Questions tagged [depth-of-field]

Depth of Field is the depth of a scene that is "in focus" as perceived by the eye.

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Why do people not use large f-numbers (small apertures) when shooting landscapes, when you want large depth of field?

When some people take photos of the landscape, why do they not use like a low f-stop like f/32, because wouldn't you want everyone in focus because it's a landscape? But quite a lot of people use f-...
Marcus's user avatar
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DOF formula vs the simplified DOF formula

I was calculating the theoretical difference in the change of the DOF (depth of field), between a frame achieved on a 25mm signature prime and an "identical frame" achieved by using a 75mm ...
vannira's user avatar
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11 votes
3 answers
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70cm perfect focus depth of field for product photography

Please look at this photo below, on the left is the full product, and on the right is the 100% crop of the same photo. The guitar is around 100cm tall. If you incline by around 45°, you have about ...
Mario's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
715 views

Is this diagram I've drawn in regards to Depth of field correct?

This diagram is modelled after a video I saw on depth of field formula and its derivation. I have now learnt a bit more regarding Depth of focus and how it refers to "the tolerance of placement ...
vannira's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
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Why is depth of field not always symmetrical about the object, yet depth of focus is practically symmetrical?

I have found an explanation on this, however I cannot seem to picture what the explanation is saying. From a Toshiba technical article: Remember that the previous subsection mentioned that the depth ...
vannira's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
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If focal length does not affect DOF, why doesn't a 25mm lens at an f-stop of 4 give me the same DOF as a 100mm on an f-stop of 16?

After having spent some time reading about DOF and the derivation of its formula, I tried calculating the theoretical DOF of different lenses. Now to my knowledge, a camera using a lens with a focal ...
vannira's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Focal length reducer on FF camera (24mm F2)

Lens: Zuiko OM 24mm F2, Camera: Sony A7S2 What would happen if a focal length reducer (0.71x) is used to adapt a 24mm F2 FF lens, into a FF camera? The resulting field of view should be ~17mm with ...
Domingo's user avatar
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0 answers
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Does autofocus in iPhone changes focal length? [duplicate]

I was wondering how auto-focus works in mobile cameras. I understood that, mobile phones uses either 'contrast based' or 'phase-detection based' algorithms to find the optimum length position for ...
Aravind D. Chakravarti's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
94 views

Does unit focussing yield smaller depth of field than element focussing?

With unit focussing (also called bellows focussing, although a bellows isn’t intrinsically necessary) the entire photographic objective is moved relative to the film plane to set the focus. This also ...
Daphne Preston-Kendal's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
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How much is the depth of field of Weegee's "f/8 and be there"?

I am curious about the depth of field of the famous saying "f/8 and be there". "f/8 and be there" is often associated with hyperfocal distance on 35mm, which means infinite depth ...
weakish's user avatar
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3 answers
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Why are larger apertures used for astrophotography? [duplicate]

Learning about aperture, and depth of field. I have understood it as such ...
user's user avatar
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1 answer
91 views

Calculating DOF for custom optics

I was trying to get my head around the DOF for my custom optics design and sadly it seems I end up with strange situation that the Near DOF value is larger than the far one making my DOF value ...
James Semaj's user avatar
2 votes
7 answers
625 views

Why is the commonly utilized aperture for moon photography much higher than that provided by DoF formula?

in this Moon Photography Guide, a F-Number equal to f/11.0 is suggested. In many answers in this forum, similar values are suggested (ranging from f/8.0 to f/11.0). Even if someone suggests f/5.6, it ...
Kinka-Byo's user avatar
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3 answers
559 views

I want to match same field of view with different focal length is there any formula? [duplicate]

Trying to get any hard formula so according to that calculation for different focal length i place object accordingly. Eg.
cinestyle drummer's user avatar
10 votes
4 answers
3k views

How do I get a sufficiently deep field when photographing an automobile dashboard?

A couple of weeks ago I photographed the dashboard of a customer's luxury car (Daimler DS 420), but I'm not really satisfied with the depth of field of the photo, especially where the array of ...
Neppomuk's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
177 views

Eerie 3D-effect in century-old portrait

This photo, a self-portrait by Will Burgdorf from 1930 strikes me as rather spectacular. I've seen and taken many portraits with shallow DOF, but do not remember it having this sort of 3D-effect. Can ...
Matthias Winkelmann's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
669 views

How to calculate the Aperture and Focal length needed for depth of field

I have a virtual camera in a game engine. The camera has an DOF setting where you can set the : Distance to object Aperture Focal length I would like to set a depth of field (lets say about 5m) ...
Charl Cillie's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
390 views

Will the Depth of Field Scales Still Work with a Crop Sensor Camera?

I recently bought some vintage manual focus lenses to use with my Fujifilm X-T1. I'm most interested in using the depth of field scales on the manual focus lenses for zone focusing. However, I am ...
K Ferreira's user avatar
25 votes
3 answers
11k views

Why are War Photographers able to take pictures that seemingly violate the exposure rule?

A lot of historical war photographs I've seen are capable of recording the subject in sharp detail despite the subject being in blazingly fast motion, at the same time having little to no depth of ...
Amarth Gûl's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
244 views

Sensor size, reducers / teleconverters, and DOF

I understand the basic concept that a larger sensor doesn't change DOF. The change only happens when you compensate by moving close to the subject or using a closer focal length. This video would seem ...
zakray's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
1k views

Manual focus and depth of field

So I was shooting in autofocus with a small aperture (f11) and my camera (Canon RP) gave a very deep depth of field where everything is in focus. I tinkered a bit and switched to manual focus (with ...
chickenwingtennis's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
408 views

If I zoom in 2x in my photo is that the same as having twice as long of a lens? [duplicate]

If I don't have access to a 200mm lens but I have a rather high resolution camera. Does that mean if I zoom in 2x in my photo and half the mega pixel, I can achieve the same reach with a 100mm lens? ...
erotsppa's user avatar
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0 votes
4 answers
424 views

Why using 50mm lens on FF gives more DOF than using 50mm lens on APS-C?

Provided both lenses are 50mm focal length never change why using 50mm lens on FF gives more DOF than when using same lens on APS-C. 50mm lens on FF f/2.0 focus distance 2m gives DOF = 18cm 50mm lens ...
LilBro's user avatar
  • 197
1 vote
4 answers
1k views

Does using a focal reducer shrink depth of field?

When I use a 50mm f/2 lens on an APS-C camera with a focal reducer (speed booster), the angle of view is similar to a full-frame camera. Will I also get shallower Depth of Field (more background blur)...
LilBro's user avatar
  • 197
4 votes
2 answers
100 views

Panning - narrower focus than expected

When panning, I find that I can keep the entirety of subjects in focus when they're moving perpendicular to me -- straight L-R or R-L, as in this shot: However, I notice that when I'm panning in ...
D. Lambert's user avatar
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2 votes
4 answers
155 views

Should I use rounded or exact f-stop values for a depth of field calculator?

I'm designing a DOF calculator. Looking at other calculators, I can see that some of them use rounded values (e.g. f/2.8) and some use exact values derived from the square root calculation (e.g. f/2....
zakray's user avatar
  • 77
1 vote
6 answers
436 views

What is the "d/1500" circle of confusion formula for 35mm-format based on?

I get the concept behind CoC, I'm just trying to wrap my head around the formula. I've seen the simple approach ("d/1500"), and I've read that "1500" is based on a standard print ...
zakray's user avatar
  • 77
1 vote
1 answer
129 views

Recovering physical distance from perceived distance in telephoto lens

I am trying to find a way to estimate the DOF from the perceived distance through a telephoto lens. The problem is, most DOF calculators use the physical distance from the subject to the lens to ...
Roy's user avatar
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2 votes
9 answers
774 views

Is deep depth of field AND bright exposure possible?

I know that a larger aperture corresponds to a brighter exposure and shallower depth of field for a given focal length. Is it optically possible for a custom-built camera to form an image with both a ...
Ben Hershey's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
145 views

Shooting insects in shallow ponds

We are trying to develop a tool that would enable a large group of colleagues to take standardised images of insect communities in shallow ponds (depth 3 - 6 inches = 7 - 15cm).... preferably using ...
mosquitojo's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
108 views

How to calculate depth of field at different resolutions

I have a DSLR (EOS 60D) and I use hyperfocal pro when setting up astro-photography. At lower resolutions though, such as in video mode, how can I calculate the depth of field? The field of view barely ...
MParks's user avatar
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5 votes
4 answers
2k views

What causes images to have flat depth?

I am learning about photography and I remember reading about an effect that causes images to look like there is no depth but now I cannot find what it is called or what causes it. I remember an ...
dandov's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
329 views

For the same FOV and f-stop, will total luminous flux increase linearly with sensor area?

Suppose I have two different cameras, one with a sensor whose area is twice the other's. Further assume the sensors have the same aspect ratio. Suppose I put 35 mm-equivalent lenses on both, thus ...
theorist's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
384 views

DOF comparison between two lenses

Someone told me: To compare the amount of DOF of two lenses I just would need to calculate the size of the entrance pupil. The lens with the bigger entrance pupil has less DOF thus creates nicer ...
Arji's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
163 views

Canon 70D - shooting video interviews in bright conditions with low aperture

I'm trying to shoot an interview in the middle of the, in the outdoors - which means, it's very bright. While keeping the aperture low - to keep the interviewee's face in focus, with narrow depth of ...
golosovsky's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
637 views

Depth of Field for scanning 35mm slides on flatbed scanners (Epson)

I have both an Epson V750 and V850 scanners and am trying to digitize a large amount of slides. The software for scanning does great for color restoration (slides dated from 50s on) but the issue is ...
Searching for In-Focus Images's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
958 views

Calculating the "35mm equivalent" circle of confusion/DoF

I'm gonna introduce my concrete example, but I'd like to know how do do this calculation in general. Say I have a middle-format camera with film height 58mm and a 90mm/3.5 lens. What is the equivalent ...
JonnyRobbie's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
140 views

Is the sharpness of imaging different within the depth of field?

Is the sharpness of imaging different within the depth of field? Where is the sharpest? What I am asking is the distance from the lens to the object, not the image distance in the lens. How to ...
enbin's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
86 views

Convex lens, object distance, distance, focal length, in what state is the hyperfocal state? [closed]

Suppose we have a convex lens for a middle school physics experiment, a screen, and an object being imaged, under what state will we find the hyperfocal state? The screen is the imaged screen. It can ...
enbin's user avatar
  • 155
1 vote
1 answer
120 views

What aperture to use to get the same DOF as in a panoramic image

When I take a panorama with a 80mm lens at F/2.0 on a fullframe body such that the resulting image has a equivalent field of view of a 50mm lens on the same body, what would then be the equivalent ...
Arji's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
180 views

What are high f-stops (larger than f/5.6) good for when using compact camera?

I carry the Sony RX100M3 with me and usually shoot aperture mode (generally around f/5.6 for deep dof). I notice that my camera allows for very high f-stops up to a maximum of f/11. If I calculate the ...
Nadia Merquez's user avatar
-3 votes
1 answer
123 views

For the formula 1 / u + 1 / v = 1 / f, what is infinite depth of field or hyperfocal distance?

For the formula 1 / u + 1 / v = 1 / f, what is infinite depth of field or hyperfocal distance? In other words, when u, v, and f, we have infinite depth of field or hyperfocal distance?
enbin's user avatar
  • 155
0 votes
2 answers
102 views

Selective focus optical illusion [duplicate]

I have come across some shots from other people and they create something like an illusion to me and trick me of the scale of the actual scenery. For example, this shot by @chuttersnap on Unsplash ...
user10398534's user avatar
3 votes
4 answers
701 views

Techniques and meaning in László Moholy-Nagy photo

This image below is called the Funkturm Berlin (Berlin Radio Tower) and is taken by László Moholy-Nagy. I have done so research but haven't found much. I was wanting to know the techniques used in ...
mikehasaquestion's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

The ideal pinhole camera has an infinite depth of field

What does it mean to say that the ideal pinhole camera has an "infinite depth of field"? According to Wikipedia, depth of field is "the distance between the nearest and the farthest objects that are ...
The Pointer's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
456 views

What affects DOF more...distance to subject or focal length?

Say I want shoot a butterfly. My goal is to make sure the butterfly fills the frame. I can do this in two ways...I can use zoom or I can simply move the camera closer to the subject. Which will ...
user2662680's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
164 views

Ghosting artefacts in narrow DOF photographs

Snapping with a Canon EOS 600D in narrow DOF situations (for example with low f-stop numbers at long focal lenght), I get ghosting artefacts on the parts of the photograph which are out of focus. ...
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr's user avatar
4 votes
5 answers
516 views

Can hyperfocal distance be used to keep everyone in focus in group photography?

If you have different sets of people standing at different linear distances from the camera can we use the theory of hyperfocal distance to ensure sharp focus on all subjects? Conversely does being "...
Anil Joseph's user avatar
0 votes
4 answers
226 views

How does background blur and DoF vary with sensor size for a prime lens?

Let's assume I have a prime lens for full frame, with fixed specs (let's say 85mm f/1.8). Changing the lens is not an option, but I have a choice of a full frame camera and a crop sensor camera. The ...
juhist's user avatar
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2 votes
4 answers
927 views

Since larger pixels increase depth of field and sensitivity, why don't we have large sensors with a low number of pixels?

If I understood correctly, the DoF (all other parameters fixed) increases with the pixel surface. So to have a high sensitivity together with a deep DoF, why don't we just have big pixels (and thus ...
Alfred's user avatar
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