The aim of using this technique is to obtain sharpness on objects that are as wide as possible from the focus point to infinite distance. By knowing the hyperfocal distance, you can make the distance from the focal point of the object to the back sharp with the addition of half the distance to the front (lens direction) also being sharp.
Source: https://tipsfotografi.net
In this image you can see that if you place the focus at point A, the distance from point A to infinity is sharp. Moreover, half the distance from point A, i.e. point B will be sharp. So your photos will be sharp from point B to infinity. This point is influenced by the focal length and diaphragm of the lens used.
Using hyperfocal distance is actually quite easy, but on modern lenses like today there are no longer hyperfocal distance markings on the lens. This mark is found on old lenses. If you still have old lenses, you can try them.
Source: http://www.infofotografi.com
- You can determine the aperture you want, for example f/22.
- Rotate the focus until the 22 on the left is aligned with the infinity sign
- Look at the number on the right which is parallel to number 22
With the lens settings above, you get a distance of 2 meters (between 1.5 and 3 meters), which means objects from a distance of 2 meters to infinity will be in focus.
If you use today's lenses, you can use a calculation table or program to use this technique. You can use this link to calculate the distance: https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/hyperfocal-distance.htm
A table will appear as below
Source: http://www.infofotografi.com
It can be seen if you use an APSC camera with a 24mm lens, f/22 aperture, hyperfocal distance of 0.8mm. This means that objects located at 0.4m (0.8m / 2) to infinity will be in focus.
From this table you don't need to remember all the numbers, you only need the smallest aperture of f/22 or f/16. Apart from that, you can remember to only use wide lenses that you use a lot. For example, on a 16-35mm lens, you can remember the hyperfocal distance at a focal length of 16 or 17mm at an aperture of f/22, f/18, or f/16.
For types, types and brands of lenses with the same focal length number will provide the same hyperfocal distance. What matters is the type of camera, specifically the type of sensor on the camera. If you use a full frame camera, the hyperfocal distance will be different from an APSD camera. The larger the camera sensor size, the shorter the hyperfocal distance. So don't be surprised that if you use a large format camera, you can get a point B distance of 6cm, which means even very close distances to the lens will be sharp to infinity.