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Powershot G5X mark ii: Cannot see the focal length in PSAM

pocus
Contributor

In Auto mode moving the zoom lever shows the focal distance (24 - 120 mm). However in PSAM and C mode the display shows values like 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm to infinity. How can I see the focal length or convert these values to focal lengths in PSAM modes? This is necessary to calculate things like Depth of Field.

19 REPLIES 19

kvbarkley
VIP
VIP

Those are the focal lengths that you use to calculate depth of field. Your lens is an 8.8 to 44 mm lens, which is what you use for calculations. The 35 mm equivalent is 24mm to 120mm, which is there for your convenience.


@kvbarkley wrote:

Those are the focal lengths that you use to calculate depth of field. Your lens is an 8.8 to 44 mm lens, which is what you use for calculations. The 35 mm equivalent is 24mm to 120mm, which is there for your convenience.


Thank you for your reply. But I still do not understand what is the focal length of "15cm - infinity". How do I translate 15 cm to focal distance, when I'm shooting a subject at 5 m distance? What is the depth of field then? The lens is 24 to 120 mm, so where am I when I read 15 cm in PSAM mode?


@pocus wrote:

@kvbarkley wrote:

Those are the focal lengths that you use to calculate depth of field. Your lens is an 8.8 to 44 mm lens, which is what you use for calculations. The 35 mm equivalent is 24mm to 120mm, which is there for your convenience.


Thank you for your reply. But I still do not understand what is the focal length of "15cm - infinity". How do I translate 15 cm to focal distance, when I'm shooting a subject at 5 m distance? What is the depth of field then? The lens is 24 to 120 mm, so where am I when I read 15 cm in PSAM mode?


FYI, focal length of the lens is completely independent of the focus distance between the camera and the subject.  Both pieces of info are needed to estimate the DoF.  However, you also need to know information about the sensor size before you have ALL of the information most apps need to estimate DoF.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."


@Waddizzle wrote:

@pocus wrote:

@kvbarkley wrote:

Those are the focal lengths that you use to calculate depth of field. Your lens is an 8.8 to 44 mm lens, which is what you use for calculations. The 35 mm equivalent is 24mm to 120mm, which is there for your convenience.


Thank you for your reply. But I still do not understand what is the focal length of "15cm - infinity". How do I translate 15 cm to focal distance, when I'm shooting a subject at 5 m distance? What is the depth of field then? The lens is 24 to 120 mm, so where am I when I read 15 cm in PSAM mode?


FYI, focal length of the lens is completely independent of the focus distance between the camera and the subject.  Both pieces of info are needed to estimate the DoF.  However, you also need to know information about the sensor size before you have ALL of the information most apps need to estimate DoF.


OK. I'm not using any app. I just need to know the focal distance of the reading "15 cm to infinity". That's all I need to know.

"OK. I'm not using any app. I just need to know the focal distance of the reading "15 cm to infinity". That's all I need to know."

 

Final attempt.  The camera does not tell you focus distances, only the focal length in use.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

I am not sure about that. "15 cm to infinity" does sound more like a focus distance or range, "Infinity" makes no sense as a focal length.

Pocus:

You can look at the EXIF info in your images and see what the focal length is. Are you in some sort of macro mode?

The only display that I found that comes close to what Pocus is describing is the macro focus screen:

Untitled.jpg

This is the screen in PSAM and C mode. Please, experts, tell me what is the focal distance in this case. I cannot use the EXIF at the moment of taking a picture. I need to know the focal distance at the moment of taking the picture.

Canon.jpg

Thank you for your reply. However from the picture of the macro focus I can only see centimeters, too, i.e. distance to the object, not focal distance of the lens. The only modes which show the focal distance are Auto and SCN.

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