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.
Search the internet for "range focus" and you'll find that "zone focus" is the term used by an overwhelming majority of people--so much so, that the top results in any given search engine that explain the technique call it "zone focus. Using commonly accepted language to communicate a technique is the most helpful thing to the greatest number of people--and that's what I'm trying to do here: be helpful.
@@themikepadua that doesn’t make it correct. You’ll also find countless search results for bullshit that people believe. Being out in cold weather itself doesn’t cause colds or flu; these are caused by viruses. Shaving hair doesn’t change its thickness, color, or rate of growth. Groupthink doesn’t make something correct.
I'm 71 and just getting into photography. I bought a used Sony A600 with the kit 16-50mm lens. I have found the lens to be "reasonable" when it comes to distance sharpness when shooting in low light. The lowest f-n is 3.5, so I have bought a Neewer 35mm f1.1 manual lens and it has proved to be a cracking wee lens, especially as I had a very small budget of £150. I found it on Amazon at £143. I was a bit unsure of how to use this manual lens to get the best out of it, so after watching this video, I am feeling much more confident of getting decently well focused shots when shooting in a hurry by using your advice and using Zone focusing. Many thanks.
With zone focusing it is important to point out that "in focus" really means "in acceptable focus". Spot on focus depth is still more shallow than the actual zone, but it will be acceptable, speaking in textbook terms.
You are correct, the distance scale on the lens is not very accurate, reason I set the infinity symbol a bit under the choosen shooting Aperture. If I choose to shoot at f22, I set the infinity symbol just under f22 (between f16 and f22, a bit closer to f22).
I watched so many "how to zone focus" videos/tutorials and your video is the first one that explains it in a really simple and understandable way. Thank you so much, Mike. for such a great video.
Thank you so much for watching! I was really trying to simplify the concept as much as possible. Zone focus has literally changed the way i shoot nearly 90% of the time!
Thank you!! I have watched so many videos about this and never understood a thing. You have finally given me the "Oh, I get this, it's so simple" moment. Well done!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. These old school skills deserved to be respected and passed on.These tutorials on skills are what grow the community.
For me, a [manual lens] + [entry-level mirrorless body] may be more budget-friendly and easier access than film though.
In the last three decades I have seen this explained many, many times. By far your video was the best explanation I have seen. Good job and thanks for taking the time to share this focus method with others.
This has really opened up a world for me to play with! I only just got a manual focus Pentax and I'm so excited to give this a go on the street, so thank you so much for this!
I was looking for how to use the distance scale on film cameras (I've just got a Rollei) and I'm glad I clicked here first! Now I understand it and no longer need to look at other videos lol. Tysm!
👂 - I stumbled accidentally over your video and even being very familiar with that technique I watched it just for fun. Man, I suggest to start a career as professional audio book reader, audio dubbing etc., you have the most clear and understandable voice I ever listened to. I’m non native English speaker and this was the first video ever, no, better, the first English spoken text ever I was listening to, I could clearly understand each word without repeating some sequences or activating the cc’s. Listening to you was like a revelation. A totally new experience.
The best video on the topic. I saw 15 videos and no one was able to explain how to read the indicators on the lens in this easy to understand way !!! Thanks, great content !!!
great! text book-like explaination. Best vid I have seen so far on this topic, also that you mention the limitations and boundaries of this technique. great stuff, thank you.
I enjoyed, you simplified zone shooting clearly and typically without rambling off about obscure useless unrelated topics. Thank you! As I'm really not interested in the colour of your car or what you had for breakfast yesterday as many post have extended stories to the topic at hand.
Thanks. Very useful video. I'm a lifelong AF photographer - pro sports, mostly - but I want to get into MF lenses for travel and landscape. I have a Leica 24-90mm and the images I got with it were beautiful, but that lens is a beast to carry and travel with. Since most travel stuff can be shot at F8 or more, using zone focus should help a lot
A good method to check your nearest and most far distance may be quickly measured by throwing your lens wide open and focus in that aperture on closest and/or most far away object, and read the scale of you lens perhaps? Thank you Mike, for good content that will really help many!
I used ZF for years pre digital days now shooting film again and made a right balls of trying to focus fast enough completely forgot about the ZF 🥴 liked n subbed cheers 🥂
That was super interesting and as someone who just ordered his first mirrorless camera and reads about stuff like "best autofocus" and thingslike that, this video/technique gives back some control. It's at least good to know about these things.
This is exactly what I was looking for. I have been finding manual focusing so much more satisfying , using vintage lenses on fujifilm x-t1, but I've been doing most of it by instinct, and was relying on focus peaking assist to "guess" a hyperfocal distance. This technique will basically turn my 28mm into a point and shoot at f11 and f8 for most situations. I'll still use the focus peaking when I get close to a subject i think, and when i shoot with my 135mm its easier to just compose and focus at same time without thinking about numbers. But this has really opened things up for me. thanks!
Hi Mike, really useful video. I have a couple of DLSR's which I love to shot with, and no intent to switch to mirrorless anytime soon. I prefer to manually focus when shooting quick/fast moving objects. My technic differs slightly from yours: Able to judge the expected DOF in relation to F-number / distance, I like to pre-focus .. This is especially useful for capturing subjects with a predictable path. ( Passing traffic / railway locomotives, Aircraft, etc etc ) I simply set the camera in Continuous shooting mode ( so that when the shutter button is pressed it fires of a rapid succession of exposures ) Choose a zone through which my subject is likely to pass, and pre-focus in the centre of it. I then track the subject in and the instant that they enter that zone, press & hold down the shutter button.. Enjoy 🤗
Your technique is pretty much the "intermediate/advanced" version of what I explained! Once people at least get started with my "beginner settings" they can start to put things together by understanding what the zones are, just as you have. Great stuff.
I just started using manual lenses and was wondering how I would hand my camera to a stranger and get a quick snap shot of me and my lady! This was super helpful in making this a possibility:) thank you!!
@@MrPhotographerDudesorry, but zone focusing has nothing to do with the zone system developed by Ansel Adam's and Fred Archer to determine the optimum exposure AND development . Zone focusing is more about Depth of Field (DOF).
Sorry, but applying zone focusing in street photography has nothing to do with the zone system that a technique that has been developed by Ansel Adam's and Fred Archer to determine exposure and development. Zone focusing has more to do with quickly controlling depth of field..using the hyperfocal distance and its derivative..as shown brilliantly in this video.
@@roiloubia4483 Zone focussing used to be called Range focussing and only if it was within a range that did not include infinity. Once infinity is being utilized on the distance scale it is Hyper-focal distance. The zone system is what I said and what you said it is, which is a tonal range. I was responding to @eyeperture and the misuse of the term “Zone System”
Wow--thank you, that really means a lot to me. I truly set out to make the simplest and most effective explanation of this concept, so I really appreciate your comment
You should have mentioned that on some lenses the infinity sign is on the left of the marker (like on the first lens you showed) and on other lenses on the right side of the marker. If the infinity sing is on the left of the marker, like on my Zeiss for example, you have to take a reading from right to left and vice versa.
I just got a manual lens and took a deep dive on zone focusing and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for creating the simplest and easiest instructional video that I came across. You nailed it and in the process you’re helped me nail this concept. Thanks again have a happy new year
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.
Search the internet for "range focus" and you'll find that "zone focus" is the term used by an overwhelming majority of people--so much so, that the top results in any given search engine that explain the technique call it "zone focus. Using commonly accepted language to communicate a technique is the most helpful thing to the greatest number of people--and that's what I'm trying to do here: be helpful.
@@themikepadua that doesn’t make it correct. You’ll also find countless search results for bullshit that people believe. Being out in cold weather itself doesn’t cause colds or flu; these are caused by viruses. Shaving hair doesn’t change its thickness, color, or rate of growth. Groupthink doesn’t make something correct.
It's actually hyperfocal distance focusing.
I'm 71 and just getting into photography. I bought a used Sony A600 with the kit 16-50mm lens. I have found the lens to be "reasonable" when it comes to distance sharpness when shooting in low light. The lowest f-n is 3.5, so I have bought a Neewer 35mm f1.1 manual lens and it has proved to be a cracking wee lens, especially as I had a very small budget of £150. I found it on Amazon at £143. I was a bit unsure of how to use this manual lens to get the best out of it, so after watching this video, I am feeling much more confident of getting decently well focused shots when shooting in a hurry by using your advice and using Zone focusing. Many thanks.
With zone focusing it is important to point out that "in focus" really means "in acceptable focus". Spot on focus depth is still more shallow than the actual zone, but it will be acceptable, speaking in textbook terms.
You are correct, the distance scale on the lens is not very accurate, reason I set the infinity symbol a bit under the choosen shooting Aperture. If I choose to shoot at f22, I set the infinity symbol just under f22 (between f16 and f22, a bit closer to f22).
@@roiloubia4483 Valuable tip...I'll try your placing the symbol at lower position. Thanks.
@@aktfkfja Very welcome..
Is this the reason why I find that even if the subject is already within the zone, a tiny adjustment can still make the subject sharper?
Gotta remember the scale is for acceptable focus for 35mm prints. How big were 35mm prints? 10"?
OH … Finally, clear well paced information that even I understood. You are a hero and I will be out tomorrow ‘zone focusing’
Finally...FINALLY...Someone explains in simple terms, how to use these type lenses. (For us, less than seasoned, photographers.). Thank you!
I watched so many "how to zone focus" videos/tutorials and your video is the first one that explains it in a really simple and understandable way.
Thank you so much, Mike. for such a great video.
I really appreciate you watching!
Oh man, it's like a light bulb went on. THANK YOU for teaching me how zone focussing works. And your assistant is an adorable little guy.
I've watched a few videos on zone focusing, yours was the easiest to understand. Huge thank you!
Thank you so much for watching! I was really trying to simplify the concept as much as possible. Zone focus has literally changed the way i shoot nearly 90% of the time!
The best zone focus explanation and tutorial out there! Super great job!
Thank you!! I have watched so many videos about this and never understood a thing. You have finally given me the "Oh, I get this, it's so simple" moment. Well done!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
These old school skills deserved to be respected and passed on.These tutorials on skills are what grow the community.
For me, a [manual lens] + [entry-level mirrorless body] may be more budget-friendly and easier access than film though.
Thanks for watching!
In the last three decades I have seen this explained many, many times. By far your video was the best explanation I have seen. Good job and thanks for taking the time to share this focus method with others.
Thank you very much, I appreciate you watching!
Haven’t shot with this type of lens in a couple of decades. Thank you for the perfect refresher!
Yooooou broke that down to it's lowest point. Now i totally understand the zone focusing. Much appreciated Mike!!🙏
Thank you for watching, have fun with the technique!
Clear , simple, and straightforward tutorial, what else we need, man.
And your boy looks so happy to give you a helping hands.
You are the best!. I saw many videos but was more confused. Now I know what zone focusing is. Thank you very much.
Thank you for watching, I hope it was helpful!
Lovely video can you please make more videos on manual focus full tutorial it will be very helpful for beginners ❤
This has really opened up a world for me to play with! I only just got a manual focus Pentax and I'm so excited to give this a go on the street, so thank you so much for this!
I was looking for how to use the distance scale on film cameras (I've just got a Rollei) and I'm glad I clicked here first! Now I understand it and no longer need to look at other videos lol. Tysm!
You are the first channel to break it down so easily. Thank you!!!
Thank you for watching, I’m glad it was helpful!
I agree… very useful
👂 - I stumbled accidentally over your video and even being very familiar with that technique I watched it just for fun. Man, I suggest to start a career as professional audio book reader, audio dubbing etc., you have the most clear and understandable voice I ever listened to. I’m non native English speaker and this was the first video ever, no, better, the first English spoken text ever I was listening to, I could clearly understand each word without repeating some sequences or activating the cc’s. Listening to you was like a revelation. A totally new experience.
I truly appreciate your kind words. Thank you!
Great tutorial. Simplified and illustrated in a great way. Great job. I’m seriously considering the TTArtisan 25mm f2.0 manual focus for my a6400.
Best explanation ever thanks, no complicated explanation just straight to the point.
Watched quite a few videos explaining zone-focusing techniques - this is the best. Thanks
Thank you, I just got a manual lens and was looking on how to improve my manual focusing. This is great
I honestly didn't know exactly how those numbers worked. Thank you!
Very well explained, enjoyed it. Thank you so much. I am just starting in medium format photography and have a manual focus 90mm lens.
wow amazing video thank you! struggling with manual lens this explained everything perfectly!
This is so helpful. I'm about to buy a manual focus lens, and had no clue.
Simple and on point explanation. Now i know how to read and use those signs on my lens. Thank you so much!
Thank you!
The best video on the topic. I saw 15 videos and no one was able to explain how to read the indicators on the lens in this easy to understand way !!! Thanks, great content !!!
Thank you so much for watching, have fun practicing the technique!
By far the best tutorial explaining zone focusing
Best video I’ve seen on this subject - thank you 🙏
Thank you for making this so easy to understand. It's going to help immensely.
Best explanation of this topic ever. Thank you! 🙂
THANK YOU SO MUCH!. This was explained and pointed out in a simple-straightforward way!! Thank you. Completely understand it now!!!
Thanks very much for your super clear explanation…it’s not common to find such cristal clarity in this subject….thanks a lot !
Thank you for this! As other have mentioned I was pretty lost till your easy explanation. But really your little assistant steals the show 😊
great! text book-like explaination. Best vid I have seen so far on this topic, also that you mention the limitations and boundaries of this technique. great stuff, thank you.
wooow. I never knew what those numbers were for! Now I've learned!!! Thanks
Very interesting. I never knew what those markings meant on my lens, now I do thx
Fantastic video, thanks for doing this!
I appreciate you watching! I hope it helps!
You succeeded in your goal of trying to help me thank you
Thanks so much for explaining this. I’m just getting into manual focus lenses and this helps a lot!
This was by far the video that clicked the most. Thank you!
Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching!
I enjoyed, you simplified zone shooting clearly and typically without rambling off about obscure useless unrelated topics. Thank you! As I'm really not interested in the colour of your car or what you had for breakfast yesterday as many post have extended stories to the topic at hand.
Thanks. Very useful video. I'm a lifelong AF photographer - pro sports, mostly - but I want to get into MF lenses for travel and landscape. I have a Leica 24-90mm and the images I got with it were beautiful, but that lens is a beast to carry and travel with. Since most travel stuff can be shot at F8 or more, using zone focus should help a lot
A good method to check your nearest and most far distance may be quickly measured by throwing your lens wide open and focus in that aperture on closest and/or most far away object, and read the scale of you lens perhaps? Thank you Mike, for good content that will really help many!
Brilliant video, very easy to understand and I struggle with numbers. Great job
Explained with beautiful simplicity- thank you for making this video ❤
This was the most easily-understandable tutorial on this topic, thank you!
Thanks for this simple explanation! I was kinda confused about this before watching your video.
Great video. Explains the concept in simple terms. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much.
Super helpful, been shooting manual lenses for a few months but had no idea about this.
Thanks .
Prob the best explaination I have seen for applying zone focusing.😀
Very easy to understand. Thank you for sharing with us newbies!
Definitely the easiest course i've seen . clear and simple ! Thank you Mike
By far the best, and easiest to follow, video on film focusing I have scenes on RUclips! Thank you!
thank you! let me know how it works for you after you try it!
Thanks, now I understood the dials on my manual lenses :D
Extremely well done and helpful. You obviously hav the ability to get straight to the point!
I really appreciate the kind words, thank you for watching!
I used ZF for years pre digital days now shooting film again and made a right balls of trying to focus fast enough completely forgot about the ZF 🥴 liked n subbed cheers 🥂
Thanks for watching Paul!
Thats really understandable. Good job for others! Thank you!
by far the the best video I've found to explain zone focussing to me - thank you!! it all makes sense now!
Thank you--I appreciate you watching and I hope it is helpful!
Very well explained and presented, grasping this is easier than i have seen before.
this was very helpful. just got my first adult camera, if thats a term. and this will greatly help me take pictures
Best explanation of this I’ve come across yet. Well spoken and well done 👏
Thank you! I hope it helps you!
Merci Mike pour cette vidéo : la première aussi claire sur ce qu'est le réglage du zone focusing ! J'ai appris beaucoup. Merci ! Merci ! Merci !
Great, clear, efficient how-to. Thank you!
manythanks now i ready to buy manual lens such the Voigtlander Ultron 27 mm f/2 for my fuji xt5
The video that best explains this technique. Thanks a lot
By far the easiest explanation. Great Video man
Thanks, that means a lot. I put a lot of work into making this as simple as possible!
wow, first video i've seen about this and it blew my mind. thank you!
Bro this literally all people need to say this like my 12 video tryn understand how to do this thank u !!
Excellent vidéo! Finally, a simple and easy to understand explanation. Thank you!
Eto lang yung video na nakaexplain sakin ng zone focusing. Lahat ng iba ang hirap intindihin.
Very helpful. You explained that well.
That was super interesting and as someone who just ordered his first mirrorless camera and reads about stuff like "best autofocus" and thingslike that, this video/technique gives back some control. It's at least good to know about these things.
Your video may have changed my photography forever! Thank you so much.
Thanks for watching, I hope it helps. It's easily one of the most useful techniques that I use.
Amazing thank you sir , I've always wondered , now I know.
A straightforward explanation and good recap for me.
Thank you for watching!
This has been amazing! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for watching!
Great video on zone focusing!! Thank you for sharing.
This is exactly what I was looking for. I have been finding manual focusing so much more satisfying , using vintage lenses on fujifilm x-t1, but I've been doing most of it by instinct, and was relying on focus peaking assist to "guess" a hyperfocal distance. This technique will basically turn my 28mm into a point and shoot at f11 and f8 for most situations. I'll still use the focus peaking when I get close to a subject i think, and when i shoot with my 135mm its easier to just compose and focus at same time without thinking about numbers. But this has really opened things up for me. thanks!
Thank you so much for watching! I'm glad it helped, let me know how you get along with the technique!
Hi Mike, really useful video.
I have a couple of DLSR's which I love to shot with, and no intent to switch to mirrorless anytime soon.
I prefer to manually focus when shooting quick/fast moving objects.
My technic differs slightly from yours: Able to judge the expected DOF in relation to F-number / distance, I like to pre-focus ..
This is especially useful for capturing subjects with a predictable path. ( Passing traffic / railway locomotives, Aircraft, etc etc )
I simply set the camera in Continuous shooting mode ( so that when the shutter button is pressed it fires of a rapid succession of exposures )
Choose a zone through which my subject is likely to pass, and pre-focus in the centre of it.
I then track the subject in
and the instant that they enter that zone,
press & hold down the shutter button..
Enjoy 🤗
Your technique is pretty much the "intermediate/advanced" version of what I explained! Once people at least get started with my "beginner settings" they can start to put things together by understanding what the zones are, just as you have. Great stuff.
Best way I’ve seen it explained well done 👍
Best video on the subject by far
I really appreciate that! I wanted to make it as simple and clear as I possibly could!
I just started using manual lenses and was wondering how I would hand my camera to a stranger and get a quick snap shot of me and my lady! This was super helpful in making this a possibility:) thank you!!
This is a PERFECT situation to apply this technique!
Great tutorial! Clear and concise.
cool old school stuff! there are DOF apps that will calculate
Thanks for making this easy to grasp
Thank you for watching!
That exactly the way I do my street photography. With the knowledge of Zone System, you never miss the fleeting moments on the street.
The zone system is for exposure and the term was coined by Ansel Adams
@@MrPhotographerDudesorry, but zone focusing has nothing to do with the zone system developed by Ansel Adam's and Fred Archer to determine the optimum exposure AND development . Zone focusing is more about Depth of Field (DOF).
@@roiloubia4483 Yes I know that’s what I just said
Sorry, but applying zone focusing in street photography has nothing to do with the zone system that a technique that has been developed by Ansel Adam's and Fred Archer to determine exposure and development. Zone focusing has more to do with quickly controlling depth of field..using the hyperfocal distance and its derivative..as shown brilliantly in this video.
@@roiloubia4483 Zone focussing used to be called Range focussing and only if it was within a range that did not include infinity. Once infinity is being utilized on the distance scale it is Hyper-focal distance. The zone system is what I said and what you said it is, which is a tonal range. I was responding to @eyeperture and the misuse of the term “Zone System”
Really nice and easy to understand video.
The best explanation I’ve ever seen. Great job
Wow--thank you, that really means a lot to me. I truly set out to make the simplest and most effective explanation of this concept, so I really appreciate your comment
Perfect and to the point. Many thanks.
You should have mentioned that on some lenses the infinity sign is on the left of the marker (like on the first lens you showed) and on other lenses on the right side of the marker. If the infinity sing is on the left of the marker, like on my Zeiss for example, you have to take a reading from right to left and vice versa.
Wow - thanks for the examples. This makes it really easy to understand.
Thank you for watching!
Great tutoring! I subbed
Simplest and best yet. This helped so much
That was a great explanation. Thank you so much!
I just got a manual lens and took a deep dive on zone focusing and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for creating the simplest and easiest instructional video that I came across. You nailed it and in the process you’re helped me nail this concept.
Thanks again have a happy new year
I appreciate your kind words, thank you for watching. It truly is a liberating technique, and I use it every single day