STOP using Focus & Recompose

Adam Filipowicz · Jul 14, 2018

STOP USING Focus and Recompose. When you focus using centre AF point and then recompose your shot, you tend to shift the focus plane behind the persons head and eyes are out of focus, So intead compose and then select an AF point thats closest to the eyes.

this is more and more important the faster the lens is. 1.2, 1.4, 2.8 with a shallow depth of field. if you are stopped down and have alot of focus depth then continue to use Focus and Recompose.

See this illustration.

See how recomposing shifts the focus plane!

The Ghost of Caravaggio · Jul 14, 2018

In some situations focus and recompose is an important technique.

In different circumstances focus and recompose is a bad idea. The choice depends mostly on the depth-of-field.

For many decades people used focus and recompose with film rangefinder cameras. Even when film SLRs became popular, focus and recompose still the primary means of focus. There's nothing wrong with those photographs. They were used to market products, for magazine covers and now they hang in museums. People enjoyed successful careers using focus and recompose.

Modern sophisticated, flexible AF changes nothing. What AF does is provide important options when focus and recompose is appropriate.

All photographic techniques have advantages and disadvantages. The ones we use depends on the circumstances at hand.

Adam Filipowicz · Jul 14, 2018

I am not saying never use it.. just consider what it does.

All photography tecniques need to be considered.

I have many great photos using Focus and recompose, I am just recommending people try another technique to increase keepers

Mark_A · Jul 14, 2018

My last camera only had 5 focus points

Mark_A

scokill · Jul 14, 2018

Adam Filipowicz said:
STOP USING Focus and Recompose. When you focus using centre AF point and then recompose your shot, you tend to shift the focus plane behind the persons head and eyes are out of focus, So intead compose and then select an AF point thats closest to the eyes.

this is more and more important the faster the lens is. 1.2, 1.4, 2.8 with a shallow depth of field. if you are stopped down and have alot of focus depth then continue to use Focus and Recompose.

See this illustration.

See how recomposing shifts the focus plane!

Since this is a beginner forum I'm assuming you are putting this forth as a beginner??? Focus and recompose is a tool/technique like any other tool/technique. It can be used as needed or desired by the photographer.

Mark_A · Jul 14, 2018

I know a very experienced photographer who .. makes glorious images and exclusively uses the centre focus point and focus and recomposes.

Mark_A

Adam Filipowicz · Jul 14, 2018

I am not a beginner. this is why I am posting this for beginners to learn from it. it is a technique for any photographer to use or not. Knowledge is power.

Adam Filipowicz · Jul 14, 2018

I have used Focus and recompose for many years and have many great photos but also many out of focus images that if i had know the issue, I could have tried a different technique and perhaps had even more great photos.

yardcoyote · Jul 14, 2018

No. Oddly enough, there are other kinds of photography in the world beside shooting portraits of people at large apertures. I try to learn a variety of techniques and apply them appropriately. This is a work in progress, of course.

Adam Filipowicz · Jul 14, 2018

Ofcourse and this is just another technique in a photographers tool box.

I am not suggested never use focus and recompose, just be mindful of when to use it. and what might happen when you do use it.

Ed Rizk · Jul 14, 2018

Where the problem described in the OP occurs most visibly is at close distance with large apertures. If these are pictures of people, as most I see are, modern cameras have enough resolution to simply shoot a little wide and compose by cropping in post. Of course with product photography or macro, one may want all the resolution possible.

I rarely use any focus points other than the center one. Unless you really want to examine every pour in the skin, there is plenty of extra resolution in the camera.

In group shots or scenes, where I want deeper depth of field to cover a range of distance, the only method I know of is to focus on a point a third of the distance between the closest and farthest important subject and recompose.

AnthonyL · Jul 14, 2018

Looking at the example let's say the camera is 6' away from the subject and the point of focus moves 1' to recompose. Pythagoras says that is a 1" difference in focal plane.

It'll make more of a difference with a full frame than a crop and shooting wide open at that range is going to have other parts of the face oof.

Don't I recall that in older days the photographer would focus at face level then bend his knees?

nail33 · Jul 14, 2018

Ed Rizk said:
simply shoot a little wide and compose by cropping in post.

The Sage Knows · Jul 14, 2018

[No message]

AlbertTheLazy · Jul 14, 2018

And what, precisely, is your question?

AlbertTheLazy · Jul 14, 2018

Adam Filipowicz said:
Ofcourse and this is just another technique in a photographers tool box.

I am not suggested never use focus and recompose, just be mindful of when to use it. and what might happen when you do use it.

Read your thread title. Read your original post. Pray explain how your statement above agrees with these.

jshen808 · Jul 14, 2018

Adam Filipowicz said:
STOP USING Focus and Recompose. When you focus using centre AF point and then recompose your shot, you tend to shift the focus plane behind the persons head and eyes are out of focus, So intead compose and then select an AF point thats closest to the eyes.

this is more and more important the faster the lens is. 1.2, 1.4, 2.8 with a shallow depth of field. if you are stopped down and have alot of focus depth then continue to use Focus and Recompose.

See this illustration.

See how recomposing shifts the focus plane!

..Very interesting, thanks for sharing this..

..previously, with an older camera, had used the 'focus & recompose' method (center point focus) at an event, and the girl thought I as taking a picture of her chest area, it wasn't a pleasant moment, lol's..

..these days, with modern cameras such as the Nikon D500, can just use the Group Focus points, and turn 'On' Face Detection (works on both humans & wildlifes), and taking pictures with the 'eyes' in focus becomes easier..

Source: https://photographylife.com/nikon-group-area-af-mode

**********

..Cheers..

--
Regards, John..
..down with naysayers!
[YI M1 camera, Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens, firmware 3.0]

a_c_skinner · Jul 14, 2018

I'm being obtuse and not deliberately. The subject to camera distance isn't changed by rotating the camera to recompose so I don't follow the rationale. I'm genuinely interested in this. I assume that you are not simply talking about field curvature. Thanks in advance.

User4286416121 · Jul 14, 2018

Adam Filipowicz said:
I have used Focus and recompose for many years and have many great photos but also many out of focus images that if i had know the issue, I could have tried a different technique and perhaps had even more great photos.

Why did you not know this?

How about: hey wow I just discovered this... Wish I knew, Maybe I could tell others so they are aware, even if most know. It helps to occasionally let new people know or reinforce every so often.

Thanks

Adam Filipowicz · Jul 14, 2018

When your subject is to the right of the frame and you acquire focus it is a certain distance from your lens. when you recompose the focus distance on your lens hasnt changed but the rotation shifts the plane of focus behind where it originally was.

in this diagram the blue line and black line are same length (focus distance)

when recomposed the focus plan shifts back (indicated by pink horizontal line)

this example shows 20 degree rotation

STOP using Focus & Recompose

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