer to the film plane than the distance from the > > film plane to the eye. The farther the eye is towards the edge of the > > film the greater this becomes. With a reflex you can avoid this problem > > by focusing on the groundglass. > > > > At wide f-stops the depth of field is very small at close distances. > > What is the best way to handle this? A lens with a curved field might do > > better in this regard than one with a flat field. So as the lenses get > > better, this effect has become greater. My own solution is, if it is > > possible, to try to set up something (like the subject's hand) where I > > think the center would be. But with quick action and more candid shots > > that simply is not possible. Or, you could focus a bit closer than > > indicated, but that seems like guessing. > > > > What do you do? I have never seen this issue discussed<<<<<<< <<<<<<<<< Jesse, when I made the switch to M from R I did wonder about this, as there's no focus check at the sides of the field. But in reality I find it's not a problem, actually I seldom get an out of focus shot with he M's, whereas with the R's it was a problem. In fact that was the main reason I switched. And I'm usually as close as I can get to my subject. I should think depth of field just takes care of it. Rob.