it's called RANGE FOCUSING. Zone focusing is not a thing. Someone confusaed it with the zone system -- Ansel Adam's technique, to determine the correct exposure.
Finally, an explanation that doesn't just gloss over the subject. I've watched probably half a dozen videos on zone focus and this has been the best I've seen.
I love vintage folding cameras where zone and hyperfocal focusing are my beat friendx. For decades, Rollei 35's have been a favorite camera and all they have ia a viewfinder and a lens with distance markings. Very good video! Thanks!
10th video I watch, and finally in 5 minutes zone focusing and hyperfocal are clear to me. Thanks for making it clear what I need to do for street photography and also what is hyperfocal (which I believe is more useful in landscape photography).
These settings only apply for modern digital cameras. When shooting film, you cannot have auto-ISO and so I think aperture priority is the only move. f/11 is quite dark and is only really viable (if you need 1/125th sec) on bright and sunny days. You'd have to pull back to f8 or even f5.6 on cloudy days or golden/blue hour to achieve 1/125th of a second. You can forget about night photography when zone-focusing at f5.6 or higher.
Have you tried Ilford Delta 3200, developed in Kodak T-Max or Ilford Ilfotec DD-X, and then made prints of a moderate size? You could also try Delta 400, expose it at a higher ISO, and then develop it accordingly?
Good video - auto ISO is great with the 'clean' sensors in modern cameras. If you use vintage lenses with manual focus then zone focussing is perfect for old-style street pics. The old lenses have depth of field scales too ;-)
Since the autofocus revolution, of cameras with interchangeable lenses during mid 80's, most professional photographers don't really bother with manual focusing. However the small legendary Leica M-mount rangefinder cameras is a great exemption. The full frame Leica M-mount lenses are the only lenses with small size and great optical quality.
These are great starting tips, but motion blur and camera shake can be fantastic ways to create interesting images and should not be dismissed as "incorrect"- Just look at Robert Frank or William Klein's work.
Nice video! You explained the subject clearly and I will try it out.Focusing by touch screen as on my Olympus can be extremely fast and accurate and it means I can hold the camera at different heights. It is also not always so obvious to the subject that you have just photographed them.
thank you for the effort and the sharing. i am shooting with a ricoh gr2 which also has a snap focus mode which is their version of zone focusing. i am still trying to work on my ability to estimate the distance. your six feet = the width of a parked car is a helpful visualization. thumbs up.
good video. However, if Hyperfocal means that you extent your sharp/focal area to infinity (and beyooooond, sorry, couldn't resist) then why wouldn't you always use Hyperfocal? Then you have always sharpness. Or is it because you want to create some Bokeh? Thank you for the trouble of making this nice and informative movie.
A clear way to explain but this way only works with a digital camera and auto iso. Shooting film with 1 iso you have to change your shutterspeed and you can not always avoid lower speeds. Making a good choice of film/iso to fit the conditions of that day are important
I use AF servo on Canon and what is this? Just kidding, I've heard about zone focusing and this was very helpful, thank you. I'm going to try focusing to cut my response time down even more. I actually miss focus on a percentage of the shots because of over-reliance on AF.
Is that a Leica? if yes, why that camera instead of for example the Sony A7iii or A7Riii? I like the look of your camera but wondering what is better than the sony or lacking. Thanks.
Sylvester, rotate the manual focus control ring until the focal plane (white line) is at 6 feet or 2 meters. Set your aperture to f/5.6. Now you have a zone between 4 and 12 feet on that camera. Set ISO to auto with a minimum shutter speed set to 1/250. Good luck.
I'm using cropped sensor on my XT4 - prefer my 27mm f2.8 lens what would you recommend for a good zone focus setup for this which i believe is 40mm full frame?
Well with them being in a partnership all these years it wouldn’t be a surprise they’re similar. I’d compare a camera that only Leica has vs Lumix/Leica collab camera that they both share.
Buena información David, gracias por este video! Cuál f stop recomiendas para una Fuji X100 que tiene un lente de 23mm y sensor APS-C? (assuming you still know Spanish)
So you are using a wide angle lens, 35mm, since the sensor is full frame? They have more depth of field correct? What about a 50 mm standard lens? Enough dof for zone focusing? If apsc sensor and 35 mm then not full frame correct?
really interesting video can't wait the 2 days i have to wait to test it out , i don't have the equivalent of a 35mm full frame so i'll use my 35mm APS-C , 50mm still look good for street photo , i just wonder how my photo will look with that technique and how fast i'll adapt to it :D i also need to work on my shyness and the fact that i have hard time being close to peoples ^^ thanks for the video it's very clear , fast and you don't waste time like always the elders have the answers :D btw i'm using a normal lens and not a manual one so is it actually interesting to use zone focusing with a normal lens or should i just go auto focus , f8/11//16 with single middle focus point ?
Hi David, with the most common settings on my Ricoh GR-3 F-11, 125s and Auto ISO make my photographs queit grainy. Can you help me which setting I should go with sweet spot (5.6) or f11 to avoid grains. I could not find any video on youtube which can clarify on settings for Ricoh GR-3.
I use this technique all the time. But not F11. I tend to use a wider aperture. Between 2.8, 5.6 or if it is too shiny 7.1. The wider the better for me.
Depends on the lighting conditions. I do a lot of night photography and I shoot at f/2.8 or lower in general - lots of long exposure as well. F8 is considered the go-to aperture for street during the daytime. It really depends on how much isolation you want for your subject, when you have proper lighting conditions. But by going with a low aperture and using zone focusing, you gotta be careful because your zone is super small at f/2.8 and extremely tiny below that... at f/1.4 and below you start to have a noticeable difference between the eyes and the skin - so zone focusing is not proper for lower aperture IMHO. Again depends on what you want. I disagree that you need 125th all the time tho. I love to show movement, and a lot of street photographers do. It's a stylistic choice. Camera shake and movement are to different things - keeping it at 125th is good when you're a beginner and your grip is not good enough yet to go in low aperture territory.
Hi! Great video. I’m beginning to learn photography through film. One of your tips is to set iso to automatic but with film, i can’t do that. Would that affect the focusing in the photos if its not automatic? Also, I’m using a rangefinder camera (with auto exposure feature), do you have additional tips to improve my zone focusing? Thank you in advance!
Angela Carig as you said, with shooting film your iso cannot be automatic, so set an appropriately fast shutter speed to freeze any subject you might photograph and see how small you can get the aperture to allow the deepest depth of field. If you have automatic shutter speed setting on your camera then you can allow that to be the setting that changes depending on how much light is in your frame and keep your aperture small enough to allow deep depth of field. If you have a digital camera with auto iso you can lock the aperture and shutter speed (in manual mode) and allow the iso to adjust for the correct exposure.
Hi Angela. Thank you for watching. As Daniel mentioned the ISO is fixed with film. When I shoot film I shoot 400 ISO. I set my Aperture to f/11 (when using a 35mm lens) and f/5.6 (when using a 21mm lens). So stay with an Aperture between f/11 and f/5.6. The shutter speed set it between 1/60 and 1/250. Make sure you check out my other videos that will help you with street photography.
Thanks for viewing. Please let me know what you think and please subscribe.
Hi. I am already subscribed.
Definitely the best tutorial about zone focusing on UA-cam rather than some vloggers showing off their Leica.
Thank you Caldera!
it's called RANGE FOCUSING. Zone focusing is not a thing. Someone confusaed it with the zone system -- Ansel Adam's technique, to determine the correct exposure.
Finally, an explanation that doesn't just gloss over the subject. I've watched probably half a dozen videos on zone focus and this has been the best I've seen.
Thank you Steve!
Steve Caputo yeah! This was done very well!!
I just found a born teacher! Thank you, David.
Thank you pixelgenau!
@@davidcolemandc How to do it on a Rollei 35 t
One week ago I got my first Leica: a M3! Now I learn how to focus exact without Autofocus after 30 years with this hobby! Thank you!
Thank you for watching. Check out my other videos too.
The best video on zone focusing on UA-cam period. Thank you David!
Thank YOU Akshay Y R!
Finally a simple and complete explanation!
I love vintage folding cameras where zone and hyperfocal focusing are my beat friendx. For decades, Rollei 35's have been a favorite camera and all they have ia a viewfinder and a lens with distance markings. Very good video! Thanks!
Excellent, fed up of hearing other you tubers insisting zone and hf dist are the same. thanks for making this a clear difference.
Now I finally understand about manual lens concepts.
Just got a Leica, been watching videos on zone focusing, focusing a Leica and so on...your video was the absolute best and most helpful! Thank you!
Thank you Steve!
Thanks very much ….the best practical explanation about this subject !…..
Thank you Salvador. I'm glad you liked it.
Thanks a lot. This is eye opening. No pun intended!
10th video I watch, and finally in 5 minutes zone focusing and hyperfocal are clear to me. Thanks for making it clear what I need to do for street photography and also what is hyperfocal (which I believe is more useful in landscape photography).
Thank you Giorgio!
You are an excellent teacher. Thank you for being so helpful with this video.
Thank you - that was the clearest explanation I have heard on this topic!
Thank you Andre 1,000
wonderfully explained. Just strting out with street photography, great video.
Thank you Lortz2610!
This was very helpful, thank you very much for the video!
Fantastic explanation, David! Such an informative tutorial. I finally comprehend the distance scale thanks to you. You've won a subscriber here.
Clear and very useful for the novice photographer!
These settings only apply for modern digital cameras. When shooting film, you cannot have auto-ISO and so I think aperture priority is the only move. f/11 is quite dark and is only really viable (if you need 1/125th sec) on bright and sunny days. You'd have to pull back to f8 or even f5.6 on cloudy days or golden/blue hour to achieve 1/125th of a second. You can forget about night photography when zone-focusing at f5.6 or higher.
Have you tried Ilford Delta 3200, developed in Kodak T-Max or Ilford Ilfotec DD-X, and then made prints of a moderate size? You could also try Delta 400, expose it at a higher ISO, and then develop it accordingly?
Really informative video. Gonna try this technique. Thanks for sharing
Best tutorial on zone focusing! Thank you! Subscribing!
Very nice clip and carefully summarizing the information.
Hi Ahmed. Thank you for your review.
Good video - auto ISO is great with the 'clean' sensors in modern cameras. If you use vintage lenses with manual focus then zone focussing is perfect for old-style street pics. The old lenses have depth of field scales too ;-)
Wonderful tutorial, thank you.
Thank you! Please Like and Subscribe.
Since the autofocus revolution, of cameras with interchangeable lenses during mid 80's, most professional photographers don't really bother with manual focusing. However the small legendary Leica M-mount rangefinder cameras is a great exemption. The full frame Leica M-mount lenses are the only lenses with small size and great optical quality.
on digital*
This is what I am looking for, thank you very very much for sharing.
Great to hear. Thank you! Check out my other videos too.
@@davidcolemandc Of course, I'm your big fan now.
Este sí es un excelente tutorial y no chingaderas. ¡Gracias, Coleman!
Ja Ja Ja. Gracias a tí! Sin chingaderas verdad?
@@davidcolemandcJajaja ¡Claro!
Wow I just learned so much from this short video! Thank you!
So helpful! Best video covering zone focusing!!
These are great starting tips, but motion blur and camera shake can be fantastic ways to create interesting images and should not be dismissed as "incorrect"- Just look at Robert Frank or William Klein's work.
Excellent demonstration of zone focusing. Subscribed.
So good. Well done and thank you.
Oh my gosh, this is so amazing, thank you!
Thank you!
Nice video! You explained the subject clearly and I will try it out.Focusing by touch screen as on my Olympus can be extremely fast and accurate and it means I can hold the camera at different heights. It is also not always so obvious to the subject that you have just photographed them.
This is the best explanation of zone focusing on youtube. Hats off to you sir.
Thank you sir!
Super clean explanation, thanks David.
Best explanation I’ve deen
Many thanks for sharing
I was looking for some tips on this for street photography. Just what I needed. Thanks. 👍
Thank you James!
you just opened a whole new world. My biggest challenge was focusing in street photography.
Anthony, great to hear! Please let me know how it works out for you. Good luck!
Well thought out!
Beautiful 🙏🏽
A very good video, clear and without al the smug. Keep on going.👍🏻
Good info presented in a easy to follow format. Well done.
Thank you Joe!
thank you for the effort and the sharing. i am shooting with a ricoh gr2 which also has a snap focus mode which is their version of zone focusing. i am still trying to work on my ability to estimate the distance. your six feet = the width of a parked car is a helpful visualization. thumbs up.
Thank you Smalltalk.Productions
Grt.speech nice information 🌷🌷🙏
Thank you!
Nice video thanks.
very good. tx for sharing your experience.
Excellent! Thank you! I don't use zone focusing on my Fuji X100 but maybe I should. I thought it's limited to Leica cameras but obviously I was wrong
The beauty of zone focusing is that you can do it with just about any camera.
Best video about this
Smashing thanks
Thanks. A very understandable explanation.
Thank you for watching David!
Thank you
Awesome video, very well explained!
Thank you Matheus
Very clearly explained, thank you.
Thank you!
Nice Video!
this is great. thank you!
Thank you Meynard Macol!
I really like your videos and focusing tips.
Thank you JE!
Good info, thanks.
thanks for explaining zone focusing to us!
it always gets abit confusing for me! :P
Thank you ACID SNOW
This channel is really good im suprised you dont got more subs
Thank you photomorti
Great video!
good video. However, if Hyperfocal means that you extent your sharp/focal area to infinity (and beyooooond, sorry, couldn't resist) then why wouldn't you always use Hyperfocal? Then you have always sharpness. Or is it because you want to create some Bokeh?
Thank you for the trouble of making this nice and informative movie.
Great video. Thank you for the useful tips
Thank you!
A clear way to explain but this way only works with a digital camera and auto iso. Shooting film with 1 iso you have to change your shutterspeed and you can not always avoid lower speeds. Making a good choice of film/iso to fit the conditions of that day are important
Excellent
I use AF servo on Canon and what is this? Just kidding, I've heard about zone focusing and this was very helpful, thank you. I'm going to try focusing to cut my response time down even more. I actually miss focus on a percentage of the shots because of over-reliance on AF.
Thank you very much! 35 6 11!
Thanks, learning a lot
Thank you for watching Adreas!
SUBBED. THIS IS SUPERB.
Congratulations! Excelent video. Thanks.
Thank you João Martins!
Is that a Leica? if yes, why that camera instead of for example the Sony A7iii or A7Riii? I like the look of your camera but wondering what is better than the sony or lacking. Thanks.
this is a nice video ... very informative ... thank you for sharing :D
Thank you!
Beautiful
Thank you!
thank you for the lovely video. appreciate if you can help zone focusing with a fuji x70
Sylvester, rotate the manual focus control ring until the focal plane (white line) is at 6 feet or 2 meters. Set your aperture to f/5.6. Now you have a zone between 4 and 12 feet on that camera. Set ISO to auto with a minimum shutter speed set to 1/250. Good luck.
David Coleman tyvm. ur the best. subscribed.
Thanks for the info. How do you set a focusing distance?
What if my lens is at 45 mm ? What should be my settings ? Thanks appreciate the help 🙂
Thanks, very useful.
Thank you Tutaj!
f11 at at least 1/125...you need a lot of light for that. But well explained 😌
Steyreon auto iso
I'm using cropped sensor on my XT4 - prefer my 27mm f2.8 lens what would you recommend for a good zone focus setup for this which i believe is 40mm full frame?
Well with them being in a partnership all these years it wouldn’t be a surprise they’re similar. I’d compare a camera that only Leica has vs Lumix/Leica collab camera that they both share.
I like shooting only wide
What if the camera you have has a crop sensor? How will your suggested numbers change?
Buena información David, gracias por este video! Cuál f stop recomiendas para una Fuji X100 que tiene un lente de 23mm y sensor APS-C? (assuming you still know Spanish)
Hola tremolo3. Claro que sí! Yo tengo el Fuji X100F. Con f/8.0 es suficiente para lograr lo mismo. Saludos.
So you are using a wide angle lens, 35mm, since the sensor is full frame? They have more depth of field correct? What about a 50 mm standard lens? Enough dof for zone focusing? If apsc sensor and 35 mm then not full frame correct?
More depth of field than what? APSC is not full frame. Correct. But it does have more depth of field (apparent) than full frame.
really interesting video can't wait the 2 days i have to wait to test it out , i don't have the equivalent of a 35mm full frame so i'll use my 35mm APS-C , 50mm still look good for street photo , i just wonder how my photo will look with that technique and how fast i'll adapt to it :D i also need to work on my shyness and the fact that i have hard time being close to peoples ^^ thanks for the video it's very clear , fast and you don't waste time
like always the elders have the answers :D
btw i'm using a normal lens and not a manual one so is it actually interesting to use zone focusing with a normal lens or should i just go auto focus , f8/11//16 with single middle focus point ?
Street photography doesn't mean just only in taking picture outdoor: means grabbing a unique moment!
Hi David, with the most common settings on my Ricoh GR-3 F-11, 125s and Auto ISO make my photographs queit grainy. Can you help me which setting I should go with sweet spot (5.6) or f11 to avoid grains. I could not find any video on youtube which can clarify on settings for Ricoh GR-3.
How does this work at night when you need that slower shutter and higher aperture??
Please check out my other videos "Hiding in Plain Sight" and "Safety". More to come soon.
I use this technique all the time. But not F11. I tend to use a wider aperture. Between 2.8, 5.6 or if it is too shiny 7.1. The wider the better for me.
Depends on the lighting conditions. I do a lot of night photography and I shoot at f/2.8 or lower in general - lots of long exposure as well.
F8 is considered the go-to aperture for street during the daytime. It really depends on how much isolation you want for your subject, when you have proper lighting conditions. But by going with a low aperture and using zone focusing, you gotta be careful because your zone is super small at f/2.8 and extremely tiny below that... at f/1.4 and below you start to have a noticeable difference between the eyes and the skin - so zone focusing is not proper for lower aperture IMHO. Again depends on what you want.
I disagree that you need 125th all the time tho. I love to show movement, and a lot of street photographers do. It's a stylistic choice. Camera shake and movement are to different things - keeping it at 125th is good when you're a beginner and your grip is not good enough yet to go in low aperture territory.
Zone focussing in the Subway platform and subway cars?
Range focusing :) zones are Ansels :)
Dose the carmer and lens matter. Or just any carmer and lens
Helpful video. Are you turning off your auto focus after setting it for 6 feet?
Yes, I tell students to focus at 6 feet and then turn off auto-focus.
I assume this won't work well in low light or night street photography..?
Hi! Great video. I’m beginning to learn photography through film. One of your tips is to set iso to automatic but with film, i can’t do that. Would that affect the focusing in the photos if its not automatic? Also, I’m using a rangefinder camera (with auto exposure feature), do you have additional tips to improve my zone focusing? Thank you in advance!
Angela Carig as you said, with shooting film your iso cannot be automatic, so set an appropriately fast shutter speed to freeze any subject you might photograph and see how small you can get the aperture to allow the deepest depth of field. If you have automatic shutter speed setting on your camera then you can allow that to be the setting that changes depending on how much light is in your frame and keep your aperture small enough to allow deep depth of field. If you have a digital camera with auto iso you can lock the aperture and shutter speed (in manual mode) and allow the iso to adjust for the correct exposure.
Hi Angela. Thank you for watching. As Daniel mentioned the ISO is fixed with film. When I shoot film I shoot 400 ISO. I set my Aperture to f/11 (when using a 35mm lens) and f/5.6 (when using a 21mm lens). So stay with an Aperture between f/11 and f/5.6. The shutter speed set it between 1/60 and 1/250. Make sure you check out my other videos that will help you with street photography.