What is Focus Breathing

An issue that you may be faced with during your photography career, is the optical one known as Focus Breathing that occurs in most modern zoom Lenses, to varying degrees, so let’s take a closer look at what Focus breathing is, how it affects your images and what you can do to reduce its effect.

In short, Focus breathing is a term given to the change in Focal Length of both Angle of View and Magnification, when changing the Focal Distance of a lens, from its Minimal Focal Distance (Close) to Infinity.

Focus Breathing is a more common occurrence in many photographic lenses than one might expect, and can occur in both prime and zoom lenses.

In general, there are two scenarios when you, as a photographer, could possibly notice focus breathing.

The first occurrence of Focus Breathing, is fairly common, due to it being related to the magnification or “reach” of a lens at a close distance.

For example, a lens, such as the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II, suffers a lot from Focus Breathing, especially when at 200mm and focused close on a subject. At this Focal Length, you will notice that this lens will look much more like its at a 120mm, compared to another 200mm lens, that has an actual 200mm (or very close to) Focal Distance.

The second situation where you can easily identify Focus Breathing issues, involves the art of Focus Stacking when shooting Macro, Product, Landscape or Architecture photos.

In this case, when doing your images Focus Stacking on your PC, you will notice visible changes in angle of view, compared to the Closest and Furthest Focal Distances distances (especially at infinity). This can result in your software having a very difficult time merging all images into a single stack successfully, due to this misalignment.

Below are the results of Focus Stacking 12 images of a plant in both Photoshop and Helicon, shot using a Nikon AF-S DX Macro 40mm f/2.8 G ($276.95) lens, shot on a Manfrotto 190XPRO Tripod with Ball Head ($439.88).

As you can see, Photoshop had a very difficult time with this and simply couldn’t figure out the stack, due to the Focus Breathing that exists. However, the far more sophisticated Helicon powered through the images and was able to overcome the Focus Breathing. Helicon is a dedicated Focus Stacking software, so its no surprise that it did a better job than Photoshop here, but the fact remains that Focus Breathing can become an issue in these scenarios.

Unfortunately, most stills photography lenses (even the high end), suffer from some sort of Focus Breathing.

Focus Breathing occurs in both Prime and Zoom lenses, so it’s not exclusive to zooms only. Focus Breathing is also more evident in lenses with internal focus, but occurs with lenses using external focus as well, such as the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II ($72.00).

Differentiating between lenses with the older External Focus and the new Internal Focus technology can be a bit tricky at first, as it can be mistakenly considered as the Zoom (Focal Length) and not the Focal Distance (Focus Point), due to how the lens extends.

Let’s first take a look at the older External Focus Lenses.

Below you can see how the Nikon 18-55mm lens’ focus shaft extends between focusing from its Minimal Focal Distance to Infinity.

Take special note of the fact that the extended shaft is NOT the zoom of the lens. This is shown in the fact that in both images, the Zoom (Focal Length) is at 18mm.

So, please do not confuse the the Zoom (Focal Length) and External Focus (as I initially did as well), they are very different.

The above lens is a digital lens with an Auto Focus motor, although External Lens Focus is actually more commonly found in older Analogue (non-digital) Lenses with no Auto Focus built in. These lenses are also known as SLR lenses, as the ‘D’ from DSLR  is naturally removed, such as the Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 D ($131.95) seen below.

Again we can see that the Focus Shaft extends ad we rotate it (changing the Focal Distance), even though this lens is a set 50mm Focal Length, so it’s definitely NOT zooming.

The Nikon AF-S DX Macro 40mm f/2.8 G ($276.95) lens that I used to shoot the Focus Stack, is also External Focus. In fact far greater than the above two, due to it being a Macro lens.

Awesome! Now that we know what to look for to identify an External Focus Lens, let’s take a look at an Internal Focus Lens, but one that also extends (which is where confusion can set in)

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR ($1,096.95) pictured below, also extends as the above two External Focus Lenses,

However;

This lens isn’t extending when we are changing its Focal Distance (Focus Point), but rather when actually changing the Focal Length (Zooming In) from 24mm to 120mm.

You can see evidence to this, in the fact that the lens remains the same size, even if we change the Focus Distance from Close (minimal Focus Distance) to Infinity, no matter if we are at 24mm or a 120mm Focal Length.

Therefore, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR ($1,096.95) is an Internal Focus Lens, even though its also grows/extends like the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II ($72.00) and Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D ($131.95) lenses.

Once you step into the realm of the very high-end (and very expensive) Cine Lenses, you do away with 95-99% of Focus Breathing issues, as Focus Breathing is far more evident in video than in stills, so its vital that these lenses eliminate the issue as much as possible.

Ok so that’s all fine and dandy if you have the cash to spend on a Cine Lens, but why does this happen and is it a big enough issue to be concerned?

Let’s find out.

As explained above, most of today’s modern photography lenses today feature Internal Focus design, which moves a group of internal lens elements instead of the whole lens barrel (as in the case of External Focus), when the focus of the lens is adjusted.

An example of a lens with both Internal Focus and Internal Zoom is the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR ($445.00), pictured below.

Notice that no matter if we change the Focal Length (zoom from 70 to 200mm) or the the Focal Distance (minimal Focus to Infinity), the lens size remains the same.

While internal focus has many benefits, (which I’ll get into in just a bit), there is a catch to this though.

Scientifically, according to physics – when you focus to Infinity, all the lens elements have to move away from the film plain in order to get focus. This is just the way light and refraction works in nature.

You can see how this works on the rear of our Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D ($131.95) lens. See how the internal barrel moves into the lens as I move the Focal Distance to Infinity, and all the way to the back, as I move is back to its Minimal Focal Distance.

The same can be seen in the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 G ($196.95) lens

In actual fact, if you look at the front of the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 G ($196.95) lens, you will notice that it’s Focusing Barrel actually has External Focusing, as it moves forward, its just hidden within the height of the lens (which is slightly taller than the Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D ($131.95) lens), making the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 G ($196.95) lens, more of a mix breed lens, between External and Internal Focus.

Prime lenses light he above mentioend, can easily get away with moving their barrel back and foirth, as they don;t have any zoom lenses onboard to worry about.

Our Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR ($445.00) Zoom lens, is unfortunately not so lucky as it also has Focal Length Glass elements inside to factor in.

The Internal Focus Group lenses of the 70-200mm, are still moving inside, as they have to, according to the physics of light.

This means that they have to move somewhere, inside the lens. However, as this lens’ front barrel doesn’t extend like the 50mm lenses do, in order to add more space to the lens when this happens, something else has to give way, in order to make way for the shift in the lens group, which in this case is the Focal Length (zoom) lens groups.

As I focus to Infinity, the Focal Distance lens group moves into the Focal Length’s space, forcing them to also move, in order to not collide with the Focal Distance lens group, causing a side effect, which is a slight change in Angle of View and Magnification (Zooming/Focal Length), when changing Focal Distance (changing focus point).

This is called Focus Breathing.

As mentioned earlier, the Internal Focus lens system does come with other great benefits though, which outweigh the Focus Breathing issue, and are the reasons why External Focus lenses aren’t manufactured anymore:

The advantages on an Internal Focus Lens are that:

• Its cheaper to manufacture, bringing lens prices down
• its very beneficial when shooting Macro Photography, as your lens won’t extend and creep up and bump into the subject
• its also a great feature to have when using Lens Filters, because the front element does not rotate while focusing, causing your filter to spin, which we definitely don’t want, especially when using Gradient Filters.
• Moving a small and lightweight group of lenses instead of the lens barrel when focusing is also much faster than external focusing, which thus increases the overall Autofocus speed, which allows the Autofocus motor to be far quieter.

Because of all the above benefits, lens manufacturers have been mostly releasing lenses with internal focus designs over external focus.

The “Manufacturing Quality” of the Focal Length change, depends on the size and amounts of the internal focus groups, as well as the overall quality of the optical design. The lower the quality of these items, the more Focus Breathing occurs.

Yes and no, unfortunately. You see, even though a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens only has a similar angle of view as a 120mm lens at 200mm, it is still technically referred to as a 200mm lens, because Focus Breathing only occurs at close focusing distances and not at far away ones (infinity).

Since the standard for measuring Focal Length is measured at infinity, a 70-200mm lens is going to have a suitable Focal Length, at both 70 and 200mm, when focused at infinity, but this is not when Focus Breathing occurs, so technically the lens passes as a 200mm lens.

Most manufacturers do however provide information, in their lens specifications, allowing us to be able to identify lenses with focus breathing issues.

Nikon’s engineers updated their Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II ($1,799.95) lens with an entire new optical formula, giving us the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR ($1,896.95), which minimized Focus Breathing drastically in comparison to its predecessors, although it’s still present.

With the release of the new Nikon S-series Nikon S-series, alongside the Nikon Z Mount Mirrorless Cameras, Nikon’s engineers are now specifically designing each lens to have as little Focus Breathing as possible.

So how exactly can we tell if a lens has Focus Breathing issues or not, before we buy it?

The simplest way to find out if a lens has Focus Breathing issues is to take a look at its specifications chart and look for two important factors, being the Maximum Magnification Amount (aka Maximum Reproduction Ratio), and the Minimum Focus Distance (distance from Focal Plane to subject).

The Maximum Magnification Amount is the ratio between the size of the image on the camera sensor, in relation to the actual size of the subject being shot, while the Minimum Focus Distance is the physical distance that you have to move the camera back from the subject before it can grab focus.

Using this information, we can easily determine how much focus breathing a lens might have, when compared to other similar focal length lenses, helping us make a better buying choice.

Let’s take a look at some Nikon lenses and their respective values in these two areas:

Nikon AF-S DX Macro 40mm f/2.8 G ($276.95)

• Maximum Magnification Amount = 1.0x
• Minimum Focus Distance = 0.53 ft. (16.15cm)

Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D ($131.95)

• Maximum Magnification Amount = 0.15x
• Minimum Focus Distance = 1.5 ft. (45.72cm)

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 G ($196.95)

• Maximum Magnification Amount = 0.15x
• Minimum Focus Distance = 1.48 ft. (45.11cm)

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR ($1,096.95)

• Maximum Magnification Amount = 0.24x
• Minimum Focus Distance = 1.5 ft. (45.72cm)

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR ($445.00)

• Maximum Magnification Amount = 0.274x
• Minimum Focus Distance = 3.28 ft. (99.97cm)

As we can see, the Nikon AF-S DX Macro 40mm f/2.8 G ($276.95) has a Maximum Magnification Amount of 1.0x, meaning that it shoots at a ratio of 1:1, so whatever you shoot in camera will be exactly the same size as what it is in real life at a scale of 1 to 1.

Due to this high magnification amount, you are able to come very close to your subject with this lens, as shown in the Minimum Focus Distance of 0.53 ft. (16.15cm).

Now let’s compare two regular zoom lenses, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR ($1,096.95) and Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR ($445.00).

They both have similar Maximum Magnification Amounts, although the 70-200mm F4 is has a far better reach (less Focus Breathing) than the 24-120mm F4, when both are at a 120mm Focal Length, placed ona  tripod that is set to the 70-200mm’s Closest Focal Distance of 99cm. You can quickly see that the 70-200mm wins, with its better reach.

Now the 24-120mm F4 has a vastly superior Minimum Focus Distance of 1.5 ft. (45.72cm), which is half that of the 70-200mm lens’ 99cm.

This means that you can frame a subject much closer and larger in frame at 120mm with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR ($1,096.95), than you can with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR ($445.00).

What about lenses that are advertised to be the same focal lengths, like a batch of 70-200mm lenses from Nikon.

Here is a list of 4 Nikon lenses and their respective Maximum Magnification Amounts:

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR ($2,490.00)

• Maximum Magnification Amount = 0.25x
• Minimum Focus Distance = 5 ft. (150cm)

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II ($1,799.95)

• Maximum Magnification Amount = 0.12x
• Minimum Focus Distance = 4.6 ft. (140cm)

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR ($1,896.95)

• Maximum Magnification Amount = 0.21x
• Minimum Focus Distance = 3.6 ft. (110cm)

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR ($445.00)

• Maximum Magnification Amount = 0.274x
• Minimum Focus Distance = 3.28 ft. (99cm)

The lenses with the worst (most) Focus Breathing, will be the ones with the lowest Maximum Magnification and the highest Minimum Focus Distance, which in this case, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II ($1,799.95) of 0.12x and 140cm.

This was actually a downgrade from its predecessor, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR ($2,490.00), with its far more respectable Maximum Magnification of 0.25x, which outweighed its worse 140cm Minimum Focus Distance.

Photographers “upgrading” to the newer Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II ($1,799.95), thus quickly noticed Focus Breathing for the first time.

While the newest Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR ($1,896.95) certainly has a much more respectable Maximum Magnification of 0.21X and much improved Minimum Focus Distance of only 110cm, giving it a solid 2nd place.

The clear winner (in terms of the least Focus Breathing), is the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR ($445.00), with its Maximum Magnification of 0.274x and stellar Minimum Focus Distance of only 99cm, making this lens not only lighter and cheaper, but also the best to avoid Focus Breathing.

Before we start doing some testing on Focus Breathing in Lenses, let me quickly state for the record, that not all lenses have an equivalent Focal Length.

In other words, shooting at a 50mm Focal Length on my Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR ($1,096.95) lens, is NOT THE SAME framing/composition as shoot at a 50mm Focal Length on my Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 G ($196.95) lens.

Take a look at the comparison image below to see how much the differ in framing, even though they were both shot from the same camera in the same position on my Manfrotto 190XPRO Tripod with Ball Head ($439.88).

The reason for the difference is simple, the two lenses are vastly different in size and design, so naturally there will be a difference in framing, even though they are both “technically” at 50mm. This then leads to different Minimum Focal Distance, which is a big part of Focus Breathing, as I’ll explain in just a bit.

You can also notice that the 24-120mm also has a warmer/more orange color shift, but that’s besides the point 🙂

Below are example images of a few of my Nikon lenses,Nikon AF-S DX Macro 40mm f/2.8 G ($276.95), Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 G ($196.95), Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR ($1,096.95) and Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR ($445.00)

I placed my orange pocket knight in the front pot plant and placed some cooking books (one also being orange) in teh background, 2m away from the pocket knife. This give a nice distance between the two subject to see the Focus Breathing happen.

Note that while I came close to reaching infinity, when focusing on the books, but fell slightly short, due to the distance simply wasn’t of the book from the knife, not being far enough. I am mentioning this as the effect in the Focus Breathing will be more, but not by much.

We will see this change in the landscape examples further down int he guide.

Nikon AF-S DX Macro 40mm f/2.8 G

Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8 G

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR

Before we jump into the landscape tests, I want to just wan to quickly bring your attention to the following fact:

The Focus Breathing difference is less from the Closest Subject (Pocket Knife) to a Middle Point (Blue Pot Plant), than from the Middle Point (Blue Pot Plant) to the Furthest Subject (Books).

Look at the examples below.

Its the same two images of the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR ($1,096.95) as above, except that I also shot an mid way image of the Blue Pot Plant on the right, which was exactly in the middle of the Pocket Knife and Books, being 1m away from each.

You can quickly see that the change in Angle of View and Magnification (ie Focus Breathing) from the pocket knife to the blue pot plant is very noticeable, while the change from the Blue Pot Plant to the Books is far less, even though the distance between them is identical.

This brings me back to my statement from earlier, where I said: “Focus Breathing only occurs at close focusing distances and not at far away ones (infinity)“, which as you can see is true by these images.

Closest Point (Knife) to Middle Point (Blue Pot Plant)

Middle Point (Blue Pot Plant) to Furthest Point (Books)

Now, let’s take a look at some landscape examples to see how Focus Breathing will effect real world landscape photos that you might take with the following lenses.

Take special note that a lot of the image will be blurry as the goal is not to land focus, but rather to show the difference between the Minimal Focal Distance and the Infinity. I did shoot all images at the smallest Aperture  (usually F22), in order to get the most Dof (Depth of Field), but blur will always occur none the less.

What is important is the shift and size of the buildings in each image’s composition. I know it can be difficult to see with some images being very blurry, but its possible if you focus Luke.

Nikon 12-24mm F2.8 at 14mm

Nikon 12-24mm F2.8 at 24mm

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G at 18mm

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G at 55mm

Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D at 50mm

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 G at 50mm

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR at 24mm

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR at 120mm

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR at 70mm

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR at 200mm

The only way to make a hack fix of Focus Breathing, is to always shoot at Infinity, and the only way we can do that when shooting close up subjects, is to create a gap between the lens and the sensor.

To do this, and to solve Focus Breathing, is to use Extension Tubes.

By using a given number of extension tubes, you physically move the back of the lens further away from the camera sensor (since Extension Tubes are merely an empty, lens-less spacer), thus allowing you to focus to infinity, at substantially closer distances.

This will thus reduce or better yet, eliminate focus breathing altogether.

Take a look at the example below where I took 3 images using my Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR ($445.00) lens.

The first is without extension tubes, but shot at the lenses minimal focal distance of 99cm away from the subject (pocket knife), but Focus was set to very close and not remotely near Infinity.

The next image I shot by putting a set of Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set ($129.99).

Once the extension tubes were on, I had to step back slightly in order to grab focus (these work with AF by the way), which allowed me to now shoot at Infinity only about 1.5m form the knife, resulting in it being much larger in the composition.

Hooray!

Below is the same image with the extension tubes removed and the lens put back on, with the focus left at infinity. As you can see, I’m slightly further back, compared to the first image of the Minimal Focal Distance, but at the same time the image is a blurry mess.

You can really see what a massive difference the Extension Tubes make

While similarly using extension tubes can potentially come across as a great idea, they unfortunately do come with four side effects and issues.

1. The biggest issue, is that with the majority of cheaper Extension Tubes, you lose any and all AutoFocus functionality of the zoom lens, attached to the extension tubes. The Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set ($129.99). I used are mosre expensive, but you get to keep your AF, which is very important
2. Using Extension Tubes, will also reduce some light coming into the lens, which would thus require using faster shutter speeds or increased ISO to make up for the difference in exposure.
3. When using Extension Tubes to reduces Focus Breathing, in most cases, you’ll lose/reduce the ability to focus on subjects that are far away in the distance.
4. Lastly, Extension Tubes can easily degrade color fidelity and sharpness, as well as add considerably more lens aberrations to your images, reducing the overall quality.

Below are examples of where I shot the same landscape images as before, but with the extension tubes attached to the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR ($445.00) again.

You will quickly notice how much darker they are compared to the initial non-extension tube images, as well a that I couldn’t even come near to grabbing any sort of focus, no matter if I tried 70mm, 200mm, the closest focus, all the way to infinity.

I simply couldn’t not get anything that wasn’t blurry with them on.

Extension tubes will only help you gain focus from near objects.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR at 70mm (Original – NO EXTENSION TUBES)

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR at 70mm (WITH EXTENSION TUBES)

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR at 200mm (Original – NO EXTENSION TUBES)

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR at 200mm (WITH EXTENSION TUBES)

Taking all of the above down-sides into consideration, you have to really think twice before trying to use Extension Tubes as a solution to Focus Breathing.

The new Nikon Z6 ($1,760.00) and Nikon Z7 () camera’s do have one major benefit when using F-Mount lenses, thanks to their larger Z-Mount and no mirror, which requires us to use the Nikon FTZ Adapter ($246.95).

The benefit of that, is that the FTZ Adapter, actually acts as an extension tube, but better.

Look at the examples images below, shooting using the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 G ($196.95) lens on both the Nikon D850 DSLR Camera ($2,496.95) and Nikon Z6 ($1,760.00) cameras.

Both cameras were placed on a tripod with the cameras aligned at the base of the lens, where it connects to the respective mount.

The Nikon Z6 ($1,760.00) is able to focus closer than the Nikon D850 DSLR Camera ($2,496.95), due to the Nikon FTZ Adapter ($246.95) shifting the lens forward.

This is the same reason why the new Nikon S-Series Lenses are able to offer better/less Focus Breathing than the F-Mount Lenses.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 G at Closest Focus Distance

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 G at Infinity

If you were to ask a group of photographers, if they knew what Focus Breathing was, most of them would probably have no idea, yet they happily go about their daily photography, without a problem.

So, in short, no.

Focus Breathing isn’t such a major issue that you need to worry yourself over and have sleepless nights.

Those that do, either read an article like this one about it, saw it occur when Focus Stacking images or when comparing images, between two lenses at the same focal close distance, which in itself, is a rare occurrence, unless you review a lot of lenses.

If you fall into the group of photographers that most shoot one-shot still images (whether it be landscape, product, wedding or portrait), then there is no need to fret over Focus Breathing, you aren’t even going to notice a difference in the angle of view and magnification in your composition, when working with most zoom lenses at close range.

My Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR ($1,096.95) lens is one of my main workhorse lenses and while it suffers from Focus Breathing at a 0.24x Maximum Magnification, I’ve shot plenty of amazing images with it and don’t even notice it anymore, even though I know it exists, in the back of my mind.

However, as mentioned earlier, photographers that use Focus Stacking a lot (in order to increase Depth of Field), such as landscape, architecture, product or macro photographers, are going to have more problems during their Focus Stacking (due to the shift in the background), because of Focus Breathing. This is even more of an issue to closer you are to the subject, so Product and Macro photographers will have it even worse, but as shown, Helicon will sort this out for you anyway.

If you fall into this category or want to pursue it, make sure to do some research on the lenses with the least Focus Breathing (by looking at the Maximum Magnification Amount), to eliminate you Focus Stacking headaches as much as possible.

As a macro photographer, you won’t really have worry about Focus Breathing either, based on the fact that you are buying dedicated macro lenses, such as the Venus Optics Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X ($280.54), which has a Maximum Magnification Amount of 5x, far superior to any of the portrait lenses mentioned above.

As an architectural photographer shooting on a lens such as the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm F2.8G ED ($1,596.95), you have to be conscious of its very low Maximum Magnification of only 0.15x, making it a very susceptible to Focus Breathing, if you are going to be focus stacking.

If you’ve never heard about or seen Focus Breathing until now, kiss those blissful naive days goodbye, because it’s one of those things, that once you see it, you can’t unsee it and you will meticulously look for it whenever you use your zoom lens again, especially when filming video, which brings me to my next topic.

Focus Breathing really becomes an issue in video though, far more than with stills photography which is why most stills photographers don’t really know it exists.

Once you know what to look for you’ll see it immediately in video. And it will drive you nuts.

To my dismay, I noticed it in a huge budget film, being Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi, where the change in focus constantly causes the background to shift severely.

You can see the change during the Rack Focus (which is what its known as in the video world), at 34:04 in the scene between Luke and R2D2, as well as at 1:45:20, as she grabs the lightsaber in the red room.

I have no idea why a big budget movie uses lenses that have Focus Breathing of this degree, but they do. Maybe trying to keep the style of the original Star Wars movies, shot on anamorphic lenses, would be my guess.

Either way I wasn’t a fan of seeing it happen in such a new and high budget movie.

This is why buying proper Cine Lenses, that are designed for video (and thus don’t exhibit focus breathing) is vital if you are a professional filmmaker.

Yes they are more expensive, but this is the reason why, besides other factors.

You don’t really need to worry about Focus Breathing if you are an everyday shooter. If however you are someone that shoots up close, such as a Product or Macro photographer, especially those stacking images, this is a factor to consider when buying lenses, unless you buy Helicon and then not have to worry about it at all.

Make sure to look closely at the lens’ Maximum Magnification Amount.

Naturally videographers also need to pay very close attention to this and the lenses they buy, as no software is able to help you out. If you are using your Nikon Z6 Mirrorless Camera ($1,760.00) to shoot indie footage with a lot of focus pull, make sure to invest in a proper Cine Lens.