Question for AR photographers

[ghostman1960]

I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong forum. Please move if that is the case.

My problem is that when I photograph a gun I have problems keeping the entire gun in focus. The photo below is an example. As you can see that most of the gun is relatively sharp and in focus except for the stock area. Sometimes its the barrel that is out of focus and everything else in focus.

Am I doing something wrong? I use a cheap Fujifilm digital camera so maybe this has something to do with it. But then again I had even a cheaper camera before this one and it seemed to work fine. Any suggestions and guidance are appreciated. Thanks

http://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz159/ghostman1961/DSCF2088.jpg

[ALCOAR]

This should help...
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=33201

[Whootsinator]

I'll save you the trouble of drifting through all of that... You probably SHOULD read that link, but I don't think you really care about most of it.

You're experience depth of field. Depth of field is basically how much of your photo will be in focus, according to distance from the camera. The simple but somewhat incorrect way to explain it is this: a shallow depth of field means less of the image is in focus; a deeper depth of field means more of the image is in focus.

Depth of field can be controlled in multiple ways. The easiest would be to change the distance to your subject, or to change your aperture. The closer you are to your subject (focal point), the shallower the depth of field. Take a few steps back and zoom in a little farther to get a deeper depth of field. The larger your aperture (which are measured in, and inversely related to, f-stops), the shallower your depth of field will be. Close your aperture down a few stops (which will require you to get a bit more light).



Here's a very very simple explanation:
http://stopshootingauto.com/2007/09/24/aperture-why-you-care/


And here's a demonstration:
http://stopshootingauto.com/2007/10/06/exercise-depth-of-field/

[Heartbreaker]

Before you go into changing your settings up take the pictures with a tripod and use the timer so your hand doesn't interfere with the stability. It will give you a baseline to work from removing some of the variables that can affect focus.

[Whootsinator]

Before you go into changing your settings up take the pictures with a tripod and use the timer so your hand doesn't interfere with the stability. It will give you a baseline to work from removing some of the variables that can affect focus.

Considering the camera, I assumed a tripod wasn't available.

Though a tripod has very little direct effect on focus, if you DO have a tripod, certainly use it. Using a tripod allows you to increase your exposure time (by decreasing your shutter speed), without getting the blur from the movement of your hands. The more light you get, the smaller aperture you can use, which means the deeper your depth of field. I would set your camera to a delay of 3 or more seconds. That will prevent the movement from you pressing the shutter release button from showing up in the final photo.

[Vegas]

If you have it, use the aperture priority setting on your digicam, usually marked A on the dial. The higher the number, the deeper the depth of field. i.e. How much in front and behind the focal point is in focus. Try to keep the camera on the same focal plane as the subject. For example, if the right side of the camera is closer to the subject than the left side of the camera, you are changing the focal plan in comparison to the subject. When working with a small depth of field, this can cause one side of the subject, like a stock, to be out of focus. Another consideration is getting a little closer and using the wide end of your zoom. By nature, a wide angle lens has more depth of field. Famous street photographers use wide angles for this reason.

Hope this helped and didn't confuse :)

[photosniper]

If you are photographing the rifle laying the way the one is in the OP's original post, the entire rifle 'should' be in focus as it is all in the same plain. Put your camera on a tripod and make sure that the back of your camera is parallel to the rifle.
If the stock and muzzle is still out of focus, you are experiencing an aberration in the lens, meaning that at the edges of the frame, the optics of the lens are not as sharp as in the center.
Easiest way to fix this is to back up or zoom out a bit with your lens and use more of the sweet-spot of the lens.

[Whootsinator]

If you are photographing the rifle laying the way the one is in the OP's original post, the entire rifle 'should' be in focus as it is all in the same plain.


No, it shouldn't be. I drew up a quick diagram to illustrate this.


http://i53.tinypic.com/2yzjypi.png

[dj_dub]

Increase your f-stop/aperture and your problem will be solved.

[Stickman]

With the camera you have on hand, and spending no additional money, your best bet is to use better lighting and stop using your flash.

You are shooting with auto settings for everything, and the above is a quick, and easy fix for you. :)

[markm]

With the camera you have on hand, and spending no additional money, your best bet is to use better lighting and stop using your flash.

That's what I have to do. I can only get gun pics at certain times of day. And I still manage to make most of those look like crap. :sarcastic:

[ghostman1960]

Thank you everyone for the great information. This is a lot of stuff to digest. I will start by using more natural lighting.