DOF Preview button When to use and for what purpose
Apr 13, 2018 19:09:23 #
bpulv
Loc: Buena Park, CA
rehess wrote:
Honestly, this is a hold-over from film cameras, when you had to develop the film before you could see the actual results.
Personally, I've never made much use of this capability simply because I developed a style dependent on context, so I use "comfortable" apertures like f/5.6, where exact DOF is less important.
Personally, I've never made much use of this capability simply because I developed a style dependent on context, so I use "comfortable" apertures like f/5.6, where exact DOF is less important.
I agree that it is a holdover from film days and, even than was of limited value.
You observed that the image dims when you press the preview button. That is because pushing the button forces the lens diaphragm from wide open to whatever f-stop you have selected. That is usually something less than wide open. As a result the viewfinder image dims. If you block the ambient light from around your viewfinder, you will see the image with the depth of focus that your picture will have.
That being said, film or digital, you seldom are shooting where you can actually see the image well enough to really judge DOF by using the preview button. The best way to judge DOF on a digital camera is to take a picture and enlarge the image on the LCD.
Apr 14, 2018 00:43:28 #
"I just rip off a few shots at various apertures and pick the one I like later."
That probably won't work for a bird in flight? Or anything else with a quickly changing composition?
With my Sony EVF cameras (A 77 and A 77II) in Aperture priority mode, the EVF keeps the same level brightness when the DOF preview button is pressed. That allows me to assess the changes in focus of the foreground and background objects. Even at that, It's still a less than perfect judgement I must make but it is a pretty good approximation of what DOF the camera will record.
That probably won't work for a bird in flight? Or anything else with a quickly changing composition?
With my Sony EVF cameras (A 77 and A 77II) in Aperture priority mode, the EVF keeps the same level brightness when the DOF preview button is pressed. That allows me to assess the changes in focus of the foreground and background objects. Even at that, It's still a less than perfect judgement I must make but it is a pretty good approximation of what DOF the camera will record.
Apr 14, 2018 14:03:53 #
bpulv wrote:
I agree that it is a holdover from film days and, ... (show quote)
Of course you can judge that. You see exactly were focus begins and ends when using the DOF button, it's invaluable, I like it especially in my film cameras (movie or still)!
Apr 14, 2018 15:25:34 #
Apr 14, 2018 15:44:36 #
Hmmmm. Even better than fugetting about it. USE it to your advantage. Just as I'd expect from you, Gene.
Apr 14, 2018 15:46:12 #
Hmmmm. Even better than fugetting about it. USE it to your advantage. Just as I'd expect from you, Gene.
Apr 14, 2018 15:56:21 #
rmalarz wrote:
I have a sort of huge "LCD" screen on the back of my 4x5. One just has to learn to view the world upside down. But, that really helps with composition.
--Bob
--Bob
It was the early mirrorless!
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