Depth of Field (DOF) demo

[Ron Evers]

I thought this might be helpful for the new-to-photography folks.

I am presenting the same shot @ three different apertures to show how that relates to the DOF.


1. f2.0

2. f4.5

3. f11

You can see that as we use a higher f# we get less separation of the subject from the background. In this case @ f11 the dragonfly blends into the background but@ f2 it is separated from it.

Taken with a Helios 58mm f2 manual lens on a Panasonic G1 mounted on a tripod. Pics are not cropped.

 

[crimbfighter]

I noticed the color and sharpness in the third one are much better on the dragonfly. Is that mainly a function of the smaller aperture? Or were there any other factors that changed from picture to picture? I keep hearing the smaller apertures tend to be bet the sharpest on any lens.

 

[echoyjeff222]

great post for all the beginners learning aperture

 

[BuS_RiDeR]

Good post...

What lens did you use?

My Canon 17-85 IS USM does not offer this DoF quality... Goes to show the importance of investing in good glass... Ah someday...

 

[Ron Evers]

I noticed the color and sharpness in the third one are much better on the dragonfly. Is that mainly a function of the smaller aperture? Or were there any other factors that changed from picture to picture? I keep hearing the smaller apertures tend to be bet the sharpest on any lens.

The only thing I changed between shots was the aperture of the lens. However the camera automatically changed the shutter speed.

Yes, in general the smaller the aperture (larger f#) the sharper the image.

 

[Negative ISO]

Thanks for posting this, it is a nice example. The white balance appears to have changed between shots, and this confuses me. Is this a normal side effect of changing F-stop?

Out of curiosity I dropped these JPGs into GIMP and tweaked the RED/GREEN levels of images 1 and 3 to match the white balance with the middle shot. In my results 1 & 2 look very similar, with subtle DOF changes. Image 3 still stands out with it's very different DOF.

Thoughts?

 

[SageMark]

Great post.

 

[LuckySe7en]

thanks a lot for this. although my kit lense only drops to f4, I can still get a little blur.

 

[Ron Evers]

Thanks for posting this, it is a nice example. The white balance appears to have changed between shots, and this confuses me. Is this a normal side effect of changing F-stop?

I noticed that too. The camera was on auto WB. I concluded, maybe wrongfully, that as the background had more influence it shifted the WB.

 

[kundalini]

Nice examples Ron, but I would think that turning anything Auto to the OFF position would be the best for consistant and definitive results.

Just my 2¢.

 

[Ron Evers]

Good post...

What lens did you use?

Goes to show the importance of investing in good glass... Ah someday...

If you read the footnote in the original post you would know the answer Mark.

This Russian lens is very nice glass & I got it shipped all in for under $30. A lot of old 35mm film camera lenses are excellent & can be bought cheap on eBay particularly the ones made in the former Soviet Union. I have another 55mm 49mm Leica mount coming from Moscow that is highly prized & is reportedly sharper & more contrasty than the one used here. Supposed to be very sharp wide open @ f2.8, a little slower than the Helios 58/2.0. Should get it next week.

 

[eccs19]

Good post...

What lens did you use?

Goes to show the importance of investing in good glass... Ah someday...

If you read the footnote in the original post you would know the answer Mark.

This Russian lens is very nice glass & I got it shipped all in for under $30. A lot of old 35mm film camera lenses are excellent & can be bought cheap on eBay particularly the ones made in the former Soviet Union. I have another 55mm 49mm Leica mount coming from Moscow that is highly prized & is reportedly sharper & more contrasty than the one used here. Supposed to be very sharp wide open @ f2.8, a little slower than the Helios 58/2.0. Should get it next week.

Shame I can't try it out on my camera when it shows up. I'd keep it for a few days before delivering it to you.

 

[BuS_RiDeR]

If you read the footnote in the original post you would know the answer Mark.

Sorry Ron... I actually did look... I guess I should have turned my brain on when I did...

 

[eccs19]

If you read the footnote in the original post you would know the answer Mark.

Sorry Ron... I actually did look... I guess I should have turned my brain on when I did...

Happens to the best of us.

 

[RobNZ]

These are excellent dragon fly shots Ron :thumbup: