Something to ponder and debate ...
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/the-problem-with-the-focus-recompose-method
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/the-problem-with-the-focus-recompose-method
Problem in Focus & Re-compose Method
- Thread starter LFC25
- Start date
Nothing to ponder or debate. This is where common sense, an understanding of basic maths, and technique/experience come into play.
IMHO the writer is off the mark in this instance. The focus, recompose & shoot method has been in use for ages, its a tried & tested method that works, logically & technically. If one focus on a subject X distance from the center of a camera film/sensor & then rotates the camera in any direction 360 degrees round in any plane, the distance X from the subject would still remain constant whichever the angle of view & the subject would stay in focus. It's only when the camera position shift whilst recomposing that the distance would change & focus would shift. So we just have to make sure we change the angle of view without changing the camera position. In any case, in most situations, if the change in camera position is not too drastic & we are not taking close ups/macros, the difference would be too miniscule to be seen in real life (except for pixel peepers perhaps). My ten cents 
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IMO its not very applicable to most shooter.
the problem only surface easily when u shoot with very shallow DOF, using F2.8 or less and when you are toooo near your subject and the amount of shifting to recompose is tooo great and you are using a tele lens.
shooters that are greatly affected are macro shooters and shooters using F1.4 or F1.8 lens and shooting wide open. reason being the DOF is very shallow for the above type of shooters and the image is easily OOF by the tiny shift in focusing distance during the recomposing. shollow DOF is more apparent on tele lens vs wide lens, subject isolation using 85mm F2.8 vs 24mm F2.8, u see the 85mm is more obvious than the 24mm.
one way to reduce OOF during re composure is to try to use a focus pt nearer the level of your intended focus area and minimise the re composure shift, it will reduce the chances of OOF. ie shooting model of catwalk in portrait orientation, with your interest at the face level, the center focus point will put u somewhere at the tummy area of your subject(full body) or neck/chest(half body or facial shot) shift your focus point before hand to the area where you think u would want and do focus and re composure from there.
So moi 2 cents, know what you want and what you have and how to make the best of it.
the problem only surface easily when u shoot with very shallow DOF, using F2.8 or less and when you are toooo near your subject and the amount of shifting to recompose is tooo great and you are using a tele lens.
shooters that are greatly affected are macro shooters and shooters using F1.4 or F1.8 lens and shooting wide open. reason being the DOF is very shallow for the above type of shooters and the image is easily OOF by the tiny shift in focusing distance during the recomposing. shollow DOF is more apparent on tele lens vs wide lens, subject isolation using 85mm F2.8 vs 24mm F2.8, u see the 85mm is more obvious than the 24mm.
one way to reduce OOF during re composure is to try to use a focus pt nearer the level of your intended focus area and minimise the re composure shift, it will reduce the chances of OOF. ie shooting model of catwalk in portrait orientation, with your interest at the face level, the center focus point will put u somewhere at the tummy area of your subject(full body) or neck/chest(half body or facial shot) shift your focus point before hand to the area where you think u would want and do focus and re composure from there.
So moi 2 cents, know what you want and what you have and how to make the best of it.
why is the author being so defensive ? both applications (and not forgetting Manual Focus) have their situations .....
..... and there is fighter-jet type Subject Tracking ability nowadays with the newer cameras
p/s and he's using a loaded (kelong) response with the 50/1.4 prime shot wide open ...... might as well have used a 50mm/0.95 Noctilux to prove "Why The Focus-Recompose Method Often Fails"
..... and there is fighter-jet type Subject Tracking ability nowadays with the newer cameras
p/s and he's using a loaded (kelong) response with the 50/1.4 prime shot wide open ...... might as well have used a 50mm/0.95 Noctilux to prove "Why The Focus-Recompose Method Often Fails"
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You're right, nixontkl. This only affects the minority and a good article for reminder.
nixontkl said:
I like this 2 cents thoughts and learn something...
Yah hor, change focus point loh.. I always try to counter tt by doing something another way round.. Lol
Maybe I'm wrong but I've been using this method ever since i started shooting people..if I use centre focus and focus on the person's eyes/face and i recompose..even though the focus point would not be on the eyes/face anymore the part in focus should still be on the eyes/face unless i step back or forward...no?
I use focus & re-compose method too. At the same time, I am also well aware of the focus plane shifting. In fact the diagram illustrated in the link is not entirely correct because the diagram shows a parallel focus plane, but in fact both focus plane would have been skewed unless you move your camera parallel to the original focal plane which would be awkward to perform.
The question would be would much can you compansate for your OOF versus not getting your lovely picture at the nick of time when the expression has past. You can't expect a bunch of people in action wait for you to adjust your focus point or the smile on a pretty lady to stay long enough for your adjustment right ? So if the focus panel you suspect is near the eyes, make the eyes in focus and shift as little as possible to get your composition right.
Of course if you have all the time you need, then don't use the re-compose method because you are already well aware of the flaw. To compensate OOF situation, you can also opt for standing much further away and uses a zoom lens at f/2.8, such as 200m. Your composition will have the least effect on the shifting of the focal plane and you can still get your creamy bokeh if you wanted it. If not, use a smaller aperture to tackle this phenomenal. I suppose it's better to have a reference point to focus than to be out of focus.
I personally don't think there is much to debate about. It's science and its fact, what is there to debate ? If you don't believe it, go live in another dimension where it doesn't apply. Ignoring this fact is a silly attempt too. If you have been doing something wrong for ages and still insist that it has nothing wrong, it's called inertia to change, or plainly stubborn. Guess different times need different tactics. Be flexible.
The question would be would much can you compansate for your OOF versus not getting your lovely picture at the nick of time when the expression has past. You can't expect a bunch of people in action wait for you to adjust your focus point or the smile on a pretty lady to stay long enough for your adjustment right ? So if the focus panel you suspect is near the eyes, make the eyes in focus and shift as little as possible to get your composition right.
Of course if you have all the time you need, then don't use the re-compose method because you are already well aware of the flaw. To compensate OOF situation, you can also opt for standing much further away and uses a zoom lens at f/2.8, such as 200m. Your composition will have the least effect on the shifting of the focal plane and you can still get your creamy bokeh if you wanted it. If not, use a smaller aperture to tackle this phenomenal. I suppose it's better to have a reference point to focus than to be out of focus.
I personally don't think there is much to debate about. It's science and its fact, what is there to debate ? If you don't believe it, go live in another dimension where it doesn't apply. Ignoring this fact is a silly attempt too. If you have been doing something wrong for ages and still insist that it has nothing wrong, it's called inertia to change, or plainly stubborn. Guess different times need different tactics. Be flexible.
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