Hyper Focal Distance

[Mike Sellers]

Is this toothwalker program available for a pocket PC?

[nma]

Many responses BobFisher wrote in response to my suggestion about live view as a solution to this problem:
"How long does all that roaming around at 10x magnification take?  Focus here, press this button, shift around over there, re-adjust, reset, work that setting.  Might be OK for a landscape or other static scene (e.g., architecture) where no one is going to get impatient but if someone were farting around with the camera, futzing with this and that for more than about 5 seconds and I were in the group, I'd say screw it and walk away.  Even with architecture, if I'm at a client location they want me in and out as quickly as possible.  Wasting their time by screwing around with the camera isn't going to make them overly happy.

Dick, you're right.  It would."

Since that response ridiculing my solution I have followed the discussion about charts, calculators and circles of confusion. All of these depend on theory and calculation rather than direct observation. All of them rely on the autofocus system of the camera and/or markings on the lens barrel, things that are not quite reliable or predictable. Let's think again about live view coupled with exposure simulation, manual focus at 5x or  10 x nearly anywhere in the image, and the use of stop-down depth of field preview. I submit, once again that this is the most practical solution for dSLR shooters. With this facility, I can examine the critical focus in the near, middle and far field, apply dof preview to confirm in Live View that focus is adequate. No amount of calculation, with the attendant assumptions, is going to do as well as direct observation.  With a little practice one can accomplish the live view analysis in 30 seconds or so. Is this too much time for landscape photography? Is this too much time to set for a complicated group photo? I don't think so.
 

[Dick Roadnight]

How long does all that roaming around at 10x magnification take?  Focus here, press this button, shift around over there, re-adjust, reset, work that setting.  Might be OK for a landscape or other static scene (e.g., architecture) where no one is going to get impatient but if someone were farting around with the camera, futzing with this and that for more than about 5 seconds and I were in the group, I'd say screw it and walk away.

For group photography I would set the camera up in advance, use something to indicate where the plain of sharpest focus is and then position the group accordingly... with a view camera, they would not need to be very close together.

[FearZeus]

How long does all that roaming around at 10x magnification take?  Focus here, press this button, shift around over there, re-adjust, reset, work that setting.  Might be OK for a landscape or other static scene (e.g., architecture) where no one is going to get impatient but if someone were farting around with the camera, futzing with this and that for more than about 5 seconds and I were in the group, I'd say screw it and walk away.  Even with architecture, if I'm at a client location they want me in and out as quickly as possible.  Wasting their time by screwing around with the camera isn't going to make them overly happy.  

This technique can be done in less than 20 seconds, I used this technique and similar ones with my carl zeiss and nikkor PCE lenses.

I think people underestimate these high MP live view DSLR's, they are producing startling image quality, with great focus precision all in a very attractive package that handles v well in the field.

I purchased a P45+ back recently and used it with a mamiya, while the image quality is also superb, the Nikon D3x is just better in every other aspect and not far behind in image quality terms, all this and both canon and nikon are due to release the next generation cameras.

I wonder how long medium format will survive as these prices?