This time I made the aspect ratio 2:1 assuming most people watch on their phones... How was this change? Did you notice the vid to be "bigger"? Do you have any feedback?
Most of "newer " lenses do not have distance scales let alone dof indications! So another method seen in the net is using back button focus AND focus peeking determining the zone of sharpness and lock that focus for subsequent shots.
Zone focusing produces what is called "acceptable focus", not tack sharp but within range. A great tool for street shooting but a waist level camera with a flip screen works too.
Reason to do zone focus I'm broke and only can affort manual focus lens for my camera and only having manual lens really push me to do better and better.
congratulations you are a great photographer, and you explain in a super way, I can't wait for you to travel back to Japan and get to know you fabio from roma
I always be told the hyperfocal distance is when you set the infinity symbol to the given f stop; ie read the left scale say f8 and the right f8 to get the nearest to infinity is in focus. Zone on the other hand does not use the infinity symbol. But only f-stop plus distance plus same f-stop which will give you out of focus foreground and background so only in between is in focus.
Okay now I finished watching it :D You definitely delivered!! What a great mix of outdoor and indoor footage + voice over when needed. Very easy to follow and great demonstrations. Plus the Leica Q's lens markings are perfect to demonstrate it. I will point everyone who asked about Zone focusing to your video from now on!
@@UlyssesAokiPhoto By the way it might help your video to put in street photography in the title. Like for example "...like your hereos in street photography" at the end. Might help when people google for street photography.
Samuel L. Streetlife I agree... at the same time I feel conflicted on the term "street photography" these days.... but you're right, it's easier to google :)
Great video very easy to understand and follow. My question is does your setup differ for street photography at night where you will need to shoot wide open? If so would you mind doing another video on that? Thanks!
Yeah, seems a bit of a waste of a fast lens if you are constrained to shooting at f11.. Be good to understand how the aperture affects the focal plane within any given zone..
@@bokehstreet1769 There are many videos covering that. The wider the Aperture, the tighter the range of focus will be. So throwing the miniscule F1.7 range to a particular depth is harder for two reasons - it must be placed at the correct distance from you and the subject must be placed within the *very* tight width of focus. Photographers have gotten around this by not using zone focus for wide aperture lol. It's simply not meant for that. This is the genius of the Q. In those instances we can abandon our reliable distance scale and click autofocus into place. Shoot F1.7, use spot focus and AF-s.
Your third technique is an interesting one ; I tried it some time ago but I've found for my Canon 50mm f1.9 Serenar instead of setting the lens I can use it fairly quick if the leaver is pointing to 12 as in a clock face that's 3ft+ and if it's pointing to my switch MCS on my Fuji XH1 that's 10ft roughly, you would be surprised just by knowing those two distances I can cover close ups and move to distance. I still loose the odd image I wanted but the technique is not bad. I'm glad you mentioned about not exactly sharp as that's a real pain sometimes and I suppose we have to except that if we're in manual mode.
Great video, Ulysses! One of the (many) reasons I love my Ricoh GRII is that I can easily set it to shoot using zone focus. I can set it, for example, to zone focus to cover a mid-range to infinity, but at the same time, I can use the snap focus function to zone focus at a shorter distance. In this way, hybrid zone focusing is set very easily. Regards from Mexico!!!
Great work! You really are getting quite good at this. :) Personally I do feel like I have more control in these ways too. I switch between AF and MF a lot on the street but find my shots I got doing MF-HFD produce more keepers because while AF these days is so great, it will never solve the fact I am limiting my plane and spot of focus. So cranking up to f8+ and raising iso is just more worth it then missing the shot because I thought some baka fuji eye AF would be better. Love your video perfectly explains this choice we have to make for ourselves in these especially busy situations.. especially in Tokyo you bastard.
Alex On Streets thank you Alex...! Been workin on my vids. Yeah I'd say focusing is situational... if a million things are happening at once, AF is hard to deal with.
Congratulations bro, your video is featured on Shutterstock website. For top street photography channels on 2021. Well done ❤️ and love Faizal videos as well. If u knw him 😅
You did a great job on explaining this. The only problem I always have with this method is the aperture needed.... you need sooo much light at f11! I also tend to have my shutter speed at 1/160 or more. So this is only ok for me on pretty bright days.
great video, out of the other kinds of zone focus vids. i do FEEL (from memory) that I never heard about hyper focusing just great to learn something new. I do think its more common that people zone focus with wider lens, but would you happen to know anyone that zone focus with more zoom lens? like 50mm? or have you done it yourself?
JayGrapher.Th great question. It's really tricky... but I've done it with 50mm before. You just need to be really precise with your understanding of distance. I'm sure some of the old masters have done it. Don't quote me on this but maybe Henri Cartier Bressan, I could see him zone focusing.
That's all fine but it's a lot more difficult if you want to shoot wide open and not stop down to less than 5.6. I bought my lenses specifically for their ultra wide apertures and like to shoot them that way if I can. So it's a tough job trying to use zone or hyperfocal distances as you can imagine
I find it's absolutely doable down to F4 and at F2.8 it becomes distinctly more difficult. I mean, depending on what you shoot. Hyper focus exists at all apertures. You can certainly go infinite even at F1.4, but you won't get isolation. You will, of course, get light. Either way, zone focus is not meant for extremely wide apertures. That's just a change in expectation to fix.
Hi! great video explaining how to use Zone Focusing. I have a technical question. Can you tell me if there's a difference on the Depth of Field using a vintage lens on an Mirrorles APS- C Camera? And if it is, do I need to apply somehow the crop factor of the aps-c sensor on the Meters/feets Scale to know the "real" DOF i'll get? THX!
Please prosper off this comment along with my thumbs up. I remember you mentioned Matt Stuart's method in the video with Samuel, so it was interesting to finally get your explanation of it. Great video.
As a Fuji user, I would just love to have some good manual focusing lenses, instead of the focus by wire lenses they provide. Zone focusing is so bad on this system. The focus rings are so hysterical and touchy. Really considering a Leica Q just because of this. But my Ricoh GR III have to do for now. Also a great camera. I use the back button focusing feature. Is ok for zone focusing.
@@xaviercopeland2789 Yes, but there are not many out there, if you want 28mm or 35mm full frame equivalent. I have the Meike 25mm f/1.8. A good lens for the price, but not that sharp in the corners full open. And you need to open it up full, to get a precise focus peaking. And the aperture ring is loose and clickless. I hate that. The good thing is that there are no aperture lag, like with the fuji lenses ;)
the only 2 lenses i own with a focal distance thingy are my 85 and 70-210 , the issue ? i have a aps-c camera (yes i have a 85 for aps-c i'm stupid) which mean it's way harder for me to do what i want (for now) and practice this technique with the focal lenght i want (again for now) i'm using back button focus , i setup the lens manually and then put it back to autofocus like that i don't move the ring by accident , with the BBF it won't move the focus distance which is great it's the only way i found to practice zone focusing on my setup (i basically set it up by locking on something that is about 2meters if i want that or less if i want , it's complicated but it works just fine when i can i'll get my hand on a 7artisans 25mm F/1.8 for my canon it should do the job (and if i can a 60mm to get the 85mm look i want) thanks for the video btw :D
Zone or hyper focusing you do have to watch your shuttle speed. You gain depth of field but you lower the shuttle speed therefore you need to bump up your iso to maintain a reasonable shuttle to capture your moving image. No one use this for stationary subject. Such focusing method is useful for capturing that instantaneous moment where you do not need to focus and just snap.
Ron Scibilia wouldn't say "out of luck". Shooting wide open during bright daylight is, and should be an aesthetic decision. You're making compromises by doing so too.
you're not getting my point I think. WHY are you shooting at F2? If you are, it's for aesthetic purposes, and you might not need to focus instantly... so zone focusing isn't, and in most cases, shouldn't be an interest to you. If you need the light and that's why you're shooting wide open, zone focusing will also be hard anyways.
@@UlyssesAokiPhoto I got your point. I was referring to the fact that many photogs on RUclips seem to lean toward wide-open shooting. I wasn't saying you were advising that. Zone focusing works best, as we both know, with small apertures. I use it myself all the time, along with hyperlocal distances. I wish more camera manufacturers would put distance scales on their lenses, as was the case in the past, for those of us who may want to use manual focus.
“RUclips photogs lean towards wide-open shooting”... haha I agree. Thanks for the discussion my friend. Totally agreed with the lens/ distance scale point...
Hi Aoki, i have a question, using zone focusing/hyperfocal let say f11, from 2m to infinity, do you still look into viewfinder and focusing the patch or can just straight click the shutter button ignore the focusing patch? Thanks
You can ignore the focus patch if you're accurately zone focusing! Try to look at the finder when you can though, it's just best practice to take photos.
I have a Canon P film camera with 50 1.8 lens. Can I use zone focusing method with this? Most videos I see of zone focus are explained thru a Leica when not many can afford. Any help with my question?
My street shooting with ISO 100 film is to use a 35mm lens, f/5.6, set focus to 7 metres; everything from 3 metres to infinity will be in focus and you don’t have to use a really slow shutter speed, depending on the weather.
This time I made the aspect ratio 2:1 assuming most people watch on their phones... How was this change? Did you notice the vid to be "bigger"? Do you have any feedback?
Hey Ulysses awesome video! I don't mind the 2:1 aspect ratio cause I do consume content on my phone and I use an ultrawide monitor at my desk.
yea
is bigger
Is it just me or anyone else here thinking Ulysses is the Harry Potter of street photography? Great video!
Most of "newer " lenses do not have distance scales let alone dof indications!
So another method seen in the net is using back button focus AND focus peeking determining the zone of sharpness and lock that focus for subsequent shots.
1:23 Those little animations are top notch !
I finally understand how to read the distance scales on a lens, thanks !
dang he's got such a smooth flow when shooting street
Back tracking your videos and this is sooooooooo helpful now that I am also taking street photography with film camera.
Nice explanation, short and to the point! Thanks!
LOVING THAT QUICK DROP METHOD TO CATCH THAT LOW ANGLE! GREAT INFORMATIVE VIDEO!! SUBBED!!!!🤘🏾🤘🏾
Zone focusing produces what is called "acceptable focus", not tack sharp but within range. A great tool for street shooting but a waist level camera with a flip screen works too.
A shout out from 2022 :)
Great video!
I really like the calm way you present everything.
Reason to do zone focus
I'm broke and only can affort manual focus lens for my camera and only having manual lens really push me to do better and better.
Dear Aoki, thz so much for the video. I am a beginner of manual focus film photography. It is super super useful for me
wonderful... when I started shooting, there weren't many "good" zone focusing videos so I wanted to help. cheers!
Very well done video. Thank you.
RS. Canada
Why I just found your channel today? This is so educative! Subscribed 😁
congratulations you are a great photographer, and you explain in a super way, I can't wait for you to travel back to Japan and get to know you
fabio from roma
Fabio, thanks for the heart-warming comment. Hope to make more valuable videos like this in the future
I always be told the hyperfocal distance is when you set the infinity symbol to the given f stop; ie read the left scale say f8 and the right f8 to get the nearest to infinity is in focus. Zone on the other hand does not use the infinity symbol. But only f-stop plus distance plus same f-stop which will give you out of focus foreground and background so only in between is in focus.
Nice vid, this is something that is forgotten sometimes, with autofocus everyone ask for speed, but with this method you are truly measuring things
Beautiful and to the point, explanation. Thank you!
Finally someone gets this topic clear! I am a newbie to photography, very helpful for me! Keep doing great works!
1:33 Is that a Domke bag?
Great video. Thnx for share with us ur knowledge😊
Thank you!!
Finally I completely understood these concepts and their utilization.. great great video!!!!
This the best video about this topic in the internet!
FIRST!
Samuel L. Streetlife stalker! hentai!
Okay now I finished watching it :D You definitely delivered!! What a great mix of outdoor and indoor footage + voice over when needed. Very easy to follow and great demonstrations. Plus the Leica Q's lens markings are perfect to demonstrate it. I will point everyone who asked about Zone focusing to your video from now on!
@@UlyssesAokiPhoto By the way it might help your video to put in street photography in the title. Like for example "...like your hereos in street photography" at the end. Might help when people google for street photography.
Samuel L. Streetlife I agree... at the same time I feel conflicted on the term "street photography" these days.... but you're right, it's easier to google :)
I'm such a biiiitch I changed the title. good night boys sleep tight
Great sharing and keep up the good job!
Good video Ulysses, you are more and more confortable in front of the camera ;) !
Marco H. getting used to it finally... it took a couple of vids. thanks for sticking around :)
(the cutting really helps! 😂)
Great tutorial on zone focusing! I just got a used 55mm 2.8 macro lens and this manual focusing information is right on time!...THANKS!
Really very good demo. Thanks
Great video very easy to understand and follow. My question is does your setup differ for street photography at night where you will need to shoot wide open? If so would you mind doing another video on that?
Thanks!
Great question. Same applies for at night, but yes as you say, it’s harder. Might consider making a vid for that!
@@UlyssesAokiPhoto Thank you! I look forward to seeing it.
Yeah, seems a bit of a waste of a fast lens if you are constrained to shooting at f11.. Be good to understand how the aperture affects the focal plane within any given zone..
@@bokehstreet1769 There are many videos covering that. The wider the Aperture, the tighter the range of focus will be. So throwing the miniscule F1.7 range to a particular depth is harder for two reasons - it must be placed at the correct distance from you and the subject must be placed within the *very* tight width of focus.
Photographers have gotten around this by not using zone focus for wide aperture lol. It's simply not meant for that. This is the genius of the Q. In those instances we can abandon our reliable distance scale and click autofocus into place. Shoot F1.7, use spot focus and AF-s.
Great sharing!
As ma photography student, this video was extremely useful
Great explanations thank you. Love the way you teach so I subscribed. See you in the next video!
Thanks for the video, it’s super useful and well explained 👏🏼
WoW so much information in that video!
Thank you for that and i will try this asap 🙏
Your third technique is an interesting one ; I tried it some time ago but I've found for my Canon 50mm f1.9 Serenar instead of setting the lens I can use it fairly quick if the leaver is pointing to 12 as in a clock face that's 3ft+ and if it's pointing to my switch MCS on my Fuji XH1 that's 10ft roughly, you would be surprised just by knowing those two distances I can cover close ups and move to distance. I still loose the odd image I wanted but the technique is not bad. I'm glad you mentioned about not exactly sharp as that's a real pain sometimes and I suppose we have to except that if we're in manual mode.
FIRST! ... is something I shout on RUclips 😅😂
Great video brother!
Nice to see you here too !
Great tips, good work ! Keep it up.
Thanks this video is super informative, really learned a lot x
Great video, Ulysses! One of the (many) reasons I love my Ricoh GRII is that I can easily set it to shoot using zone focus. I can set it, for example, to zone focus to cover a mid-range to infinity, but at the same time, I can use the snap focus function to zone focus at a shorter distance. In this way, hybrid zone focusing is set very easily. Regards from Mexico!!!
video great and even better content. thanks
Great vid. Very informative, thanks.
Great video! the hybrid method is a very good technic. thanks!
You have such an interesting channel! Love it
日本語のサブタイトルを追加しました。よろしくお願いします！
Great work! You really are getting quite good at this. :) Personally I do feel like I have more control in these ways too. I switch between AF and MF a lot on the street but find my shots I got doing MF-HFD produce more keepers because while AF these days is so great, it will never solve the fact I am limiting my plane and spot of focus. So cranking up to f8+ and raising iso is just more worth it then missing the shot because I thought some baka fuji eye AF would be better. Love your video perfectly explains this choice we have to make for ourselves in these especially busy situations.. especially in Tokyo you bastard.
Alex On Streets thank you Alex...! Been workin on my vids. Yeah I'd say focusing is situational... if a million things are happening at once, AF is hard to deal with.
These little animations remind me of a video about Daniel Arnold from Vogue. IYKYK. Love your video, thanks!
Congratulations bro, your video is featured on Shutterstock website. For top street photography channels on 2021. Well done ❤️ and love Faizal videos as well. If u knw him 😅
Great tips, thanks
great video! well explained 👍
You did a great job on explaining this. The only problem I always have with this method is the aperture needed.... you need sooo much light at f11! I also tend to have my shutter speed at 1/160 or more. So this is only ok for me on pretty bright days.
agreed man. if you still want to zone focus/ manual focus in low light, there's a few things you can do. maybe I can make that in a vid too.
Ulysses Aoki well, raising the ISO might be a good option for you. I’m a bit more limited with APS-C Sensor 😁
@@tobiasscharnberg2919 With crop sensor you normally wouldn't need f 11, an f stop around 6-8 would usually provide enough sharpness in most instances
Excellente vidéo… bravo 🎉
Nice, really concise explanation!
great video, out of the other kinds of zone focus vids. i do FEEL (from memory) that I never heard about hyper focusing just great to learn something new.
I do think its more common that people zone focus with wider lens, but would you happen to know anyone that zone focus with more zoom lens? like 50mm? or have you done it yourself?
JayGrapher.Th great question. It's really tricky... but I've done it with 50mm before. You just need to be really precise with your understanding of distance.
I'm sure some of the old masters have done it. Don't quote me on this but maybe Henri Cartier Bressan, I could see him zone focusing.
@@UlyssesAokiPhoto thank you very much
That's all fine but it's a lot more difficult if you want to shoot wide open and not stop down to less than 5.6. I bought my lenses specifically for their ultra wide apertures and like to shoot them that way if I can. So it's a tough job trying to use zone or hyperfocal distances as you can imagine
I find it's absolutely doable down to F4 and at F2.8 it becomes distinctly more difficult. I mean, depending on what you shoot. Hyper focus exists at all apertures. You can certainly go infinite even at F1.4, but you won't get isolation. You will, of course, get light.
Either way, zone focus is not meant for extremely wide apertures. That's just a change in expectation to fix.
Hi! great video explaining how to use Zone Focusing.
I have a technical question. Can you tell me if there's a difference on the Depth of Field using a vintage lens on an Mirrorles APS- C Camera? And if it is, do I need to apply somehow the crop factor of the aps-c sensor on the Meters/feets Scale to know the "real" DOF i'll get? THX!
Nice, super helpful!
Please prosper off this comment along with my thumbs up. I remember you mentioned Matt Stuart's method in the video with Samuel, so it was interesting to finally get your explanation of it. Great video.
Chida full circle!!! call back!!! thank for watching :)
great video bro!
Thank you for this
As a Fuji user, I would just love to have some good manual focusing lenses, instead of the focus by wire lenses they provide. Zone focusing is so bad on this system. The focus rings are so hysterical and touchy. Really considering a Leica Q just because of this. But my Ricoh GR III have to do for now. Also a great camera. I use the back button focusing feature. Is ok for zone focusing.
100% agreed. Fujis are great but that's why I mentioned the AFMF system as a clear strength for the Q.
Just get a manual focus lens. There’s inexpensive third party options out there.
@@xaviercopeland2789 Yes, but there are not many out there, if you want 28mm or 35mm full frame equivalent. I have the Meike 25mm f/1.8. A good lens for the price, but not that sharp in the corners full open. And you need to open it up full, to get a precise focus peaking. And the aperture ring is loose and clickless. I hate that. The good thing is that there are no aperture lag, like with the fuji lenses ;)
the only 2 lenses i own with a focal distance thingy are my 85 and 70-210 , the issue ? i have a aps-c camera (yes i have a 85 for aps-c i'm stupid)
which mean it's way harder for me to do what i want (for now) and practice this technique with the focal lenght i want (again for now)
i'm using back button focus , i setup the lens manually and then put it back to autofocus like that i don't move the ring by accident , with the BBF it won't move the focus distance which is great
it's the only way i found to practice zone focusing on my setup (i basically set it up by locking on something that is about 2meters if i want that or less if i want , it's complicated but it works just fine
when i can i'll get my hand on a 7artisans 25mm F/1.8 for my canon it should do the job (and if i can a 60mm to get the 85mm look i want)
thanks for the video btw :D
Zone or hyper focusing you do have to watch your shuttle speed. You gain depth of field but you lower the shuttle speed therefore you need to bump up your iso to maintain a reasonable shuttle to capture your moving image. No one use this for stationary subject. Such focusing method is useful for capturing that instantaneous moment where you do not need to focus and just snap.
Important to remember is this requires small aperture settings to be effective. Those who like to shoot “wide open” are out of luck.
Ron Scibilia wouldn't say "out of luck". Shooting wide open during bright daylight is, and should be an aesthetic decision. You're making compromises by doing so too.
@@UlyssesAokiPhoto aesthetic yes, of course, but you don’t have much zone to focus at f/2.0.
you're not getting my point I think. WHY are you shooting at F2? If you are, it's for aesthetic purposes, and you might not need to focus instantly... so zone focusing isn't, and in most cases, shouldn't be an interest to you.
If you need the light and that's why you're shooting wide open, zone focusing will also be hard anyways.
@@UlyssesAokiPhoto I got your point. I was referring to the fact that many photogs on RUclips seem to lean toward wide-open shooting. I wasn't saying you were advising that. Zone focusing works best, as we both know, with small apertures. I use it myself all the time, along with hyperlocal distances. I wish more camera manufacturers would put distance scales on their lenses, as was the case in the past, for those of us who may want to use manual focus.
“RUclips photogs lean towards wide-open shooting”... haha I agree.
Thanks for the discussion my friend. Totally agreed with the lens/ distance scale point...
thanks for sharing. in this setup, what is your iso and shutter speed setting?
thanks
Yeah it's easy to do and calculate on full frame but with the smaller sensor cameras got to improvise lol
it seems like you are confusing zone focusing with hyperfocusing and then your blended method is just zone focusing..??
At 28mm your depth of field is so good, it’s easy lol,
Try on a50mm, not so easy.
Me, google Cam, see the prize, look at my 500€ cam "It's gonna have to be enough" ^^
I use hyperfocus but rely on one stop less than the lens scale suggests.
Oooo I get it. It's just snapfocus from GRIII that's all folks.
Great video..... for most of your street photography you use F11!!??? what shutter speed ???Thanks peace
Missac G Cassim depends on the situation... I guess I should make a video on this? 🤔
@@UlyssesAokiPhoto great looking forward ......stay safe ...blessings from france......
Hi Aoki, i have a question, using zone focusing/hyperfocal let say f11, from 2m to infinity, do you still look into viewfinder and focusing the patch or can just straight click the shutter button ignore the focusing patch? Thanks
You can ignore the focus patch if you're accurately zone focusing! Try to look at the finder when you can though, it's just best practice to take photos.
you are good looking guy
How can I do zone focus in my X100F? Ok I adjust zone focus and F 11. ISo and Shutter Speed Auto?
beautiful ladies are always in focus no matter your photographic skills ....
👏🏻
I have a Canon P film camera with 50 1.8 lens. Can I use zone focusing method with this? Most videos I see of zone focus are explained thru a Leica when not many can afford. Any help with my question?
yes, but your depth of field will be a lot shallower than a 28mm
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
My street shooting with ISO 100 film is to use a 35mm lens, f/5.6, set focus to 7 metres; everything from 3 metres to infinity will be in focus and you don’t have to use a really slow shutter speed, depending on the weather.
Do you develop your own film?
Who walks around recording you? I need a friend like that
Also, I think you’re really talented and I’d love to treat you to lunch if you’re ever in New York City.
thanks!! would love to plan a trip to NY...
and yeah credits to the videographer are in the end of the vid.
11 aperture meaning high iso.
Flickr Giannis_
Ingram Ioannis_arc
This method lost bokeh on your photo because everything on the focus zone is in focus .
at 28 mm and f11, you donte even need to focus
that's the magic
You're mixing terms 'in focus' and 'acceptably sharp', please learn some basics before lecturing people on youtube.
street photography is for peasent.
fair enough. nice raybans and adidas parka man. did you get them on sale? hope that left you enough money to buy some shorts.
But you look like an actual peasant tho