How to Zone Focus Quickly and Accurately

For Fast Action, Night Photography, and Specialty Cameras

11 min read by Dmitri.
Published on . Updated on .

Zone focusing, a.k.a. scale focusing, is a powerful photography technique that can help you be faster and more confident with your camera. You can also take better shots in subdued light. This skill is indispensable for film and street photographers.

In this guide: What is zone focusing? How to master zone focusing. Zone focusing and depth of field (DOF). F8 & be there! Hyperfocal focusing. Choosing the right film ISO for zone focusing with your camera. Zone focusing on infinity. 🏔 Zone focusing portraits. 👤 Zone focusing “group portraits”/middle point distances. 👥 Prefocusing. Zone focusing aids. Remember to set the distance! Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!

What is zone focusing?

Zone focusing means guessing the distance to the subject and dialling that value on the lens. This used to be the only way to focus before the invention of ground glass, SLR prism, rangefinder, and autofocus tools.

Today, it is still used on toy cameras like Diana Mini and viewfinder-only cameras like Rollei 35. Zone focusing is also useful on cameras with precision focus tools like an SLR and even on autofocus/digital cameras (see: hyperfocal focusing and prefocusing).

You may have employed zone focusing in your photography already. If you’ve ever seen the icons on your camera like this:

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…and used them to set the distance on your lens — you’ve been zone focusing.

Despite the lack of precision implied by the guesswork, zone focusing can be a better choice when speed is of the essence and in cases when autofocus isn’t able to detect the distance correctly or when it’s too dark to peer through the viewfinder.

How to master zone focusing.

Zone” in zone focusing means that the distance scale is split into distinct sections (zones). Dividing the progression of distances into a few slices that you can recognize can make the job a lot easier and more accurate.