String focusing

[Darryl Roberts]

What is string focusing?

Thank you.

 

[AgX]

It means using string or alike to meter the focusing distance for close ups. With end of the string attached to the camera, the other hold by hand.

Some cameras got a lane to attach the camera to a belt wich had a length that matched a certain focus setting, or had marks on it for several focusing settings.


You can make such yourself. For instance for 50cm (just short enough to extend by hand) and apt for a close-up lens of 2Diopters.
(With close-up lenses, keep in mind that the focusing distance based on the Diopter of such lens is metered from the subject to the close-up lens! Not to the film plane. With the camera lens set at infinity.)

 

[Darryl Roberts]

It means using string or alike to meter the focusing distance for close ups. With end of the string attached to the camera, the other hold by hand.

Some cameras got a lane to attach the camera to a belt wich had a length that matched a certain focus setting, or had marks on it for several focusing settings.


You can make such yourself. For instance for 50cm (just short enough to extend by hand) and apt for a close-up lens of 2Diopters.
(With close-up lenses, keep in mind that the focusing distance based on the Diopter of such lens is metered from the subject to the close-up lens! Not to the film plane. With the camera lens set at infinity.)

Alright, thank you.

 

[Ian Grant]

In the film Henry & June there's a sequence showing a reconstruction of Brassai shooting one of shots made famous in Paris by Night, using a piece of string to measure the distance.

Ian

 

[Kino]

The Minox sub-mini has a focus measuring chain: https://www.cryptomuseum.com/covert/camera/minox/chain/index.htm

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

In the old days with portrait studios with LF cameras, the camera was pre-focused to a set distance. A string was used to measure the subject in front the camera so the photographer doesn't have to refocus the camera which is a PITA. With complex movie camera, a string helped the focus puller to set the distance of his or her subject.

https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/3-hacks-shooting-without-a-focus-puller/

 

[AgX]

I knew about the meter-tape in cinematography and that there is a special job called "focus-puller".
But I had not the slightest hint that the string technique was applied in LF potrait photography too, though it makes sense, especially in complex situations with long sittings.

 

[Luckless]

Strings also make a great addition to working with flash setups as well.

If you're ripping down and setting up the same lights for the same setups over and over again, why measure and adjust from scratch each time? Some good string and a few labels lets you quickly switch things around between repeatable setups, and can be especially handy for portable systems.

 

[NedL]

I built a camera with string focus . It's a fixed-at-infinity focus 8x10 camera that uses the rear element of a B&L RR lens from an old Kodak 3A. When the front element of the lens is screwed back on, it focuses at a point about 2 feet in front of the camera. A piece of string glued to the front of the camera marks the focus point. The DOF is quite small and it would be difficult to use the camera without the string.

 

[Bill Burk]

I used string focusing for this shot...

https://www.photrio.com/forum/media/stonenyc.47932/

The camera has scale focus. I carried around a piece of string that was 3 1/2 feet long between knots, and used the string to check how far away Stone was...

 

[Kilgallb]

Year book companies would ship a camera loaded with bulk film to a school. Focus was fixed so a string was used to set distance. We were instructed to have the subject lean until the string touched the nose.

This was required when you needed to take 1000 student pix in one day.

 

[AgX]

Year Book companies sending out DIY sets so to say, instead of a photographer (operator) with an outfit. Weird.
Though likely makes senses at remote areas.

 

[Kilgallb]

Year Book companies sending out DIY sets so to say, instead of a photographer (operator) with an outfit. Weird.
Though likely makes senses at remote areas.

Remote area, it was the 3rd largest city in Canada. They were just cheap

 

[Daniel-J]

It's as detailed as ever: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOCUS

 

[AgX]

Welcome to Apug!
By the way, your link by no means is related to this thread...

 

[tezzasmall]

It's as detailed as ever: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOCUS

Welcome to Apug!
By the way, your link by no means is related to this thread...

And just looking, wikipedia has no listing at all for 'string focusing'...

Terry S