Elijah wrote:
1) Shoot them using rule of thirds
2) Try to find interesting OOF foreground elements as well as an interesting OOF background.
3) Shoot at f/1.4 of course
I would suggest using the center point & recompose for highest accuracy.
Set your AF to AF-ON only, use that to focus, release, recompose and fire away.
Great tips - thanks for sharing.
Just to clarify/confirm on your last statement regarding focus....it's basically the same as AF-Lock on the subject and then recompose, right? Never thought of that...but I guess leads to some interesting bokeh swirl shots.
Just to add to Elijah's tips, when you shoot at 1.4, pose them in a way that they're in the same focus plane. If you're closer than say 6 feet then I would stop down a tad.
Also get low if you can, having a blurred foreground adds interest. Finally, the time of the day makes a huge difference in the rendition of the lens.
Am I crazy for considering this lens if I'm more into scenic pictures of cityscapes and landscapes? Portraits aren't my thing, but I'm really curious about this lens!
You're not crazy, except you have either better or cheaper options IMHO.
Surfnsun wrote:
Am I crazy for considering this lens if I'm more into scenic pictures of cityscapes and landscapes? Portraits aren't my thing, but I'm really curious about this lens!
Happy Friday gang! This is an older picture that I never shared. It's getting harder and harder to capture my daughter as she is always on the move and not really interested in looking at the camera any more.
Elijah wrote:
I would suggest using the center point & recompose for highest accuracy.
Set your AF to AF-ON only, use that to focus, release, recompose and fire away.
I am going to give this lens a whirl.
I shoot with the d610, and d810
both have many AF points that I trust.
curious why you would recommend recomposing? just to make crazy bokeh or is there more to this?
cheers
I shoot with the d610, and d810
both have many AF points that I trust.
curious why you would recommend recomposing? just to make crazy bokeh or is there more to this?
cheers
No, it doesn't do any magic at all. The reason I focus & recompose is because I only use a center point.
Using a center point gives you the most accurate focus. I could live with a center point only if I had to.
The only time I would use a different point is when I want to track someone/something that's moving, framing them in a certain way, like the rule of thirds...
Elijah wrote:
No, it doesn't do any magic at all. The reason I focus & recompose is because I only use a center point.
Using a center point gives you the most accurate focus. I could live with a center point only if I had to.
The only time I would use a different point is when I want to track someone/something that's moving, framing them in a certain way, like the rule of thirds...
Actually, with the 58, I am not sure if focus & recompose would necessarily be a good idea and would achieve the sharpest images, when shooting wide open and at closer distance to subject. Generally, it is true that the center focus point would always be the most accurate as far as PDAF sensor is concerned. However, there are two issues with focus & recompose that could have a larger negative impact on the ultimate focus accuracy than the relative inaccuracy of the non-central focus points:
1) The first issue, which equally applies to any fast lens, is that when shooting wide open, particularly at closer distances, you are dealing with such a small DoF that focus & recompose could easily result in a bit of front/back focus due to the small change in the focusing distance after recomposing.
2) The second issue, which applies more to a lens like the 58/1.4G, has to do with the field curvature of the lens. 58/1.4G is particularly known to have more pronounced field curvature wide open and at closer distance (which contributes to its 3D-like rendering), which will negatively impact your focus accuracy when you focus & recompose.
I do always use focus & recompose, using the central focus point, with my other lenses, particularly when stopped down and when farther from the subject. However, when shooting off-center subjects with our 58/1.4G wide open and at closer distance, I do seem to get better sharpness when I just use one of the non-central focus points, and avoid recomposing.
cambyses wrote:
Actually, with the 58, I am not sure if focus & recompose would necessarily be a good idea and would achieve the sharpest images, when shooting wide open and at closer distance to subject. Generally, it is true that the center focus point would always be the most accurate as far as PDAF sensor is concerned. However, there are two issues with focus & recompose that could have a larger negative impact on the ultimate focus accuracy than the relative inaccuracy of the non-central focus points:
1) The first issue, which equally applies to any fast lens, is that when shooting wide open, particularly at closer distances, you are dealing with such a small DoF that focus & recompose could easily result in a bit of front/back focus due to the small change in the focusing distance after recomposing.
2) The second issue, which applies more to a lens like the 58/1.4G, has to do with the field curvature of the lens. 58/1.4G is particularly known to have more pronounced field curvature wide open and at closer distance (which contributes to its 3D-like rendering), which will negatively impact your focus accuracy when you focus & recompose.
I do always use focus & recompose, using the central focus point, with my other lenses, particularly when stopped down and when farther from the subject. However, when shooting off-center subjects with our 58/1.4G wide open and at closer distance, I do seem to get better sharpness when I just use one of the non-central focus points, and avoid recomposing....Show more →
I suppose I'm with Elijah, in that I prefer centre focus and recompose.
The 58 has inward running field curvature, which, with centre focus and recompose focusing, isn't necessarily bad at all. With a planar lens, doing this could lead to slight back focus, but with a lens that has inward running field curvature, this problem is reduced if not sometimes eliminated. I have far more success with centre focus and recomposing than using the appropriate off centre AF point. It's quick, and I don't trust the accuracy of outside AF points; A habit engrained from many missed focus shots from the film days using outside focus points of the F5 and F100 cameras. Also, a short few months with a couple of poor D800s also didn't help. But everyone has his own technique... It's like the two schools of focusing, where some much prefer the AF-ON focusing method over the default shutter release button focusing.
Honestly, I've tried multiple ways of focusing and I have found the center focus & recompose to be the best and the most accurate option.
Yes, if you're super close, it will be tough to do this but I have mastered my ways.
Most of the time I shoot people that are at least 8ft away. At that distance, it's safe for me to f & r.
hmzimelka wrote:
I suppose I'm with Elijah, in that I prefer centre focus and recompose.
The 58 has inward running field curvature, which, with centre focus and recompose focusing, isn't necessarily bad at all. With a planar lens, doing this could lead to slight back focus, but with a lens that has inward running field curvature, this problem is reduced if not sometimes eliminated. I have far more success with centre focus and recomposing than using the appropriate off centre AF point. It's quick, and I don't trust the accuracy of outside AF points; A habit engrained from many missed focus shots from the film days using outside focus points of the F5 and F100 cameras. Also, a short few months with a couple of poor D800s also didn't help. But everyone has his own technique... It's like the two schools of focusing, where some much prefer the AF-ON focusing method over the default shutter release button focusing....Show more →
It is true the the 58 has inward running field curvature, but that could only help a bit if you put your subject towards the very edge of the frame when you recompose. But, between the center and the edge (i.e., where most of your focus points are located), the curvature actually goes a bit deeper than what seems typical among ~50mm lenses. So, I think in many recompose situations, chances are that, after recomposing, your subject may well fall at a position on the frame where focus accuracy could be degraded a bit due to the curvature. Roger Cicala has two nice plots showing the field curvature in 58/1.4G vs 50/1.4G here: http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/11/nikon-58mm-f1-4-is-hopefully-not-about-the-numbers
ps -- Count me among those who could not do any other way than using AF-ON
I tried the center point focus and recompose method with the 58mm after reading Elijah's tip. I was about 2-3 ft away from my subject and I got accurate focus with both techniques. Definitely good to know though!
Athletes taking on the 2016 CrossFit Open 16.3 workout.....snatches and bar muscle ups.
A little tech notes: my mainstay for these indoor sporting events have been a 24-70/2.8 and 70-200/2.8 on each of my D3s's. With this particular gym...usually I'm at 1/500-640, f2.8, and around 5000-6400 ISO. Now that I have a nice trio of f1.4 glass.....a 24, 58, and 85....I'm really enjoying those two extra stops of light as well as the subject isolation due to shallow DOF. With all that said....if I could only use one lens....it would be the 58mm. Of the three...it focuses faster, has the most useful FOV, and seems to capture and isolate the action a lot better than the others.
Jason_Brook wrote:
Glad I missed the technical crap
Focus & recompose is the only way
Nice pics Jason - really liking #2.
Glad you got your Df/58 combo back in action. Also - thanks for sharing your experience with APS....good to know if I ever find myself in the same boat.
