ExifTool Forum

General => Other Discussion => Topic started by: RT-- on April 10, 2025, 04:35:40 AM

Title: Focus Distance 2
Post by: RT-- on April 10, 2025, 04:35:40 AM
I looked at the "Focus Distance 2" data of some long shots from the last couple of days.
440m real = 1240m fd2
620m real = 1670m fd2

For very close distance it seems to be ok but beyond 50m or so it really falls apart.
Where does the Focus Distance 2 come from?
Title: Re: Focus Distance 2
Post by: greybeard on April 10, 2025, 07:21:20 AM
Do you have some examples? Are these images from Sony cameras?
Title: Re: Focus Distance 2
Post by: Phil Harvey on April 10, 2025, 11:43:06 AM
One should keep in mind that longer focus distances with short lenses will be wildly inaccurate.  In general, camera focus distance measurements are only approximate to begin with.

- Phil
Title: Re: Focus Distance 2
Post by: capricorn on April 10, 2025, 12:12:33 PM
The focus point plug-in (https://github.com/musselwhizzle/Focus-Points) which I have just released as a major update also displays AF relevant tags like focus information.

When implementing this part for Sony, I learned there is no "focus distance" tag by Sony. One reference (https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1858744/0) I found said that "Focus Distance 2 is the result of an erroneous user supplied formula to exiftool".

So I was hesitating when a plug-in user requested me to add this tag. I asked him for a thorough review regarding the usefulness of this information. His answer was:

QuoteOk, I did the test.
The same object with four different focus length: 24mm - 105mm - 200mm - 600mm.
The results: 3.6m - 139m - 35m - 30m :-((

You're right, this doesn't any sense.

Which is in line with Phil's statement.