How to Focus Your Medium Format Camera for Landscape Photography

Great video tutorial!

It's really interesting I've been shooting full frame and now crops sensor with my landscape photography and I've used the hyper focal method for quite a long time even though with the crops sense you're probably don't need to as much. I'm glad that you can do this I'm not a fan of stacking images I find that it's irritating to do slow and also at sometimes that she doesn't work, especially if you're doing one second seascapes so there is time in between each shot and then the ocean looks different. The clouds have moved it just simply doesn't work so using the hyper focal method would work I was wondering about the F stop shooting around F 10 to F 13. You would still get quite good sharpness. Would that help hyper focal method as well using a medium format camera I'm very interested in the GFX 50 SII I have always drereamed of owning a medium format camera. I think with the hyper focal method you don't have to be exactly precise in the right spot. I generally aim about 2 to 3 m in front of me. Sometimes it's a rock or something in the foreground and that is my spot. Usually it's estimated that it's roughly 1/3 into an image. Is that something that I'm going to need to adjust with medium format how exact do you need to be? One of the terms that I have read is we really looking for optimal sharpness you never going to get perfect sharpness from foreground to the horizon. Line, but I think acceptable sharpness is good enough. I think it's actually more important for a camera to be sharp in the foreground probably up to 3/4 of the image and then if the mountains in the background are a little bit soft that's okay because if you're human eye sees it like that when you're standing there anyway it's a reason why I don't like stacking I don't want to see the mountains, tack sharp. I think it looks natural and I don't like the look at all, so my thinking is the hyper focal method could work really well and would give me acceptable sharpness throughout the image

The most pleasant photo with the most calming effect would be the long exposure.. In my opinion. Well done chap

Amazing! I've just got a 50s II as my first medium format! Appreciate the help!

Very insightful video thank you.

Great Video! Thank you

Very helpful video, and beautiful images Stephen! Thanks a lot! Great to know about Hyperfocal and the gfx50s II depth of field scale and how to use it in manual mode by adjusting f-stop +/or focus. You mentioned one can use the scale in auto-focus mode, as well on the camera. So, in that case I guess one can use f-stop +/or the area auto-focused on (small area best?) to achieve the desired hyperfocal depth of field? Seems just using manual focus would be simpler, though?

Nice one Stephen, why did you switch from the HAsselblad back to the Mamiya since they have the same 6X6 format?

Nice ...... also nice to let the singing blackbird act as background music ;-)

The hyperfocal distance is the way to go as you mentioned it. I shoot with a full frame Nikon and even with the full frame it works well. I think though that full frame have more flexibility than medium format. Thanks for the video very instrumental in your description.

Such a shame that you didn't do any tripod shots & show us the LCD as you carried out your procedure
Do you have a video where you do this - I couldn't grasp from the indoors demo with the GFX - quite where you were focussing as your focus area didn't appear to move
Thank you for taking the time to make the videos
CB

Hyperfocal is new to me. I always use the lines on the lens that give me the range at at f stops. Wider when the f stop is bigger and/or the distance is further. Easy. Just set the infinity symbol of the lens ring to the line on the right that corresponds with the chosen f stop, and you can read the distance of the sharpness of the foreground by the corresponding f stop line on the left. This engraving has been around for decades and is fail proof. It's so easy. At a quick glance you can check the range of sharpness.

What are those lens cap? Looks like you had some filter adapters screwed on and those lens caps can be put on top of adapters? That's nice.

at last!! a video that understands you don't just multiply the focal length of a lens by the crop factor. a 35mm lens (or whatever) is a 35mm lens. Its characteristics don't change when you stick it on a different camera! I shoot MF precisely because I like the lens characteristics, particularly the way the system as a whole renders depth.

it's interesting that you ETTR. I find with my GFX100 (and 50R before) that shooting to protect the highlights and then taking advantage of the camera's excellent dynamic range to lift the shadows in processing gave (me anyway!!) better results.

Good video. Love the digital hyper focal distance scale in camera. Shame manufacturers ditched the scale on most lenses. Olympus have it on their 17mm but not there 25mm for instance.

Stephen I use the hyperfocal technique whenever I can great shots..

Nice episode mate full of great info and images in cracking locations

STEPHEN!!!! Exactly the kind of information I have been looking for! Or maybe a lot of people been looking for mate! Great info. Thanks a lot! 👌👍💪

Stephen really enjoyed the video. I shoot landscapes with a Mamiya 7ii and my 43 80 and 150 lenses. The 43 is incredible for landscapes and I use the hyperfocal technique a lot - the quiet shutter in the M7II lets me shoot handheld down to 1/8 to 1/4 sec for razor sharp images. Thanks again - watch your channel everytime you post a new video. John