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Can I take a photo with blurred background with Samsung s5 for a subject far by 2 metres of the lens? and what is the specific distance for manual focus for a 16 megapixel mobile phone lens to take a blurred background picture for someone ?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ The distance will also vary based on the (actual) aperture, and physical size of the sensor, so the result would be specific to each camera (or camera within a phone) \$\endgroup\$
    – Rowland Shaw
    Commented Apr 30, 2015 at 15:33

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I am assuming you are looking for this sort of an effect:

enter image description here

photo from here

Nikon D5000, 23.6mm sensor size, 50mm(equiv.) focal length, f/1.4

I have listed the specifics for the factors that affect the field of focus for a subject at a specific distance. Specifically they are the size of the sensor, the focal length and the aperture.

None of the factors that will affect your outcome are adjustable on the Galaxy S5, neither the aperture nor the focal length, and obviously not the sensor size.

From those fixed factors, your depth of field will always be consistent for a specific distance from the lens. Certain factors are working against you:

  • Aperture: the S5's aperture is f/2.2. Not bad, but still smaller than the f/1.4 from the Nikon picture. A larger aperture will provide the narrower field.

  • Sensor size: the S5 has a whopping 9.8mm sensor, but still very small compared to the Nikon's 23.6mm. Larger sensors will exaggerate the difference in focus at different distances from the lens.

  • Focal length: the S5's fixed focal length is 31mm(equiv.), almost half that of the Nikon's 50mm. You want longer focal length's if you are aiming for narrower field of focus.

None of these factors are in your favour when you are aiming for your desired effect.

The megapixels of the camera are not a factor and you always want to focus directly on the subject, that is not something that you can adjust to have any affect on the field of focus.

In conclusion then, if you want to achieve bokeh, you need to use a larger camera.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Distance to subject. \$\endgroup\$
    – dpollitt
    Commented May 1, 2015 at 21:36
  • \$\begingroup\$ @dpollitt, true, distance to subject is another factor. the OP said the subject is 2m away. you might be able to introduce bokeh if you get much closer, maybe 20cm? \$\endgroup\$
    – Octopus
    Commented May 1, 2015 at 21:54
  • \$\begingroup\$ Correct. Most modern smartphone cameras are capable of producing bokeh at close distances. Also, saying you need a "larger camera to [produce bokeh]" is quite misleading and id say incorrect. \$\endgroup\$
    – dpollitt
    Commented May 1, 2015 at 21:56
  • \$\begingroup\$ @dpollitt, perhaps you could post a photo and an accompanying answer of your own where you have achieved bokeh and a focused target at the ranges the OP suggested, 2m from the lens. with a Galaxy S5 you can get bokeh if you snap a photo of an ant at very close range. good luck. theres lots of smartphone photos with bokeh, but none with a focused target at 2m. \$\endgroup\$
    – Octopus
    Commented Jun 3, 2015 at 20:21
  • \$\begingroup\$ I don't disagree that at 2 meters a cell phone can't do it. You misread my comment. \$\endgroup\$
    – dpollitt
    Commented Jun 3, 2015 at 20:43

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