Depth of Field???? DOF

[Young Frankenstein]

Thanks for the info Poseidon, I have an Nikon Coolpix S6 it has a macro setting, can you look it up and tell me your thoughts on this cam ?User's Manual - Coolpix S6 - Guide to Digital Photography

 

[Poseidon]

I am not a huge fan of "sub compacts" for tank work. That may be a great choice for an around the house camera, easy to take with you on vacation etc. That particular model is not well suited for any ONE particular thing, rather a jack of all trades type.

That being said, finding a capable point and shoot for tank work is not easy. Admittedly I am out of the loop on current models, however the Canon G series performed wonderfully, as did a few of the higher end Nikon's.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

I am not a huge fan of "sub compacts" for tank work. That may be a great choice for an around the house camera, easy to take with you on vacation etc. That particular model is not well suited for any ONE particular thing, rather a jack of all trades type.

That being said, finding a capable point and shoot for tank work is not easy. Admittedly I am out of the loop on current models, however the Canon G series performed wonderfully, as did a few of the higher end Nikon's.

Thanks posidon

 

[SantaMonica]

Always wondered about that aperature setting.

 

[naso tang]

On the rebel av is the way to go in my opinion. Aperture above 8.0, I use high ISO but that can mean grainy pictures in raw format. At least that's my understanding...

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

On the rebel av is the way to go in my opinion. Aperture above 8.0, I use high ISO but that can mean grainy pictures in raw format. At least that's my understanding...

thats correct. You can lower shutter and lower Iso if you want to keep f stop

 

[granocompany]

Depth of FIELD (or Focus)!!!!

Most simply stated depth of field is term used to describe how much or how little of your picture is in focus. There are several factors that determine the depth of field, but none is more profound then the aperture used to capture the image. A large aperture will result in LESS depth of field then a small one will. There are other factors as well, focal length, and the distance from the camera to the subject, but neither of these are as dramatic as aperture. Aperture along with ISO directly impact the shutter speed as well, so you can't change one without changing at least one of the other 2, but for this demonstration, I will only talk about the aperture.

So what is the difference between getting an image like this:

And this:

APERTURE!!!!

Those of you that keep your SLR camera on the GREEN SQUARE, or the "P" mode are really losing out. If you use the camera "program mode" you are allowing the camera to decide what results you are going to get, you are giving control to the camera rather then keeping control for yourself. Aperture is the single most dramatic control we have over the finished result of our images, once you learn to control the aperture, you can decide what the finished image will look like. In some cases you may want to have as much of the picture in focus as possible, in other cases you will want to isolate the subject from the background by using the largest aperture you can.

Okay... enough typing! Here is a progression of images from the largest aperture to the smallest, meaning the least in focus to the most in focus.

2.8

4.0

5.6

8.0

11

16

22

32

The scale from 2.8 to 32 are the "standard" f stops available on most cameras. Each stop allows in TWICE as much light as the next one, so from 2.8 to 4 is half the size. This is where the relationship between aperture and shutter speed is most evident, but that is topic for yet another thread!

As always, I hope you find the information presented here useful, and if you have any questions, please post them here!

-Mike

Hi Mike. I am going to buy camera for aquarium photography. Is the Canon 6d with 100mm macro or 50mm macro better option to me. I like your pictures. Very nice! Thanks.
Mike

 

[ebeez]

My goby

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Trying to figure this one out. I've been shooting in "M" mode on my Canon 5ti, but now I'm seeing lots of people use Av. Should I use that instead? Just got a new Tamron 90mm, and I've been playing with it for about 20 minutes...so far I'm getting my tail kicked in by this lens...not figuring it out very well.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Trying to figure this one out. I've been shooting in "M" mode on my Canon 5ti, but now I'm seeing lots of people use Av. Should I use that instead? Just got a new Tamron 90mm, and I've been playing with it for about 20 minutes...so far I'm getting my tail kicked in by this lens...not figuring it out very well.

If you using Manual, set the iso high(1000?) Then choose a shutter speed(1/100?) Set for 2.8. If the exposure is too bright increase shutter, OR Fstop OR iso.

Av is Aperture priority. Set the aperture and the shutter speed will be chosen for you. I generally choose Aperture priority or manual.(fast)

The benefit of manual is you can increase the DOF for effect OR the shutter speed for effect(fish and fast things)

On Iso Id pic the on just below where it gets grainy. Go to manual, leave the lens cap on and increase iso in one stop increments and look at it on the computer.


Fun stuff bro! Can't wait for the pics!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

If you using Manual, set the iso high(1000?) Then choose a shutter speed(1/100?) Set for 2.8. If the exposure is too bright increase shutter, OR Fstop OR iso.

Av is Aperture priority. Set the aperture and the shutter speed will be chosen for you. I generally choose Aperture priority or manual.(fast)

The benefit of manual is you can increase the DOF for effect OR the shutter speed for effect(fish and fast things)

On Iso Id pic the on just below where it gets grainy. Go to manual, leave the lens cap on and increase iso in one stop increments and look at it on the computer.


Fun stuff bro! Can't wait for the pics!

Thanks! I'm gonna try the steps you've given here. Hopefully, I can figure it out!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Thanks! I'm gonna try the steps you've given here. Hopefully, I can figure it out!

No sweat. Its an easy one to practice while your sitting around before you get to the tank.

 

[Keepingitunreal]

Def need practice with this

 

[PSXerholic]

Thx for sharing, very useful info!

 

[Robert McCreary]

question does this photo look out of focus or is it because of the settings i had here are the basic photo info. it was taken awhile ago and dont remember how it looked in the view finder. but ive been having a issue beyond the settings on my camera and lens d40x 105mm micro Nikon lens
Aperture f/6.3
Exposure Time 10/1250
iso 200
f number 63/10

 

[cromag27]

question does this photo look out of focus or is it because of the settings i had here are the basic photo info. it was taken awhile ago and dont remember how it looked in the view finder. but ive been having a issue beyond the settings on my camera and lens d40x 105mm micro Nikon lens
Aperture f/6.3
Exposure Time 10/1250
iso 200
f number 63/10

it’s in focus but only a certain part is. looks like the pine cone or bark, or whatever that is.

 

[cromag27]

a little more explanation.....

when you open an aperature (1.8, 2.8, etc) you are letting more light into the lens. this is what throws off your exposure and why you would need to also adjust your iso and/or shutter speed. i recommend everyone shoots in manual so they have full control over their settings. you can easily detect what your limitations are for your environment. and just the opposite, when you close the aperature (ex 11) you are letting less light into the lens.

the quality of blur produced by having a shallow depth of field is what we refer to as “bokeh”. not all cameras/lenses produce the same quality of bokeh. usually not a concern if you’re shooting your fish tank, but’s important for portrait or wedding photography.

 

[Mark3]

My goby

I think this is his sister....?

 

[Mark3]

Depth of field at 5.6 ... focus on the eye.

 

[Mark3]

a little more explanation.....

when you open an aperature (1.8, 2.8, etc) you are letting more light into the lens. this is what throws off your exposure and why you would need to also adjust your iso and/or shutter speed. i recommend everyone shoots in manual so they have full control over their settings. you can easily detect what your limitations are for your environment. and just the opposite, when you close the aperature (ex 11) you are letting less light into the lens.

the quality of blur produced by having a shallow depth of field is what we refer to as “bokeh”. not all cameras/lenses produce the same quality of bokeh. usually not a concern if you’re shooting your fish tank, but’s important for portrait or wedding photography.

I love shallow depth of field when the point of focus is correct...but 22 or 32 gives such sharpness you can shoot a bit more lazy.