This is an interesting thread about 2/3 rule and the misunderstandings surrounding it.
Scroll down to Tim Summa's old timers' description of the way it used to be done. (and I do mean 2/3 rule not rule of thirds...read on!)
Don't know who will bear that in mind Janine. The digital kids with auto focus on, and many of them with auto settings on, don't know whatr they're focusing on, they take ten and delete the 9 they don't like. Those who're using SLRs and rangefinders with manual focus lenses probably do it by eye and instinct. I never consciously imagine a third into the focal zone, I usually shoot people so just focus on their eyes to get the best clarity.
@chewyteeth@jtrudell hmmm... i found this difficult to wade thru and kind of gave up in the end... i generally pick what i want to focus on and then do so... and i compose based on some rudimentary principles... usually stick with a lower f stop (wider aperture? never certain of the right terminology) unless i have a specific reason for wanting more in focus than the primary subject(s)... no clue if i'm doing it "right" or not... but i generally know when my eye likes the results and when it doesn't... and if i don't, then hopefully some kind soul here on 365 will tell me ;p
yeah but I find that if I accidently stop in a wide f-stop like 1.8 or 2 I have a lack of detail in group shots and shots at distance, but I generally do the same to focus on the primary subject if its close. This rule is just about placing your subject at the right point so that the bits we wanna see clarified are. That's my understanding anyhoo.
@chewyteeth i need to think about that... mostly this seems to work for me, but there've been a few shots that have been woefully out of focus in spots that surprise me... i shall have to experiment with some narrower f stops (higher numbers) and see whether that improves the results... tx for mentioning this!
@northy
meh, you'll find your own way, but when the shutter opens the wider it opens means the more immediate the surroundings it notices, the smaller the opening the deeper it sees into a view. so f22 is for landscapes, and f1.8 is for the flower in the grass you're lying in. So f1.8 isn't necessarily suited to general shooting say as you're walking around town, f 5.6 or 8 will capture a more rounded shot. Focus is different, but loss of detail might make it seem like spots are out of focus. This is how I explain it to myself however and isn't based on any real knowledge like wot dem professionals have...
From hanging out in the hip and happening film groups on Flickr with all the cool kids the popular consensus seems to be that anything narrower than f/8 on small format cameras the image will lose a lot of sharpness, and that f/22 really should be left to medium and large format camera's.
Having re-shot some landscapes I did at f/22 at f/8 I think I have to agree.
It is funny but I use this rule 99% of the time and I have been doing it soo long that it is just second nature to me... So much so that I forget to mention it to people. ;-)
It is important to use it in landscapes and group portraits to ensure that you are getting the best DOF for the settings a focus point you have chosen.
I would NEVER photograph a group of people using f1.8, in fact I would only use f8 or above. The risk you have is that while your main focus point will be in focus other people may not..
It also depends on the lens and the focal depth of the lens.
F11 is really where you want to be to get the best general DOF. Any higher and you lose quality any lower and you lose focus.
@chewyteeth It does seem like unnecessary thinking in a day where the camera does the work for the photographer...but isn't it interesting anyway.
@northy Yeah, the thread does take a bit of brain power. I even printed it out and may practice what Tim Summa was talking about with making marks on masking tape on the lens just to experiment.
@jsw0109 Isn't that the case with most forums? : )
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
yeah but I find that if I accidently stop in a wide f-stop like 1.8 or 2 I have a lack of detail in group shots and shots at distance, but I generally do the same to focus on the primary subject if its close. This rule is just about placing your subject at the right point so that the bits we wanna see clarified are. That's my understanding anyhoo.
meh, you'll find your own way, but when the shutter opens the wider it opens means the more immediate the surroundings it notices, the smaller the opening the deeper it sees into a view. so f22 is for landscapes, and f1.8 is for the flower in the grass you're lying in. So f1.8 isn't necessarily suited to general shooting say as you're walking around town, f 5.6 or 8 will capture a more rounded shot. Focus is different, but loss of detail might make it seem like spots are out of focus. This is how I explain it to myself however and isn't based on any real knowledge like wot dem professionals have...
Having re-shot some landscapes I did at f/22 at f/8 I think I have to agree.
@chewyteeth @northy
It is funny but I use this rule 99% of the time and I have been doing it soo long that it is just second nature to me... So much so that I forget to mention it to people. ;-)
It is important to use it in landscapes and group portraits to ensure that you are getting the best DOF for the settings a focus point you have chosen.
I would NEVER photograph a group of people using f1.8, in fact I would only use f8 or above. The risk you have is that while your main focus point will be in focus other people may not..
It also depends on the lens and the focal depth of the lens.
F11 is really where you want to be to get the best general DOF. Any higher and you lose quality any lower and you lose focus.
@northy Yeah, the thread does take a bit of brain power. I even printed it out and may practice what Tim Summa was talking about with making marks on masking tape on the lens just to experiment.
@jsw0109 Isn't that the case with most forums? : )
;)