WayneW Loc: South Carolina

Hi all,
Just a hint - go to Google and type in "depth of field chart". Every answer you can think of!
WayneW

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

Be only too happy to. Tell me which piece you think is wrong and I will discuss where I am coming from.

And just in case anyone didn't realise - the answer has been given to the OPs perfect satisfaction, this is a separate discussion.

Wabbit Loc: Arizona Desert

And don't forget Doc ..... with a 20mm prime if you focus on the moon everything on Mars will be in sharp focus too ..... ha,ha,ha,ha,

Lundberg02

Look up the hyper focal distance formula.

Wabbit Loc: Arizona Desert

Forget about hyper focal distance Doc ..... and BTW your brother is correct .....

..... "your aperture controls depth of field" .....

..... works best with a prime 20, or 28, lens stopped all the way down (F 22), focused on infinity you'll have an excellent point n shoot camera ..... use your shutter speed and iso to set yout exposure ..... and click away

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Seems that a lot of photograpy is full of "rubbery figures" !

f8lee Loc: New Mexico

Seems like a lot of confusion here. Allow me to either add to that or give an actual answer.

First of all, hyper focal distance depends on the focal length of the lens, the aperture and the format being shot (4x5 inch, FX, DX, 4/3, whatever). What hyper focal distance essentially is is the distance at which that lens at that aperture on that camera should be set in order to get everything between some near point and infinity in acceptable focus. Read that sentence again to understand.

So, for a given lens on a given camera, let's looks at some numbers (the below are based on an FX body with a 105MM lens):
At f2.8, the hyper focal distance is 427 feet and with that setting everything from 213 feet to infinity should be in focus
At f5.6, the hyper focal distance is still 213 feet and with that setting everything between 107 feet and infinity should be in focus
Af f11 the hyper focal distance is 107 feet and everything between 54 feet and infinity should be in focus.

See a pattern? At smaller apertures, the hyper focal distance gets closer and the closest-focus point closer yet.

So, if you change the focus on the lens to a more distant point it will move the close-focus distance further out, while keeping everything (infinity) in foes.

Now does that help?

lowkick Loc: Connecticut

Check this out to see if it helps you. http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

georgevedwards Loc: Essex, Maryland.

What is a long lens? I assume the obvious answer is a telephoto, that becomes longer as the focal length (?) increases above 50mm. But knowing that a "fast lens" is not really a literal meaning I thought I better check.

amehta Loc: Boston

When BigBear said "longer" and "shorter", he was talking about focal length, not physical size. He was also comparing lenses, and what he said applies to any pair, so 500mm vs 300mm, or 24mm vs 18mm all have the difference in DoF as described.

It's good to ask about the jargon you don't understand. There will certainly be others who don't understand it also. :-)

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Hi amehta, it does depend on the lens's focal length, it needs to be reasonably wide of course. I use a prime lens with a focal length of 38mm, although up to around 50mm is still wide enough for a good DOF.
Cheers
John

amehta Loc: Boston

There is so much confusion about DoF, it seems important to include the important parameters when describing your method. :-)

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Hi Amehta, I will attach a photo on which I can show you the method I use to obtain a good DOF. I used aperture priority set at F8, the lens has a focal length of 38mm, ISO set at 100, shutter speed was 1/1250 sec.
I manually focussed on the white house in centre of the frame, this meant the Hyperfocal Distance was the fisherman. So now everything is in focus from the large stone on the anglers left to the hills in the background.
This is the method I use
John

Depth of Field Test Shot

amehta Loc: Boston

Thanks. :thumbup:

Ansel Rosewater

Sometimes you want it… and sometimes you don’t. A wide depth of field can bring in a background this is deleterious to a photograph when it is distracting or just plain ugly. A short DOF can concentrate the eye of the viewer on the subject of the photograph and yet still permit the viewer to know the surroundings in which the picture was taken.

Occasionally a significant blur to the background lends an artistic touch to portraits. These are decisions made when the shutter is snapped… and often there is post-snap regret and the moment is gone forever. So….
Tangential to the subject of DOF is using photo manipulation (PhotoShop and other programs) to change a picture to mimic what a larger aperture would have done. For those interested, here’s the sequence I use to blur a background:
Select the area to be blurred using the quick selection tool.

>Filter

>Blur

>Gausian Make sure the preview box is checked. Then, using the cursor, place the box over the are you wish to blur and use the sliding bar to increase or decrease the blur or the + and – boxes. Too much is very artificial.
> OK
Remember to save what you’ve done.

Note: It is possible to select different areas and give each a different amount of blur to create a feeling of depth in a photograph that is sharp at all distances and looks flat.