landscape with sharp foreground-background

[popsick]

hi, i have problem taking photo landscape with sharp/focus foreground, object until background. i already set to smaller apperture (using AV mode) and auto focus in centre, but still not works.
anyone have suggestions?
im using canon 400d with lens kit 18-55mm

[Elmo]

Use a tripod so shutter speed will not be an issue. Set f-stop to f8 and focus on something 10 feet away. That will give everything from 4 feet to infinity acceptably sharp. (this is based on 18 mm fl)

Check a Depth Of Field Calculator to maximize depth and it will also give you the distance (the point where you want to focus).

Also note that f22 will give you more DOF but f-stops smaller (larger number) than f11 generally do not give as sharp a picture on digitals.

50mm at f16 focused at 30 feet will give range from 15 feet on.

[popsick]

thanx for the reply..
i search DOF calculator in google, and find one.
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...h-of-field.htm

i have to fill :
Selected aperture : i know this...
Focus distance (to subject) : also this. (distance between me and my focus object)

Actual lens focal length : if i use 18-55mm lens, does it mean my focal length is 55mm.
or it depends i use it wide or tele. if if i use wide in 28mm, then foal length is 28mm. ?

Camera Type : i really dont know bout this. (option : digital compact with 1/25 sensor, digital slr with CF 1/6x, 35mm, 6x45 cm, 4x5inch, etc) what is this?

about your reply : basically, your advice is to not use smaller than f11, right?

and i assume , my lens-kit is not problem at all? it's good enough, right? as long as i set the right calculation (f-stop, focal length, etc).

thanx in advance..

[popsick]

i just found this text in my camera+lens guidebook :
Lenses
• Canon EF / EF-S lens mount
• 1.6x field of view crop

so, i have to use : digital SLR with CF of 1.6X
is that correct ?

[Tiberius]

The crop factor simply indicates that the focal length of the lens must be multiplied by 1.6 in order to get the "effective focal length."

When a camera uses a smaller sensor, it is basically "cropping" the edge of the photo off. This gives a "digital zoom" effect (but it doesn't degrade the image quality because it isn't throwing away pixels. This "zooming in" look is described in terms of the crop factor. So, if you have a camera with a 1.6 crop factor, a lens is giving you the same picture (on the sub-frame sensor) as a lens 1.6 times longer on a full frame sensor. So, a 50mm lens on a 400D will look the same as a 80mm lens on a full frame sensor.

I don't think that the crop factor has any influence on the depth of field though, but I could be wrong.

[popsick]

oh i get it.. thanx bro

[MarcelLuettmann]

You might want to check out the concept of "focus stacking" a.k.a. "deep focus fusion".
For that, you take a series of pictures with different focal points (tripod is a must, manual focus the easiest way). Everything you want to see sharp part of your final image has to be sharp on one of your shots.
Then you throw your images into a DFF software like Helicon Focus (payware) or one of the other apps mentioned in the Wikipedia article about focus stacking.

And about the focal length you have to enter into the DOF calculator: If you use the 18-55 at 18, enter 18. If you set it to 32, enter 32. If you go "full tele" at 55, enter 55. The DOF doesn't depend on the zoom range your lens can do but on the focal length you actually use.

Marcel

[wulf]

If you stop down a lens too far you start to get softer results; it may be that you have started to reach that point.

Perhaps you could show us a photo to illustrate?

Wulf

[krypticide]

Pentax has the best kit lens, but it's still not particularly sharp. You likely have a combination of focus and lens softness going on that's making your shots difficult. While you can work on the focus, there's not too much you can do about lens softness except go for a sharper lens, like a prime.

[inkista]

Get a tilt-shift lens? (duck). Sorry, sorry.

Study up on hyperfocal distances and dof scale and learn to use your DoF preview button.