Aperture comparison of P&S digitals vs. DSLR...

[splproductions]

It's been a long time since I've done any editing of photos taken from your basic consumer-level point and shoots. But I'm working on some photos taken with my Dad's P&S, and I'm noticing that almost all of the shots are taken at f/2.8. The depth of field seems much greater though than what I would get shooting 2.8 with my DSLR.

So is 2.8 on a P&S a completely different thing than 2.8 on DSLR?

 

[usayit]

Plugin in numbers and find out yourself..

Online Depth of Field Calculator

 

[480sparky41 40]

I would suspect the lens' focal length has something to do with it.

 

[ann]

sensor size also effects DOF

 

[enzodm]

In the above linked calculator, use the real focal length and not the 35mm equivalent. You will see that the short end of the zoom is in the order of few mm (due the the small sensor size). Shorter focal lengths have deeper DoF.
So, it's not aperture a completely different thing: it's a completely different focal length. My Canon SX110is has a 6-60mm zoom, equivalent to 36-360 in usual terms. A 6mm lens, even of a dSLR, will have large DoF.

 

[timor]

sensor size also effects DOF

How is that ?

 

[timor]

So is 2.8 on a P&S a completely different thing than 2.8 on DSLR?

It has nothing to do with P&S, Dslr, MF or LF. Each aperture stop is a fraction of focal length of the lens and when the length goes up so does the diameter of aperture.For 20mm lens aperture 2.8 will have around 7 mm across, for 100 mm lens it will be something like 36 mm. That will affect DoF as simplifying cone of light coming from 7 mm hole will create smaller circles of confusion then cone with the base of 36 mm. Those circles of confusion are responsible for DoF or zone of acceptable sharpness (not to be confused with focus as many people do). But there is a limit on how small the minimal aperture could be. Compare your P&S and the lens from DSLR. P&S goes to 8 only, DSLR to 22.

 

[ann]

sensor size also effects DOF

How is that ?

This should help

Digital Camera Sensor Sizes: How it Influences Your Photography

 

[Solarflare]

Thats why video cameras still have teenie little sensors, because a small depth of field is usually not wanted for movies.

 

[o hey tyler]

Thats why video cameras still have teenie little sensors, because a small depth of field is usually not wanted for movies.

Uh, do you watch movies?

 

[timor]

sensor size also effects DOF

How is that ?

This should help

Digital Camera Sensor Sizes: How it Influences Your Photography

Thank you. Very modern, photography store level explanation of DoF. But who cares, why the car moves.

 

[Alex_B]

Thats why video cameras still have teenie little sensors, because a small depth of field is usually not wanted for movies.

Have to disagree here ... some of the better artsy movies play well with shallow depht of field.... not talking of the blockbuster crap here of course.

 

[j-digg]

sensor size also effects DOF

Indirectly, yes.

 

[KmH]

How is that ?

This should help

Digital Camera Sensor Sizes: How it Influences Your Photography

Thank you. Very modern, photography store level explanation of DoF. But who cares, why the car moves.

Professional (expert) drivers care why the car moves.

Professional (expert) and advanced amateur photographers make the effort to understand (care) how all their gear works.

 

[Derrel]

Using a smaller sensor or smaller film size gives the photographer greater depth of field in a practical, everyday sense. SMALL-sensor cell phone and smart phones used teeny-tiny, short focal length lenses. My iPhone 4 has a 3.4mm (three point four millimeter focal length!) f/2.8 lens. It has a semi-wide-angle focal length. When it shoots a semi-wide-angle picture, it has HUGE depth of field. When I use my Canon 1.6x camera, I can get the same angle of view with the right lens on the body, but there will be a LOT less depth of field. With my Canon 5D FF body, the same picture angle of view will have only MODERATE depth of field. If I use my Bronica 6x6 camera with its 50mm wide-angle lens, I will get significantly less depth of field. If I set up my 4x5 view camera and my Fujinon 150mm semi-wide, I will get PAPER-THIN depth of field, while still taking a photo that has almost the SAME ANGLE OF VIEW and about the same image size as all the other cameras.

So.. with the iPhone4's teeensy-tiny little sensor, a 3.4mm length lens provides a semi-wide angle of view; for a 1.6x APS-C camera like a Canon EOS 60D a semi-wide is like a 24mm lens.; on 35mm film or digital FF Canon/Nikon 5D-D700-D3 etc.,a semi-wide angle is like my 35mm f/2 Nikkor lens; on the Bronica 6x6 square 120 rollfilm camera, a semi- wide angle lens is like a 50mm f/3.5 Zenzanon PS; when shooting a view camera using 4x5 inch sheet film, a 150mm f/5.6 Fujinon-W is a semi-wide angle focal length. These are pretty rough approximations of focal length. In some formats, DIRECT, millimetewr-for-millimeter equivalents are not available in actual lenses, or are not common. Medium format and 4x5 lenses have BIG gaps in the lens lineups quite often, like 50 to 65mm in the old Bronica system--there is nothing in-between.