Depth Of Field Explained Part 1 - short lens
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- To ensure your photos are nice and sharp you need to understand how depth of field works. You might want a fuzzy background to concentrate a viewer's attention on one part of the image such as a portrait or close up. This is called a shallow depth of field.
If you're shooting a landscape you are likely to want the whole scene sharp and in focus from just in front of the camera all the way to the horizon. This is a wide or large depth of field. This video gives you a demonstration
Think of depth of field as a block of sharpness that you can change the size of and where you want to place it in your image. The main control for more or less depth of field is your aperture setting - BUT different focal length lenses have different amounts of DOF available. A short wide lens has loads of it where as a long lens has much less. And just to throw a spanner into the works the distance you are from your point of focus has an impact too.
I know it all sounds terribly complicated but please bear with us. We have a video explaining the different characteristics of focal lengths on our site at www.photography... which demonstrate all this.
For now just follow our instructions and try this exercise for yourself because I can talk for hours about it - but the only way to understand and know it for yourself is to get out there and do it.
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Easiest and the best explanation I could find on DOF for a beginner like me.
Simple enough that even I can understand. Thanks for being a natural teacher.
Thanks dkreppucci - I have to keep it simple or else I don't understand either :-/
"If you haven't got a tripod, go and steal one."
The seriousness of this command had me giggling for a while, hahahaha. Awesome video, not very wordy, straight to the point, and on topic. I like that you showed us what we needed to do, and verbalized it as well. I do not have the money to pay for photography classes but videos like this make me feel that I don't need to. Thank you for taking the time to construct this for us!
Thanks SoldierNoodles - glad I made you smile. One or two folk took me seriously and thought I meant it :-) Please help me make more free videos by sharing them online with other photographers.
I remember ( a long time ago), 'Depth of Field' was explained (and understood) one way, and one way only; 'Get everything in focus'(!)
If a photo had a blurred background, it was judged to have poor depth of field. Only photo's which were sharp from near to far were good.
Re. my tripod. I always take it out whenever I go snapping. Sometimes I never use it. However, if I do need it, it's there, ready and waiting!
Bokeh? You can't beat it!
NB: This is the clearest and most concise lesson on how depth of field works.
Cheers, Mike.
I have been around photography all my life and took my first college photography course in 1971. I have never heard the "get everything i focus" idea expressed. If that were true, and it certainly isn't, an awful lot of us would be spending a lot of money on big aperture glass.
Sir,
Thank you very much. Your 6 min video is enlighten me more than many book which take many hours to read.
Very concise,precise & very simple & clear to understand !!
Finally DOF explained in a very easy way. Thank you for your time and effort in doing these tutorials.
Thanks ES Brooks Please help me out by sharing them on Forums, Facebook etc.. :-)
Now I get it....Thank you Mike. I watched your other videos as well about the same subject but this is the best. Thanks.
Yes of course. Block of Focus makes so much sense now. Understanding and Controlling the centre point of a block and understanding the range (halves) the range or distance either way from you to the centre point and from the centre point to the other extreme (furthest away from you). It makes perfect sense when its explained in a clear precise manner as you do. Wish I could go on some of your courses. I'll look into it. Now I've just got to get out and practice more. Even in the garden if I'm restricted here. Many thanks for your vids Mike.
Thanks Alan. From what you've said here and other comments, I suggest my online Ultimate Beginners Course would be a huge help to you. Have a look at a free sample at link below... MIKE
www.photographycourses.biz/courses/ultimate-beginners-photography-course
Mike you are an great teacher for this Old Codger and you tell it as it is and do not fancy names to describe the camera settings, I have understood and enjoyed watching your video lesson on youtube and I can now get better pictures, thanks Mike. Robert Maitland.
Thanks Robert Maitland - MIKE :-)
I have been doing photography for about a year now. i started with a Canon Rebel T3 but with hard work and saving I got myself a Nikon D7000. Now with this more professional camera I felt like I needed to step my game up. Been watching your videos and taking rigorous notes. I went out this morning and did a few test shots with the things you've covered from this video and below. And a simple image of a leaf turned out fantastic. Thank you very much!
I struggled with depth of field, but your explanation could not have made it any easier. Thank you.
I've watched a bunch of your videos today. You're a great teacher, conveying information very clearly and in sufficient detail. Thank you very much!
Thanks Steve. I’m delighted they are helping. Please help me make more videos by sharing them with other photographers on forums etc. - MIKE :-)
Really helpful to get me started on my new wide angle lens. Thanks Mike.
Thank you for this video.The explanation was quite simple.
You are such a great teacher, thank you so much for the time and thought you put into this very helpful video.
thank you +Andrea Young - Melissa pp Mike :)
Excellent for amateurs, many thanks.
Still in stitches over that tripod remark!
this video was extremely helpful to me. thank you so much for making it!
many thanks Mike you are an amazing teacher!!
It's quite old, had it for 18 years and not sure if they still make it. Labels and stuff felloff long ago so I can't tell you the model. All I know is it's a Manfrotto
"if you don't have a tripod, go steal one" hahaha
I just stumbled on this video again, because I'm probably going to link to it in my next video.
Thank you dave andrade :-)
That's a great lesson Sir. Thanx for sharing.
I've only just found out about your videos on a photography group page on Facebook. I haven't got time to watch now but I'll be back.
Thank you, subscribed 👍
Thanks for this video Mike... I have just had the "Light bulb" moment :)
They're some of the best moments Erika Eaton Glad to have helped
Thank you. I love your lessons.
thank you so much for this very well done "tutorial"
thank you kevin dery for the kind words - MELISSA ( for Mike )
Thank you
great tutorial
Excellent! Splendid work!
Thanks again!
Thanks for sharing, great video.
This is so good. Thank you so much
Hi Michael - Hard for me to say because I don't know all the lenses out there or your budget. 18-200 Superzooms are convienient and not that expensive but you loose image quality when on full zoom or smallest aperture. This video will help you - /watch?v=uBQkozxzVUQ
Gud presentation ,nice,hatsoff to u sir
Thank you... MIKE
well done! Thank you! Mike...,
i dont think so.. his explanation is very good.. keep it up friend.no music needed..
Pleasure James - If you'd like to help us grow so we can make more vids and do podcasts etc you can help by posting and linking about our website (link at top of our channel page) on forums, sharing the vids on Facebook, Google+ etc and clicking like buttons. It's probably easier to find and watch the vids on our site because they're not mixed in with hundreds of others and are all categorised. - Mike
Cool!
It's a Benbo - not sure which model the label wore off many years ago :-/
Mike first of thank you a ton for this "easy to consume" tutorial!!! Finally I understand what it is all about!))) Please tell me, is what are you talking about in this tutorial also called hyperfocal distance? Thank you!!!
Thank you +Rafael Akhmedkarimov The distance from the camera to the red tape is the hyperfocal distance - MIKE :-)
i took your advice about ,not having a tri-pod ...im now serving time in jail ...haha
Would you believe I just listen to a video from another photographer that said DOF didn't exist? He actually said it was a myth.
I just shook my head and thought
" Oh yes it does."
Interesting Gina. Quite like to see that one..... MIKE :-)
Mike Browne Go to 20 Things Most Photographers Get Wrong., # 6 at about 13.20 minutes. I got the last sentence wrong. This photographer said "DOF goes back to the film days." " it doesn't really exist.." I probably am not understanding correctly because DOF does exist..Being a novice, I think I'm watching too many photographers.
Hey Gina. Just searched "20 Things Most Photographers Get Wrong" and there's quite a lot of videos... Do you have a link please? - MIKE
I just tried the link and it worked for me. Hope it works for you.
Gina Heaton
Sorry - if you're posting a link, I'm not seeing it at all - MIKE :-(
Generally speaking, is this the same rule for landscape photography of focusing about a third of the way into the shot? I still struggle to get crisp front to back landscape shots using this idea, the aperture part is simple enough to adjust. In a landscape situation where there is nothing but grass for the first few dozen feet in front of you, do you manual focus until that one third of the way into the frame is in focus? Or do you find a blade of grass two feet from the lens and manually get that into focus? Thank you for all the helpful videos and for any help.
You have to experiment James I - have a look at this video www.photographycourses.biz/where_to_focus_2.html
you forgot to mention about the change in the length of the block ("depth of field") with respect to the distance between the camera and subject
Ha Ha - that really made me laugh. Thank you Bhodisatvas
「あなたはビデオにもっと明るさを与えようとします、そうすればそれは素晴らしいでしょう」、
Just remember, the lower the f stop, the shallow the depth of field. The higher the f stop the wider the depth of field.
That's lower and higher f stop number Eric C :-)
great video
Thanks BrynLFilms
Thanks As a new User You have been reaaly helpfull and I am Dis lexiick
Take a look at the Mike back (time: 2:31) there is a strange object pass over the sky...
Thank you. Never noticed it before - must have been a bird. (or UFO!)
You should have used two humans (Male & female) as your subjects; make them stand at varying distances and performed the experimental shots.
I was looking for video on how to increase the depth of field... thanks for the help...
I wanted for Class room Lessons in Math and Science shooting ... Where the writings on the White Board and I are sharp focused.
My TH-cam channel is named ' Knight of Christ Jesus' ... I'm still struggling to get the best video shots ...
great cources keep them coming
montreal canada
Thank you don st amour Please help me grow the channel and make more by sharing the videos here, on Facebook, forums etc :-)
Hello again im getting pretty good bokeh but what would b the best way for it on a bridge camera it has apature priority aswell
Hi +YouthGamer bridge cameras re limited in apertures so not a lot of control, but if you zoom the lens in longer and you move further away it might help. Have fun - MIKE :-)
+Mike Browne thanks without it zoomed in i get an apature off f3.1
Great Video But Somehow I Feel like this video Needs Better editing,add some music and make short transitions along the way.
Wow, Can you explain the meaning of life? Because I think you can."Depth of field" means "depth of focus". Clouds part and angels sing.
What is the relationship between using aperture to set the background out of focus as opposed to using manual focus?
Thanks in Advance. :)
I have Nikon D5200 with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm. f/3.5-5.6G VR.
It's a combination of the two. Wide aperture gives you the shallowest depth of field and you focus either manually or with AF where you want the sharp bit to be. The closer you are to the point of focus the blurrier the background will get.
How can you apply this to Sports Photography? especially racing cars and bikes. my subject is always moving and moving fast. i dont have time to move and measure. my shot is alive for a few milliseconds and then its gone forever.
Easy Rahul Kapoor you don't need much dept of field - the priority is freezing the action so choose an aperture / ISO combination which gives you a fast enough shutter speed to do that, and an autofocus mode to track the car / bike.. Hope this helped - MIKE
Let’s say i shoot portrait with a 50mm f1.4 prime lens and i do the same with a 28-105mm zoom lens f1.4 set at 50mm focal lenth. Is the bokeh (blur) the same? Is the picture quality the same? Could you make a video about that or could you explain how the pictures will look like?
Thank you.
Hi Cristian C. Can't say for sure because I've never tried testing it, and to be honest probably never will. Sorry to dissappoint you there. There might be a slight difference but I doubt it'd be much. Unless you're using a cheap or damaged lens, image quality is excellent these days and a 1.4 zoom then it will be pricey and therefore probably excellent quality, so may I ask whay such a level of quality is important to you? Do you shoot wildlife, sports, print big or need to crop heavily and enlarge? ... MIKE
Thank you Mike for the video
If your vision really sucks badly, is there a way to modify the diopter of excessively myopic vision???
Hi Rolf Casparius - I don't think there is a cost effective way to modify the power of the dioptre. If anyone has any tips for Rolf please comment...
Hi Mike, Thank you for taking the time to respond. I actually found on the Canon accessory section of their web site, corrective inserts for all the EOS cameras: Very reasonable price too I might add... www.usa.canon.com/cusa/home
I know you do a lot with Nikon so I'm sure if Canon does it, they do as well.
On my lens it sais it can achieve an aperture of 3.5... But i cant manage to go that low. Usually it wont go lower than 5.7... Why is that? Is there too much light that the shutterspeed cant keep up with the aperture and the camera limits the aperture so the image wont get overexposed? This is the only explanation i can come up. But then, i shouldve been able to use A3.5 in a dark room. Bit i cant. Why is that? Thanks for explanation...
The aperture changes as you increase the zoom Mario Jost (I'm assuming it's a zoom lens) Try with the zoom at the short end and it will probably give you 3.5..
Mike Browne That was it. You're absolutely right. Thank you very much for explaining this to me...
what is that tripod you using?
please can you suggests a camera for portraits and videoing around £300. im struggling so much!
hi Roxy, it's not about the camera, but it's on the lens, all camera are designed to do what's its purpose ( to record light) I would suggest you check the lenses from 35mm to 50mm to 70mm these are the perfect lenses for portraits- Melissa pp Mike
@@MikeBrowne thank you
Best laughable bits, 1:50 and 4:56
Hi Mike, I use a DSLR for video and does this lesson in this video carry over to video as well? I have a 18 to 135 lens as well as a 40mm pancake lens. Thank you! Much respect.
It sure does ***** :-)
Thank you Mike! Keep the awesome videos coming, I'm learning so much via your videos. Be well & stay safe.
Thank you ***** Please help me grow the channel and make more free vids by sharing them here, on Facebook, forums etc :-)
Will do Mike.
Did anyone else notice the UFO that flies behind him at 2:31
I think it's been mentioned in a couple of earlier comments Inzane.. MIKE :-)
Hey Mike I just noticed something else very curious in your video, Look in the sky at 2:08 you can see that same object far away travelling from right to left. before it zooms past you at 2:31 wow.
@@inzanecinema3633 i am a ufologist lol
It's a tutorial, the information is what's important. I suspect the problem is your attention span more so than the editing.
UFO @ 2.32
Yes I did - maybe I should have said " you cannot get a completely blurry background with a short lens" If you compare the same shot taken with the long lens in part 2 you'll see what I mean. DOF also depends on distance between focal point and camera so to get any kind of softness into a background with a short lens you have to be very close to the focal point. I didn't mention the last bit because I didn't want to confuse people any more than I had to.
Tripod stolen - check.
this exercise I included whilst practicing focal length thousands of times:) Brilliant and just as the focal length practice exercise, it has worked wonders for my photography:)
It's a Sea Gull!
Thank you - Mike
Just stumbled on ur toturials , and i love them , GJ keep it up !
Pleasure jai309
Plain and simple at best big Mahalo
Pleasure :-)
Thank you
can any one do a review on a flash made for Canon Godox TT685 that black shoe with a brass screw hole how is this flash used thank you Chris.
Thanks for asking Chris Mcpherson. Sorry but it's very rare we do kit based films. ... MIKE :-/
Hi Mike, I've only just found your tutorials, very useful and engaging, thanks
Thank you +Karl Herbison happy to help.. If you'd be kind enough to share the vids around with other photographers I'd really appreciate it because it'll help me make more of them - MIKE :-)
Question: I understand the lesson, however, why is it my cell phone (which I know is a wide angle) seems to have massive depth field. How are they designing focal length and aperture settings on a cell phone?
Sorry Paul I don't know. Wide lenses have a wide DOF so I can only assume they are doing something to replicate it digitally on phones. - MIKE
Thanks, Mike! You're the best! I cannot begin to tell you how much you have helped my photography. You are the best photography teacher out here in cyberland. You, and this is a compliment, "dumb down" photography so I can wrap my head around the complexities of shooting. I thank you for sharing your knowledge, your expertise, and most of all your sense of humor.
35mm 1.8 or 50mm 1.8
When i was a beginner, i bought the 50mm just in case i upgrade to FX body. 35mm is made for DX. Don't worry for it being a prime lens (you have legs..use it). The reason for f/1.8 is low light and image quality. Believe me, this lens is a game changerin photography. I am now making money out of photography thanks to my 50mm. My first camera D3000 now I'm using D4. I'm not shooting photos right now if it wasn't for this lens. My advice, don't buy crappy lens
Absolutely brilliant and helpful! Thank you very much! Sir. Wow! All that I learned in classes is summarized in this great video. Thank you very much
Thanks Daniel Sahagun - MIKE :-)
Hi Mike. Camera sensors have, on average, more megapixels these days (five years on from this video) but the sensor's physical size, whether FX or DX, remains the same. I read an interesting article recently claiming that sharpness is now dropping off markedly above f/16. The nub of it is this: as you stop the aperture down to say f/22 for landscapes, the smaller apertures increase the diffraction of the light as it enters the lens. This, effectively, makes each individual 'packet' of light information spread over a wider area by the time it reaches the sensor. When sensors only had around 10mp the individual pixel sites were wide enough to cope (to catch the wider diffraction spread, if you like; but we are talking microns here) but cramming 24mp and higher on the same physical space of the sensor means the pixel sites are now very much smaller, so a photon (not really, I know, but for want of a better way of describing it) of image information that would once have occupied one pixel site is now being spread over two or three smaller sites and losing sharpness as a result. I know I've not described it accurately, but you'll hopefully get the gist of it. I just wondered if anyone had upgraded their camera to a higher mp model and noticed a drop-off in sharpness at higher f numbers. If so, is f/16 enough DoF for landscapes, especially on DX sensors? The article is here: alikgriffin.com/why-you-should-avoid-shooting-with-small-apertures/
Thanks Angrboda999. I haven't noticed any issues personally. I recommend zooming into the image in the LCD and checking at 100% anyway then if there's an issue we can adjust as needed... MIKE :-)
I am new to Photography, got a used canon 600d, I love it. It brings out the artist in me, even if I could not draw that good. Your videos are very helpful for beginners like me. Thank you sir. Hope you do more videos on Techniques on Fashion Photography indoors and outdoors. Thanks again :) Subscribed!
Thank you for your kind words Brian Smith - happy to have helped. Please help me make more free videos by sharing them with other photographers on forums, social media etc.... Thanks in advance.
Mike Browne Your like the Bob Ross of Photography :) Thank you sir for sharing your knowledge and experience in this Art :)
Thank you jimcinema - sorry I missed your post..
Hello I own a Nikon D3100 & a D3000. My question is what is a good pice of glass to get but will not break the bank. Thank you
Thank you for this video !
Please, who fly in bacground at 2.31 minut !?
All your videos are excellent lessons! Thank you!
Wow - best explanation of DoF to-date - thank you Mike for taking the time to make the video and help amateurs like me!
Thank you - have fun when you do...
Thank you so much :-)
those videos are very didactical, practical and really short considering thanks a lot :D
Looks a good ball head Mike, what make is it please, ta....
Did u mean hyperfocal distance? Its mindblowing ..haha
Hey Mike, What is the tripod that you are using??
Love your videos and the explanations - very practical. When you talked about Adam Skory (?) it reminded me of the photography teacher at art college. BTW, maybe someone explained this (in the comments), but if I remember correctly the depth of field on a lens is not equally proportioned. It's (I seem to remember almost) divisible into thirds, with one third distance between you and the point of focus and two thirds after the point of focus.
We often assume that the DoF is between you and the object focused on, but it does tell you on a lens the focal distances/depths, or it used to. I'm not sure if that's still the same on a digital camera but on 35mm camera lenses it actually showed you the focal distance before and after your main focal point - if that makes sense?
Thank you @cardboardmusic. Yep you are correct ... MB🙏😊
1.) Alan Parsons teaches DOF.
2.) 01:51 So THAT'S why all of my tripods are disappearing!
3.) Thanks for a great tutorial.
Thank you always such a great teacher! Ive learn so much basics and cant wait to buy a DSLR :)
@allesandro. Good spot! UFO for sure!