Myths & mystique

As with any other subject, many photographers learn from social media, blogs and YouTube videos. Unfortunately, not all nuggets are golden on the internet. Some misinformation is harmless; however, when it is propagated widely so as to become accepted wisdom, some dispelling is called for. This is what I aim to do on this page. In specific cases, I will elaborate on a dedicated page.

Formatting memory cards in camera: It has become widespread wisdom that one must format a memory card in camera and never on a computer. It is possible this was true with early models of cameras and cards, but not at all so nowadays. All to say, while it is a good habit to format, this can be done using a computer too. And yes, it is fine to format in one camera and use the card in a different camera of the same brand.

Depth of focus: Many photographers believe and proselytize that the depth of focus follows the rule of thirds: one third in front of the subject and two thirds behind. If you challenge their premise, they will tell you to use a DOF calculator to learn about this. Clearly, they have not gone through this lesson themselves. In reality, the split starts at 50/50 - i.e. when the subject is at the minimum focusing distance, the range of distance in focus is the same in front and behind the subject. With increasing subject distance, the ratio gradually changes in favor of the space behind the subject (i.e. farther away from the camera).