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Full Auto does not let you have creative control over you photographs.

DOF.

So, you want to know what DOF or “Depth of Field” means and how this relates to your photography.

Depth of Feild, the definition in a nut shell is “what distance at a certain aperture will remain in sharp to, near sharp focus, within the photograph.” This is something you would want to have control over in order to keep distracting foreground and backgrounds from drawing the eye away from the intended main subject matter. It helps keep the main subject from being lost within the photo.

If your camera has an “Aperture Priority” feature then you have control over which aperture you want the camera to shoot at. This is all well and good only if you understand how aperture effects the outcome of the photo.

Unfortunately most newer cameras have an ‘Auto Focus’ feature and unlike older ‘Manual Focus’ lens there is no ‘depth of field guage’ to show what is in focus at a certain aperture. To give you a little better understanding of how a DOF guage works and what will remain in focus I have taken a photo of an old ‘Manual Focus’ lens from my trusty Minolta X700 35mm film camera.

Let’s take a look at this older lens to see what I am talking about.
This lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 and a minimum aperture of f/22.

This is a 28mm manual focus lens. You will notice the ‘Aperture Selector ring’ which is closest to the camera.

The DOF (Depth of Feild) guage / with focus indicator, the second ring out and the ‘Focus Distance’ ring the furthest from the camera.

This lens happens to have a minimum focusing distance of 10 inches to a maximum focus distance of infinity.

As you can see I have the lens set to focus on a subject of 4 feet.

Focused at 4 feet

The next set of photos show the aperture setting at f/8

At this aperture, if you look at the DOF ring and find the corresponding indicator of f/8 on the ring you can see that anything between 3 feet and just slightly more than 6 feet will be in sharp focus.

Likewise, if an aperture of f/22 was chosen, anything from about 2 feet to infinity would be in focus. Notice the focus of the main subject is still set at 4 feet.

Having control over Aperture allows you to set the mood for your photograph as you can see. Another term for Depth of Field effect in a photograph is Bokeh (pronounced, Bo-Ka).

You must also be aware that the DOF changes with each lens. This is to say that a 200mm lens has a different DOF at a certain aperture than a 28mm lens would have.

All this being said, because the newer ‘Auto Focus’ lens don’t have a DOF gauge, how can I tell what is going to be in focus?

On most DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) Cameras there is usualy an option to set a button as a “Depth of Feild Preview” button. You will have to look this up in your manual for your camera. Remember that book that was so thick you were too intimidated to open it up and read through it. Thinking to yourself, “I’ll look in that later. My camera is fully automatic so what do I need it for anyway?” Full Auto does not let you have creative control over you photographs.

Should you have misplaced your manual, they can be downloaded from the manufactures web site. Google it!

Below are two photographs taken with this same lens to show Depth of Field.
The first taken at an aperture of f/4. The second taken at an aperture of f/11. Notice how the balls in the first photo are fuzzy, out of focus, as you get past the first three. Then look at the second photograph. Notice how more of the balls further up the railing are in focus.

I hope this gives you a better understanding on how aperture affects how your background and foreground look in your final photograph.

What kind of camera should I get?

This is a question I get all the time and to tell you the truth the answer is not that simple. Like much of the technology out there today cameras, like computers and cell phones have been designed for a niche market. Many of them do many things but not a one does everything very well. For now we’ll focus (excuse the pun) on cameras.
You have to ask yourself a couple questions before you dive in and get a new camera.

Q – How much money are you willing to part with?
A -Something real expensive does not always mean you’ll get great value. There are some cameras out there that are over priced because of a couple things. Features, and in some instances, Brand Name. If you are considering getting serious about your hobby and want a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera it might be best to get an entry level camera which go for $500.00 to just under $1200.00. Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus are but a few of the Brand Names you can trust. These manufacturers have proven quality because they have been in the business of making cameras for decades. Each has their own advantages and dis-advantages. Only you can decide which is the one that fits your style and bank account.

Q – Does the camera take pictures and only pictures or does it also take video?
A – I’m not a big fan of still cameras disguised as pseudo video cameras. There are some that do both and have reasonable image quality which is OK if you’re not too fussy about either. If you’re not going to make huge enlargements (11” X 14” or larger) and you would like to have video of your adventures then by all means go for it. The small ‘Point and Shoot’ style cameras are perfect for vacations, they’re light weight and don’t draw much attention to ‘would be’ thieves. Don’t expect top notch video quality or the sharpest image quality for your stills though, but for the average user it’s a good all around unit. The larger DSLR’s with that added feature are prime targets for those with “light fingers”. Even if they say the entire commercial was shot with one. Yup…. and I’m willing to bet it’s nowhere near the quality a pro grade video camera would give you. You have to make up your mind. Do you want to focus on still images or video. You can’t have the best of both worlds despite what they are trying to convince you of.

Q – What about extra lens?
A -Now, before you all go out and rush into your purchase don’t forget to consider the cost of Lens. This is after all one of the main reasons to have a DSLR. Being able to get specialty lens is or, should be, the main draw to the DSLR. Good lens are not cheap. There are lots of lens made by lots of companies but in my humble opinion, if it’s not made by the big brand names (Nikon, Canon or Olympus) chances are you’re wasting your money.

Q- What about features?
A – Like any other computer equipment, cameras are much like computers now days. There are many features that my seem overwhelming at first. Some features are handy, others are just mere “fluff” and have no real value. Again, only you can be the judge as to what you need when it comes to features and lens kits. Don’t be fooled by big prices thinking because ‘X’ costs more than ‘Y’ that ‘X’ is better. Not always the case. Do a lot of research by going to online sources like news groups and public blogs. Independent reviews are another good source but beware of some of them as they may be sponsored by that same camera manufacturer.

One thing I must mention is, Does it fit your hand (as well as your budget)?
If it’s so big and heavy you can’t reach all the buttons then I would suggest you look for a smaller body camera. It may not have all the fancy features but a fat lot of good those do you if you can’t handle the camera in the first place.

Remember, just because you have good equipment does not mean you will take great photos. That takes work and vision. The basics like shutter speed, aperture and their effects on exposure can be learned. You’ll find out that the more you learn the more you realize the less you know.

“Visualis Communicatus.” Latin for Visual Communicator. Isn’t that what a photographers job is? To communicate using visual media? My job is to use this site to help those of you out there to better your visual communication skills. “Lead by example” I suppose.

My name is Keith Doucet and I am a Landscape and Nature Photographer from the East Coast of Canada. Hailing from South Western Nova Scotia where I spend the Autumn and Winter months and then back to Calgary Alberta for the Spring and Summer.

The largest body of my work is taken in the areas of Kananaskis and Banff Alberta. There is a seemingly endless choice of hiking trails, waterfalls and mountain vistas just waiting to be photographed.

South Western Nova Scotia offers a vastly different geography which I find more of a challenge because living there most of my life I tend to take for granted the beauty of the inland waterways and the ocean views. Finding a unique perspective and subject matter that has not already been photographed to the N’th degree is indeed a challenge.