Depth of Field question

[480sparky41 40]

Really? I dont think a single one of my Canons does.

Check the manual.

 

[Gavjenks]

Both my T2i and 6D from canon have DOF preview. It is a small black easy to miss button on the front faceplate right around the lens mount somewhere. Doesn't work super well though. More useful on film cameras for metering, if the body doesnt know what aperture you have set. It's dark and hard to tell what's in focus anyway.

On a modern body, you can however exposure compensate up higher, then DOF preview with LCD mode on, to get a bright preview with proper DOF, if you really need to.

 

[vimwiz]

w. It is a small black easy to miss button on the front faceplate right around the lens mount somewhere. More useful on film cameras for metering

Neither my AV-1 or T70 has this, but the T90 does (its a lever). How odd. Maybe it only went on "pro" bodies? - This is backed up by the fact that neither does my 1100D (though you can map it to a button in SW) while my old Film EOS 1 does (as you describe).

 

[Gavjenks]

Vimwiz: On many styles of older cameras, the DOF preview is often built into the LENS rather than the body.
I would be pretty surprised if there wasn't one in either location. There could also be one in BOTH in some transitional models

 

[minicoop1985]

Yeah, on my 7D, I think it's a button on the body (I should really look into that), as it is with my wife's Sony a55. On an Olympus OM series lens, there's two buttons 180 degrees from each other. One releases the lens from the camera, the other is the DOF preview/stop down. On my Minolta XG-SE, it's a button on the body (I think, I could be confusing it with the other XGs I've had). With my Hasselblad 1600f, it's completely manual-you set the aperture, then compose, then stop the aperture down, then take the shot. It's easy to forget to stop it down to say the least... But my point is that A. not all cameras have it, and 2. of the ones that do, they're all different. So, basically, what Gavjenks said, but poorly worded and very drawn out.

 

[TCampbell]

, there's tons of film cameras that do it.

Really? I dont think a single one of my Canons does.

Every Canon camera I've every had (well... film and DSLR, we'll skip the point & shoots) does it. Usually (but not always) the button is on the lower right or lower left side of the lens (on the camera body... but near lens flange.)

My favorite teaching aid for DoF is to grab a bunch of something... wine bottles, soup cans, doesn't really matter what it is. Line them all up in a row leaving about 1' of space between each. Go to one end of the row and focus on the middle one. Take a shot at each different f/stop and compare.

You'll quickly see how the depth of field works... initially only maybe the center bottle is focused... but then you'll start to notice nearer and farther bottles are focused and at very high f-stops you'll notice they're pretty much all focused.

 

[minicoop1985]

You'll probably also find where your lens performs best too. My Tamron 17-50 f2.8 does best somewhere near f4-11, but at 16 and above, quality falls off a bit. At f22, it's somewhat soft due to diffraction I believe-correct me if I'm wrong there.

 

[Gavjenks]

Diffraction is an issue more at the sensor level than the lens (depending on your pixel size for the actual physics of it, as well as your total sensor size due to the effect it has on final print size that makes you able to see it or not), but yes at f/22, diffraction is certainly limiting your sharpness in most 35mm or smaller format cameras and normal print sizes.

Shooting f/35 in large format (4"x5" film), for example, is totally normal and no big thang (equivalent for DOF and diffraction of something like f/5.6 or f/8 in digital camera formats), whereas in crop format it would be horrendously crippling.

 

[glun]

How can i understand depth of field better? I have been reading up on it, i know what it is but how can i improve my images. Any tips?

The best thing is to try it out. Try different focal length and aperture with the same object. This depends on the type of lens you have as well.

 

[shaylou]

Forgive me if it's been said. When you really understand dof you will know how to use it to make your shots better.

I can tell you the one thing that really made dof click for me is when I set up my camera with my laptop (tether) and set up a display to shoot. I played with the fstops while reviewing on my laptop and was able to really see what was going on and how the aperture effected the shot. Then I messed with the focal length and reviewed the shots on the big screen and everything was much clearer to me after that. Doing this opened my eyes to really understanding dof and how it effects my work. I would highly suggest you give it a try. Even if you feel like you understand it.
I hope that helps. If you do try it let me know how it goes.

 

[shaylou]

Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

That's a great website. I recommend it to others so much I wonder if they think I work for it. lol

 

[shaylou]

Another thing that could help is to get your hands on a camera that will allow you to do a DOF preview. I know the Sony a55 does it, but if you're not on the A-mount, there's tons of film cameras that do it. That's the best way to see it in action AS you're shooting. My Olympus OM-1n and Minolta SRT-101 do it, and both are pretty easy to find on eBay or the like.


all 3 of my canons have this preview button and all 3 of them seem useless to me. I can not see much at all when I tried using them. Not sure the point really. After using dof enough you get a good feel for where you need to be and with digital it is way easy to snap a shot and zoom in on the display to check your dof. At that point you can adjust from there. I thought it was odd that a pro body would have that. I'm not even a pro and I don't use it.

 

[minicoop1985]

If you shoot macro, it becomes incredibly helpful. Sometimes just an idea/feel for where it is isn't enough.

 

[Darkershadesofbrown]

Depth of field really has more to do with the aperture capabilities of your lens. The lower that number the more creamy the image will be.

 

[Ysarex87 81]

Depth of field really has more to do with the aperture capabilities of your lens. The lower that number the more creamy the image will be.

Alterations in magnification are going to have a more pronounced effect on DOF than changes in aperture. Both need to be controlled to achieve an end result. Managing magnification of relative distances gives you a broader range of control than the lens aperture.

Joe