the Best FOCUS Point for the SHARPEST Photos!

🌟Get My FREE Lightroom Colors Course🌟

In this week’s episode, we discuss the best focus point for perfectly sharp photos. Image sharpness and focus are two topics that always seem to attract quite a bit of attention, which is interesting as they both go hand in hand. And depending on what you're photographing, the focus mode, point and size of focus point will more than likely require some level of adjustment in order to achieve sharp focus. In this video, I'll review the different focus modes, point types and sizes in order to help you determine which is best for your particular genre of photography. I hope you enjoy this week's video and as always thanks so much for watching! - Mark D.

✅VIDEO CHAPTERS:
🔘 Where to Focus? 00:30
🔘 Focus Modes 2:40
🔘 Focus Points 3:58
🔘 Which is Best? 9:27

🌟2023 & 2024 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

*RECOMMENDED GEAR PAGE*

📸 MY CAMERAS & LENSES

🧰 MY FILTERS & ACCESSORIES

📺 WATCH THESE PLAYLISTS NEXT

As an affiliate marketer & Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I earn a small commission on the above links if you decide to purchase the item at no additional charge to you.

#landscapephotography​​

**LETS CONNECT**

[MarkDenneyPhoto]

✅QUESTION: Which Focus Point do you use most often?

[JonAnderhub]

Thanks for the explanations of the various types of focus.
Part of the problem though is that as " landscape photographers" we fall into the belief that our scenes are always static and this is not always true.
On a recent shoot I was getting a shot of a couple of flower blossoms when suddenly a moth landed on the top blossom and began feeding.
Within moments a bee came along and wanted to feed on the same blossom as the moth and seeing the moth already feeding buzzed rather loudly and moved to the lower blossom and began it's work.
The moth got the message and flew off and the bee moved to the upper blossom.
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!
The moth apparently decided it wasn't giving up and returned to the flower and literally stared at the bee until it left and then returned to feeding on the top flower.
Fortunately, because it was a bit breezy and flowers tend to move in the breeze, I was in a continuous focus mode and caught the drama in some remarkable detail.
The point here is that landscape photography isn't static and what seem like a static shot can change in a heartbeat.

[HR-wdcw]

One thing that I think is important and you touched on this in the beginning when talking about maximizing sharpness from proper focus point placement by focusing 1/3 of the way into the scene and using an appropriate aperture, people should keep in mind and remember that they need to think of the scene in terms of how the camera sees it, not how you see it yourself, and set up your shots and place your focus point accordingly. I have to say that focusing 1/3 of the way in always confused me a bit because I couldn't figure out if they meant 1/3 of the way into the scene as the camera sees it or as I see it, and realizing this was sort of like a lightbulb moment for me (I was talking with someone about focal lengths and this came up as part of that discussion).

[abdullahalghunaim]

Thanks a lot Mark, I’ve been waiting for these info for a long time, specially the landscape topic.

[wimscheenen]

Great video Mark! I also use the single point focusing method. Then, when on a tripod I change the focusing point before taking the shot; when I’m shooting hand held I use the focus and recompose method as it works faster ( especially when you operate the camera with only your left hand).

[stevechilvers]

Another informative video. Many thanks Mark. Oh! and Merry Christmas to you, I look forward to watching more of your output in 2024.

[OneTwoThreeTheP]

Thanks for your helpful content, Mark! Single autofocus point is my most used mode.

[Centauri]

Great tips as always Mark. Perhaps you could have also touched upon the "focus and recompose" method--when you should do it, when you shouldn't. (This is a lazy shortcut that's often quicker than changing your focus point.) And is that an old 110 camera on your desk? A blast of nostalgia for sure! They should create digital cameras in that form factor. 😊

[allehman]

Mark, Once again, you presented another great topic with very helpful recommendations. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

[Steve.Daugherty]

Good idea for a video, Mark! There are a bazillion videos on youtube about "getting sharp photos / focusing" but I don't think I've ever seen one that went into depth about the various focus modes and focus points. Kudos for originality!

[christalsigrid]

Great video Mark! I use single focus point as well. In rare instances where I take sports or portraits I used the eye focus

[b]

An idea to focus a long exposure. How about choose the seashell 1/3 into the image then fully magnify the seashell in live image and manually focus on it. Now sit tight and wait for the sun to set.

[nancybateman]

Very Helpful! Additionally, I use single point focus.

[fromclicktoclickbeautifulp]

Nice how to video on focusing. For landscapes I prefer the zone focusing, I started off with spot focus o the but found that not all was in focus at F8 and up. So I now use 9 zone AF focusing.

[troporobo]

For landscapes and stills, and especially for macro, I use single point AF with back button focus. If things are moving, I use continuous focus with a small group of 9 or 25 points.

[charliejg]

Nice explanation helping to simplify this topic. Couldn't help but notice what appears to be an old Kodak instamatic camera on your table next to the keyboard. I remember those! Thanks again and have a great weekend!

[michaelt]

Great video again, Mark. When discussing hyperfocal distance, I seem to remember that, when you first started using the Fuji GFX, you mentioned the considerable variation in depth of field, depending on sensor size. Is this an issue worth revisiting with at least four sensor sizes in general use? Thanks for a great tutorial.

[mikehines]

Great video as always Mark! Some really good info here. An important point that could be had in this conversation is hyperfocal distance, which would scientifically be the best place to focus in your scene. Of course this applies mainly when you're trying to get everything in one shot. If you're focus stacking it's not as big a deal. Also if you want to make artistic choices to have certain things in focus and others out of focus, it's less important as well, but a good concept to know regardless!

[pweester]

Hi, thanks for that video. You didn’t mention the 4th option « All » what are your thoughts on that ? Thanks

[boristahmasian]

Great video Mark. I learned about the 1/3 - 2/3 rule from the guys at Tamron just recently. I shoot with a Sony FF and it comes in handy. I imagine with a GFX 100MP with shallower depth of field, it is even more useful.