Nikon 24-70 2.8 back to front focus NOT pin sharp

Hi, I have a D750and Nikon 24-70 2.8 g
Generally I am veryhappy with it apart from one thing.
If I want to shoot aperson just in front of me as well as the horizon (infinity) and keep the wholescene in focus, I usually fail. I have tried to use A value, S value and Mvalue, with different F number such as 8,11,16 and 22 but still the whole sceneis not pin sharp.
I’ve read about the hyper focal distance calculator, the theory of allthis is great but in practise, I couldn’t achieve pin sharp scene.
I thinkthe problem on where to put the focus point, if I put it on the far away treesat the background my subject goes slightly out of focus and the opposite iscorrect.
I knowsome people say focus somewhere on the third way between the two subjects, I justdon’t know how.
I don’tknow how to tell the camera to keep everything in the entire frame in focus. Itis like I want two focus points, so I place one at the far away subject and theother on the nearby subject.
I havetried to use different focal settings, 24,35,50,70 also tried to move closer andaway from my near subject (the person in front of me) but still things not as shouldbe.
Please,I need a specific help for this camera and lens. I have read so many articlesand watched many videos but still not happy with the results.
Thanksin advance.
Aiman

What you need to learn is "Depth of Field" at different focal lengths.

There are exercises that step you thru the process of what to do to achieve what you want.

Google "Depth of Field Exercises"...

I'm going to jump in a give you some ideas. They may or may not be 100% correct, but usually after putting my stuff up here, there will plenty of others with good info jump in to correct me and you will end up with the good stuff. Ha!

As you may or may not have seen in your research there are three things that can effect how much is in focus in your shot.
Aperture: The more it is closed down (High f stop #) the greater amount of the scene will be in focus. This is if the lens focal length and focus distance stays the same.
Focus Distance: The farther away the focus distance the greater amount of the scene will be in focus. This is if the lens focal length and the f stop are the same.
Focal Length: The wider the focal length, the greater amount of the scene will be in focus with the focus distance and the f stop the same.

Here is where you will have to do your own testing. The wider end of you lens (24mm) will give you the most in focus area, but you may have to move closer to your subject to have it the size you want in the photo. You may have to move your subject (if possible) closer to your background.

I think I would set a chair or something where I wanted the main subject to be and play with the wide end of you lens. Focusing at 10m (distance to subject) will give you approx. a focus range of 3m - ??? with an aperture of f8. Increase the f stop and you should get a longer distance in focus. Ha!

One cheat sheet that I like on DOF can be found here

Another option may be to look at some of the DOF calculators that can be found online or some of the APPs for smart phones.

No matter how you look at it there is some compromise. You have to decided at times which is more important for your photo? The subject in the foreground or the horizon. I would think that it would be the subject in the foreground and that would be the place to focus on.

Oh and welcome to the forum. You might want to delete the identical post so you are not getting two different crossed up threads.

Thanks for your help. I will google Depth of Field Exercises.

Thanks Walt for your detailedanswer and help.
I willtry what you said, my problem is when I want to take such a shot, it has to bequick as my subject in this case my wife can’t be bothered to wait for me totry all these settings until I get the right shot.
There for,I want quick settings for these occasions, I even tried auto settings on thecamera and landscape mode in the pre programed scenes.
Thanksonce again

By the way, I don't know how to delete the other thread? Could you help me please. Thanks.

adsadek said:

Thanks Walt for your detailedanswer and help.
I willtry what you said, my problem is when I want to take such a shot, it has to bequick as my subject in this case my wife can’t be bothered to wait for me totry all these settings until I get the right shot.
There for,I want quick settings for these occasions, I even tried auto settings on thecamera and landscape mode in the pre programed scenes.
Thanksonce again

Click to expand...

Oh I can relate to an impatient wife. Ha! My late wife, back in my film camera days of manual mode (focus, shutter speed, aperture) would always say, "It takes you too long to get that camera set up. Maybe you need one of those that you just push the button on to take a picture." Ha!

It is going to be a learning experience for you. After a while you will be able to judge better, but as I stated before it will take some experimenting with changing settings. That's why I suggested using a chair or something. It will not get impatient as you play. Ha! Am I good at doing it? Not really. About the time I think I have it down, I mess up a shot. Over time, however it becomes fewer messed up shots.

To delete your other thread, look in the upper right hand corner of the thread. Then click on Administrative and then the Delete option. I think you will be authorized to do that.

I wonder why you would want to have all that in sharp focus. If the main subject is your wife, the focus should be on her eyes. If the landscape is the main subject, then use a wider angle and close the aperture (you can raise iso up to 2000 with the 750 without a snitch). The only way to get both in sharp focus is to use a point and shoot camera with a tiny sensor and a small focal length. It's all a question of getting used to your equipment. I bet you that if you use your lens at 24mm and around f11, and, keep your wife further than 9-10 feet, you'll get an all sharp picture.

Good luck.

One thing I forgot to mention is that make certain that you use a 1 point focus point, half depress the shutter with your main subject on the focus point, then move the camera to frame and compose as you wish. This way you will know what will be in focus. When you have multiple focus points, the camera has no brain and has no clues as to what is important and what is not.

adsadek, Hyperfocal distance focus will not necessarily result in "pin-sharp" or "tack-sharp" images throughout the entire range. What you are seeking to achieve with hyperlocal focusing is "acceptable sharpness".

WM