The Holding Tank

Home Page Photography

Photography RSS 2.0 Feed

| Photos & Themes RSS | Hardware | Technical | Links | Books and Magazines  | Downloads |

Technical

| Flash Tests | RAW Converter Tests | Depth of Field, Image Quality and Sensor Size |

| MTF | Resolution | Cropping and Printing | Image Stabilization and Magnification |

| Lens Image Simulation | Anti-Alias Filter and Sharpening | | Tilt and Shift Lenses |

Lens Distortion Correction and Image Detail | Digital Darkroom Workflow | Optical Coatings |

 

Telephoto f-stops for Various Nature Subjects

| Plots vs f-stop | Plots vs S | Plots vs Short S | Tele Nature f-stops | Macro DOF and Cropping | Non- Hyperfocal Technique |

 

 

These plots show the required f-stop for satisfactory sharpness against the normalized size of the subject in the viewfinder for two orientations assuming that ideal focus is on the subjects eyes.

 

Because depth of field is related to magnification focal length has minimal impact on the results presented this way.

 

Curves are given for 'side on', 'tail on' and -45 degree views for various typical animal sizes. As the focus is on the eyes and there is slightly less dof closer to the camera than away from the camera, the 'tail on' case requires a very slightly smaller f-stop than the 'head on' case. The -45 degree case indicates the animal is angled looking away from the camera.

 

Curves are provided for the APS-C and full frame 35mm sensors in landscape and portrait formats. For landscape it is the visible animals width in the viewfinder that defines the normalized size and the animals height in the viewfinder for portrait. 

 

So a 'side on' medium sized bird like a woodpecker occupying 50% of the width of the APS-C frame in landscape would require an f-stop of at least f4 to keep the nearest part of the body in focus if focusing on the eyes. If the same bird is closer an occupies 80% of the frame then at least f10 should be used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated 05/06/2008

All Content © 2005-09 Lester Wareham All Rights Reserved     

All material is supplied  as is and without warranty, use at your own risk.  

All opinions stated are the authors own.

All quoted information remains the copyright of the respective authors.

Any trade marks mentioned are the property of their owners.

  

Contact: (anti spam remove underscores)

Note this email gets spammed a lot so if you want to get your message through please prefix "Holding Tank" in the title

f_ w_ a_ r_ e_ 9_ 0_ @_l_i_n_e_o_n_e_._n_e_t