I dont know anyone else on the planet who explains camera settings and their applications as simply and effectively as you do. You seriously deserve to be a professor in a photography school!
LOL i take pictures since my childhood ,but over all this Digital innovations i forgot the Base of Photography ! thx for bringing me a step back to make a big step further !
Definitely the best video ive found on this subject so far. I have an x100 and I’ve been looking for a video like this and hadn’t been able to find one. Thanks man!!!
I use exactly the same way to shoot quickly scenes while I’m doing some street photography. My x100V at aperture mode priority f8 to f16. Iso auto. And that’s all
Thank you for this clear, well illustrated and concise video! I’m a photog newbie and found your video in a YT search. Yours is the best explanation of zone focusing I’ve watched.
Jay, you have some terrific videos. Your effort in producing your vids, along with the examples you provide, are very effective in conveying concepts & information. Keep up the great work!
I just switched from nikon, to fujifilm mirrorless. I found a video that explained how to change my manual M focus settings to show a Film-like Zone on a bar. It's manipulated with focus and aperture rings. So the mirrorless cameras make it so much easier to visualize, and learn zone focusing. Im still very early into learning, but it has been leaps in the right direction, since I moved from my slr nikon.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if you choose film basis instead of pixels, that blue lines stretches a bit to give you a greater zone of focus at the expense of precision.
Excellent video! I’m gonna try this out soon. So if you’re shooting in automatic, does that mean the only thing in focus is whatever is in your little square despite your aperture?
Well explained and illustrated. Fuji line of cams have this feature (somewhat rare compared to other makes), a good approximation of the analog equivalent you demo’d. Analog method was also used for other genres like landscape photog to gauge depth of field. Good tip to practice the subject to camera distance that you use most often for this technique; everyone has a different comfort distance. I would add that a wider focal length lens (applying this technique to interchangeable lens cams) will expand the zone of focus, so we can use wider apertures.
Great input Paul, and yes I was considering including the wide focal length factor as a drawback to zone focusing, because it becomes exponentially harder the more telephoto you go, but I didn't want to discourage anyone from trying it out
I found that having it on linear makes it a bit more precise, but you need to rotate the focus ring too much. A manual lens with hard stops has a much shorter focus throw, which I wish Fuji would incorporate in the next x100 camera, but wishful thinking of course
Great video Jay! Really informative and useful! Do you know if the focus distance feature in the EVF can be set to appear on the OVF as well? Is it a feature of the x-pro3 as well? Many thanks!
Thanks for the fantastic video and explanation. I’ve been trialling this for sometime on and off now for street photography and it’s a fantastic way to take shots. The only question I have is this. I have the X 100 VI. All settings are as per your description. I often accidentally tap or twist the focus ring. And take several shots before I realised I have moved my bone focus area that I want at F8 for example. Is there a way to stop the focus ring from being used for focus during this process. I know it’s a strange question because you need to get to a point of focus in the first place with the focus ring. But if I’m taking photos for hours at f8 with a comfortable focus zone, I don’t want to accidentally bump it all the time. Is there a way to stop that focus ring being used or bumped accidentally. Thanks again for the video and your help.
Hi Jay. Thanks so much for the fast reply. Excellent. I will stop researching it! 😂. Thanks for all your great work in the vids to help us all. Cheers.
Hyperfocusing is another technique, it takes some trial and error depending on the lens but I think there are apps that can calculate hyperfocal for you
Great video but I have a question... Why not choose the depth of field scale set to film format ? Doesn't that "widen" the blue bar somewhat and give a bit more latitude ?
You can do that, but film format should be used only if you don't really care about pin sharp focus and/or if you intend to do mainly prints on the larger end.
The wider your focal length the less shallow the DOF will be at higher f stops. 23mm at f16 isn't that shallow... If you wanted more in focus look at something that's 24-28mm equivalent
@@JayRegular I’ll rephrase my question. I have a 23mm lens mounted on an xPro3. I use zone focusing because f/16 expands the zone of focus from 1m to infinity. But my friend, who has an X100VI, tried zone focusing and the zone of focus at f/16 is from ~5m to infinity. There’s a wide gap between 1m and 5m. We’re both using 35mm equivalent lenses at f/16. Why the discrepancy?
@@JayRegular Yeah! I shoot with other brands too, both film and digital, and zone focusing at f/16 on a 35mm equivalent lens generally allows you to focus at about ~1m to infinity. Fuji’s X100V’s more shallow zone of focus at f/16 seems to be an oddity.
I guess it's more mentally reassuring as it shows you not just what is exactly in focus but also includes the range of perceived focus, so you have a wider range to work with
Only a filter fully seals the lens but in practice the hood would like prevent pretty much all water from entering. So long as you don't point it upwards into the rain..
Good video. But with an X100, I think its way simpler to back button focus in the middle of your expected zone. It takes less time to do that than read what I just said. Let alone look at this video. Sunny 16 and manual cameras are history. While the vid applies to manual cameras, its not efficient for digital cameras like the X100. But again, good video explaining what it was like in the manual days.
Great explanation ! Congrats from France ;-) A questions for you : I made a test. I do not move the ring but I click directly on the AEL/AFL button. And all the scene is "zone focused' (in red). what is the difference with your method ? Thanks in advance for your reply !
Thanks for that, it seems you are using manual mode with focus peaking and doing the back button focus method. I am using the single focus mode with single point autofocus. There isn't a big difference, manual mode just gives you more control to fine tune focus after back button focusing
@@JayRegular Thanks foy reply Jay ! Yes, i'm using manual mode on my X100V for street photography (and generally automatic shutter speed and ISO... for a sunny day). I think your method is better than mine, but we have to calculate/estimate the distance of the subject. No need to calculate the distance with the back button focus but use it is an extra step.. a loss of time in some situations. Thanks again for your channel !
Very interesting. However that is a very shallow depth of field as with my Zeiss C Biogon 35mm 2.8 ZM at f16 and 2 meters my depth of field is from 1.2 to almost 6 meters, that’s why I moved from Fuji!
Is this the same thing as hyper focal length? This technique can be very useful if you are using adapters with analog film lenses which are manual and AF on the camera is useless anyway.
Hyperfocus works slightly differently to zone, where zone is focus between two distances, hyperfocal is one distance to infinity. Depending on shooting style, hyperfocal might be better but for subjects at a closer distance, zone focusing is still the way to go. This obviously varies from lens to lens and apertures. And yes it works wonderfully for manual lenses on modern mirror less bodies
Pixel based format is too conservative... I suggest change to film format for DOF scale to make it workable. It's closer to the scale on manual lenses, if it's sharp enough for a film print it's sharp enough for social media.
I never use zone focusing. It’s a just a fancy word that some camera company users invented for ‘point and shoot’. It often results in a shot with less regards to composition in order to capture the ‘moment’. Anyway, there is another way that could be used. Set ur x100v to manual, use back bottom focusing and aim to an approximate distance. If you set your back bottom focus to, say, 2meters, and your aperture is set to f8, then almost anything from 2 meters to infinity should be in focus.
zone focusing wasn't "invented" by any camera company, but was born out of necessity by journalist photographers who used fully manual cameras at the time (mostly leicas) for prefocusing by estimating the distance to the focus subject. it is until this day the fastest way to shoot street photography. it's not a "fancy" word for point and shoot. with point and shoot, the photographer doesn't do anything for acquiring focus. with zone focusing, the photographer estimates the distance and while lifting up the camera, with the help of focusing tab (or ring) and muscle memory, sets up the focus zone so by the moment the camera is up to the eye, the zone is set and the only thing left for them to do is framing the shot and pressing the shutter button. And zone focusing has nothing to do with composition. Btw, if you set the x100v to f8 and back focus to 2m, the focus zone would be from 1.2m to around 5m, not to infinity. You should stop writing about concepts that you don't fully grasp yourself.
@@mahdiali6732 zone isn’t hyperfocal 1. you have to change focus if you shoot subjects at various distances. You have to change focus if you shoot longer focal lengths, like 40 and 50mm 3. You have to change focus if you shoot at lower apertures like f5.6. So, NO, it’s not a point and shoot. And you obviously don’t know enough on the subject for your opinion to be relevant.
Focus by wire is much more difficult than standard manual focus lens with hard stops. It would of been helpful had fuji implemented snap focus like their xf10 or like ricoh gr series. Hopefully in a firmware update...
Yeh it is an inconvenience for sure, this is the only way to combat the lack of snap focusing on the x100v... The only other way is to use the AF range limiter, but I haven't done enough testing, and from what I've experienced, it isn't as responsive as I would have hoped.
I hope someday someone will make a compact manual focus camera, but that would be extremely unlikely. The only digital option nowadays is Leica, which is way too expensive for many photographers.
I'm still getting hit and miss having just started my last 3 shoots using zone focus..... I'm still getting some blurry shots and some times one one shot the right sided person is out of focus and the next frame its the other way round which is annoying... i'm shooting f8 with 250th or higher to help with blur. ISO 1600
For the depth of field scale setting, are you using pixel basis or film format basis, if you are shooting f8 in pixel basis, the zone of focus is still pretty small. A lot of my photos don't come out tack sharp even at f11, but they are clear enough.
@@paulchoccyt1303 pixel basis will give you a more accurate reading of the focus zone. Film format basis won't be the best, if you want tack sharp photos
I agree Dave, understanding the fundamentals of how a camera operates makes analog film cameras a great learning tool. Once adept, you can pick up any camera and not feel too foreign.
You want to see zone focus skill Robert franks photos he made. you cant make them any other way and you will never get the opportunity again to make if you are not quick enough garry Winogrand too. stay away from bresson he is very complex because of his use of geometry check out that snap shot aesthetic before fucking with bresson
I dont know anyone else on the planet who explains camera settings and their applications as simply and effectively as you do. You seriously deserve to be a professor in a photography school!
Possibly the best explanation on this topic in that I didn’t even realize I needed this explained to me... thanks!
Ahaha thanks Raymond, I tried to make it in a way that someone like me would have liked to understand it 🤣
I was confused about zone focussing until i saw this video. Thanks!
Just go an x100v and as some one that just takes photos for fun - your videos are a godsend! thanks!
Great to see a photography channel focused on how to use a camera well, rather than what is the latest equipment.
Thanks Martin! I used to be a gearhead, but like most other photographers, slowly grew out of that expensive phase of life 🤣
LOL i take pictures since my childhood ,but over all this Digital innovations i forgot the Base of Photography ! thx for bringing me a step back to make a big step further !
GREAT INFORMATIVE VIDEO ON THE FOCUSING WITH THESE X100 CAMERAS!!!!💯🤘🏾🤘🏾🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Well explained! This method works perfectly on my Fujifilm X100F
Definitely the best video ive found on this subject so far. I have an x100 and I’ve been looking for a video like this and hadn’t been able to find one. Thanks man!!!
you're welcome! glad it helped!
It sure didn’t thanks man. I subscribed and looking forward to more of your videos. Take care man 🙏
I use exactly the same way to shoot quickly scenes while I’m doing some street photography.
My x100V at aperture mode priority f8 to f16. Iso auto. And that’s all
What a bloody good guide man, you’ve earned a sub and like
Hey man! Really appreciate it! 👍
Excellent explanation of focus zoning. I’m brand new to the X100V and look forward to your future videos.
Thanks Laurel! 🙏
Thank you for this clear, well illustrated and concise video! I’m a photog newbie and found your video in a YT search. Yours is the best explanation of zone focusing I’ve watched.
Thanks so much! 🙏
Another crystal clear explanation! You are an exceptional teacher 👏🏻. Thanks Jay
You're too kind Maureen! Thankyou for the ongoing encouragement! 🙏
Jay, you have some terrific videos. Your effort in producing your vids, along with the examples you provide, are very effective in conveying concepts & information. Keep up the great work!
Thankyou very much!
Great presentation for zone focusing. Thanks!!!
Thanks John! 🙏
love your video mate, thanks
Really helpful. Now I finally know what all the numbers mean on a manual lens! Thanks. Subscribed.
Thanks mate!🙏
Brilliant presentation giving a clear understanding of zone focusing. Much appreciated 😎👍🏼
Cheers mate 🙏
Best explanation
I just switched from nikon, to fujifilm mirrorless. I found a video that explained how to change my manual M focus settings to show a Film-like Zone on a bar. It's manipulated with focus and aperture rings. So the mirrorless cameras make it so much easier to visualize, and learn zone focusing. Im still very early into learning, but it has been leaps in the right direction, since I moved from my slr nikon.
This is a phenomenal explanation. It's criminal you have 4k subs! Keep at it!
they should ship your videos inside the x100 box. brilliant.
Really good vid. Thanks.
An especially effective presentation: well done!
Great explanation and nice graphic!
great visuals! well done!
Jay....that was a great explanation. Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It was very well thought out, short and to the point.
Thankyou Ed! Appreciate the feedback 🙏
well explained, useful. good one
I don't think I've seen a video about Zone Focusing like yours man. Keep it up!! The video quality is just getting better and better everyday!
Thanks man! Need to somehow stand out from the crowd 👌
well done jay. a really fine and easy-understanding video. looking forward to your next informative videos.
Thanks Jan! Greatly appreciated! 👍
Great explanation!!
Thanks Seb!
another great video! thank you!
Well done Jay! Loved the video and a 'Big wow' on the graphics explaining the focus plane. Cheers
Thanks Carlos! That took me a 'big wow' amount of time to make too 🤣
I don’t zone focus but this video was awesome. That minecraft graphic explanation 🤯
Haha you should give it a try man! Yeh that part of the video was a pain to make 😭
Very well explained, thank you very much.
You're welcome Jose 🙏
Awesome video. Thank you!
Very helpful. Thank you
Thxuuu man! Awesome video
Thanks man! 🙏
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if you choose film basis instead of pixels, that blue lines stretches a bit to give you a greater zone of focus at the expense of precision.
Film Format is when printing pictures (medium detail) and Pixel is for digital pictures (High detail)
Thanks! Great content
Excellent video! I’m gonna try this out soon. So if you’re shooting in automatic, does that mean the only thing in focus is whatever is in your little square despite your aperture?
The camera will try to focus on whatever is in the square regardless of aperture value
Well explained and illustrated. Fuji line of cams have this feature (somewhat rare compared to other makes), a good approximation of the analog equivalent you demo’d. Analog method was also used for other genres like landscape photog to gauge depth of field. Good tip to practice the subject to camera distance that you use most often for this technique; everyone has a different comfort distance. I would add that a wider focal length lens (applying this technique to interchangeable lens cams) will expand the zone of focus, so we can use wider apertures.
Great input Paul, and yes I was considering including the wide focal length factor as a drawback to zone focusing, because it becomes exponentially harder the more telephoto you go, but I didn't want to discourage anyone from trying it out
Great video!! So you can actually set your focus ring to linear under the focus menu which makes the lens focus more like a manual lens.
I found that having it on linear makes it a bit more precise, but you need to rotate the focus ring too much. A manual lens with hard stops has a much shorter focus throw, which I wish Fuji would incorporate in the next x100 camera, but wishful thinking of course
@@JayRegular Agreed! Just wanted to make sure you knew you could make it a little closer than the way it is factory setup.
Does the actual calculation of distance only show with native mount glass? Thank you.
Great explanation, but I would recommend switching from pixel value to film value.
very good
Great video Jay! Really informative and useful! Do you know if the focus distance feature in the EVF can be set to appear on the OVF as well? Is it a feature of the x-pro3 as well? Many thanks!
The focus distance can be set in the menu settings for the OVF, you just need to make sure that large indicators mode for the evf/ovf is turned off
Do you think Fuji's focus distance scale is inaccurate?
No, I trust the scale, I just don't trust my eyes 🤣
Thanks for the fantastic video and explanation. I’ve been trialling this for sometime on and off now for street photography and it’s a fantastic way to take shots. The only question I have is this. I have the X 100 VI. All settings are as per your description. I often accidentally tap or twist the focus ring. And take several shots before I realised I have moved my bone focus area that I want at F8 for example. Is there a way to stop the focus ring from being used for focus during this process. I know it’s a strange question because you need to get to a point of focus in the first place with the focus ring. But if I’m taking photos for hours at f8 with a comfortable focus zone, I don’t want to accidentally bump it all the time. Is there a way to stop that focus ring being used or bumped accidentally. Thanks again for the video and your help.
There is unfortunately no way of locking the focus ring... Just got to be careful of bumping it 🥲
Hi Jay. Thanks so much for the fast reply. Excellent. I will stop researching it! 😂. Thanks for all your great work in the vids to help us all. Cheers.
AMAZING...
Very useful video. And what about so called focusing to infinity with manual lenses?
Hyperfocusing is another technique, it takes some trial and error depending on the lens but I think there are apps that can calculate hyperfocal for you
Great video but I have a question... Why not choose the depth of field scale set to film format ? Doesn't that "widen" the blue bar somewhat and give a bit more latitude ?
You can do that, but film format should be used only if you don't really care about pin sharp focus and/or if you intend to do mainly prints on the larger end.
@@JayRegular Thank you for the reply.
Great explanation. Do we know why the zone of focus is so shallow on f/16 as compared to other 35mm equivalent lenses?
The wider your focal length the less shallow the DOF will be at higher f stops. 23mm at f16 isn't that shallow... If you wanted more in focus look at something that's 24-28mm equivalent
@@JayRegular I’ll rephrase my question.
I have a 23mm lens mounted on an xPro3. I use zone focusing because f/16 expands the zone of focus from 1m to infinity. But my friend, who has an X100VI, tried zone focusing and the zone of focus at f/16 is from ~5m to infinity.
There’s a wide gap between 1m and 5m. We’re both using 35mm equivalent lenses at f/16. Why the discrepancy?
@@adrianito2853 are your depth of field scale settings the same?
@@JayRegular Yeah! I shoot with other brands too, both film and digital, and zone focusing at f/16 on a 35mm equivalent lens generally allows you to focus at about ~1m to infinity.
Fuji’s X100V’s more shallow zone of focus at f/16 seems to be an oddity.
Can I just shoot without any focus? like shooting on my iPhone? is there any option to disable the focus and shoot clearly ??
Great video! I wonder how you record the screen of your camera? Thx
I use a hdmi to usb device to connect from my camera to the computer
@@JayRegular Oh do you need to use any application for this?
Yes I use obs
love 4m india bro
This is great =D
Very neat explanation, thank you. By the way, selecting fill format basis wouldn't be more practical?
I guess it's more mentally reassuring as it shows you not just what is exactly in focus but also includes the range of perceived focus, so you have a wider range to work with
Thank you so much Jay! Helps a lot!
Got a question about the square hood. Does the squarehood make the lens weathersealed?
Only a filter fully seals the lens but in practice the hood would like prevent pretty much all water from entering. So long as you don't point it upwards into the rain..
Good video. But with an X100, I think its way simpler to back button focus in the middle of your expected zone. It takes less time to do that than read what I just said. Let alone look at this video. Sunny 16 and manual cameras are history. While the vid applies to manual cameras, its not efficient for digital cameras like the X100. But again, good video explaining what it was like in the manual days.
Great explanation ! Congrats from France ;-)
A questions for you : I made a test. I do not move the ring but I click directly on the AEL/AFL button. And all the scene is "zone focused' (in red). what is the difference with your method ? Thanks in advance for your reply !
Thanks for that, it seems you are using manual mode with focus peaking and doing the back button focus method. I am using the single focus mode with single point autofocus. There isn't a big difference, manual mode just gives you more control to fine tune focus after back button focusing
@@JayRegular Thanks foy reply Jay ! Yes, i'm using manual mode on my X100V for street photography (and generally automatic shutter speed and ISO... for a sunny day). I think your method is better than mine, but we have to calculate/estimate the distance of the subject. No need to calculate the distance with the back button focus but use it is an extra step.. a loss of time in some situations. Thanks again for your channel !
once i've zone fokused, and the camera switches off (after the 15-30 sec or so); dies the pre-focus stay the same like before? cheers, thanks! jordan
You should test it for yourself and see. From what I've experienced, it stays at the same focus distance
Very interesting. However that is a very shallow depth of field as with my Zeiss C Biogon 35mm 2.8 ZM at f16 and 2 meters my depth of field is from 1.2 to almost 6 meters, that’s why I moved from Fuji!
Is this the same thing as hyper focal length? This technique can be very useful if you are using adapters with analog film lenses which are manual and AF on the camera is useless anyway.
Hyperfocus works slightly differently to zone, where zone is focus between two distances, hyperfocal is one distance to infinity. Depending on shooting style, hyperfocal might be better but for subjects at a closer distance, zone focusing is still the way to go. This obviously varies from lens to lens and apertures. And yes it works wonderfully for manual lenses on modern mirror less bodies
Pixel based format is too conservative... I suggest change to film format for DOF scale to make it workable. It's closer to the scale on manual lenses, if it's sharp enough for a film print it's sharp enough for social media.
True you are, I myself shoot with film format basis as I'm not too fussed about precise focus 👍
❤️❤️❤️
I never use zone focusing. It’s a just a fancy word that some camera company users invented for ‘point and shoot’. It often results in a shot with less regards to composition in order to capture the ‘moment’. Anyway, there is another way that could be used. Set ur x100v to manual, use back bottom focusing and aim to an approximate distance. If you set your back bottom focus to, say, 2meters, and your aperture is set to f8, then almost anything from 2 meters to infinity should be in focus.
zone focusing wasn't "invented" by any camera company, but was born out of necessity by journalist photographers who used fully manual cameras at the time (mostly leicas) for prefocusing by estimating the distance to the focus subject. it is until this day the fastest way to shoot street photography. it's not a "fancy" word for point and shoot. with point and shoot, the photographer doesn't do anything for acquiring focus. with zone focusing, the photographer estimates the distance and while lifting up the camera, with the help of focusing tab (or ring) and muscle memory, sets up the focus zone so by the moment the camera is up to the eye, the zone is set and the only thing left for them to do is framing the shot and pressing the shutter button. And zone focusing has nothing to do with composition.
Btw, if you set the x100v to f8 and back focus to 2m, the focus zone would be from 1.2m to around 5m, not to infinity. You should stop writing about concepts that you don't fully grasp yourself.
@@brankokosteski you must be a Leica user 😀. Once you set the zone it’s point and shoot no matter what you claim.
@@mahdiali6732 zone isn’t hyperfocal 1. you have to change focus if you shoot subjects at various distances. You have to change focus if you shoot longer focal lengths, like 40 and 50mm 3. You have to change focus if you shoot at lower apertures like f5.6. So, NO, it’s not a point and shoot. And you obviously don’t know enough on the subject for your opinion to be relevant.
Hi, i cant select peak in AF/MF. Only Standard. Can you help me?
not sure what settings you tweaked to have that problem, but if nothing works, try factory resetting your camera
@@JayRegular Hi, figured it out already. The camera was not set to Manual (M)
Focus by wire is much more difficult than standard manual focus lens with hard stops. It would of been helpful had fuji implemented snap focus like their xf10 or like ricoh gr series. Hopefully in a firmware update...
Yeh it is an inconvenience for sure, this is the only way to combat the lack of snap focusing on the x100v... The only other way is to use the AF range limiter, but I haven't done enough testing, and from what I've experienced, it isn't as responsive as I would have hoped.
I hope someday someone will make a compact manual focus camera, but that would be extremely unlikely. The only digital option nowadays is Leica, which is way too expensive for many photographers.
I'm still getting hit and miss having just started my last 3 shoots using zone focus..... I'm still getting some blurry shots and some times one one shot the right sided person is out of focus and the next frame its the other way round which is annoying... i'm shooting f8 with 250th or higher to help with blur. ISO 1600
For the depth of field scale setting, are you using pixel basis or film format basis, if you are shooting f8 in pixel basis, the zone of focus is still pretty small. A lot of my photos don't come out tack sharp even at f11, but they are clear enough.
@@JayRegular Film Basis F8 around 250th second and iso is usually 6400
@@JayRegular Should I switch to Pixel?
@@paulchoccyt1303 pixel basis will give you a more accurate reading of the focus zone. Film format basis won't be the best, if you want tack sharp photos
Using flash, no need for sunny days or high ISO!
Ghost @3:37
Very spooky 👻
Everyone should learn zone focus and everyone should start shooting film first move onto digital not the other way around
I agree Dave, understanding the fundamentals of how a camera operates makes analog film cameras a great learning tool. Once adept, you can pick up any camera and not feel too foreign.
You want to see zone focus skill Robert franks photos he made. you cant make them any other way and you will never get the opportunity again to make if you are not quick enough garry Winogrand too. stay away from bresson he is very complex because of his use of geometry check out that snap shot aesthetic before fucking with bresson
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