Controlling Depth of Field With a Pocket Camera
I’ve covered the problem of controlling depth of field with a pocket camera once, but found some interesting information since then.
The idea in controlling depth of field with a pocket camera, or an camera, is to create a photo composition where the subject is in sharp focus, and the background is blurred. This produces a clean result that draws the eye to the subject without compromising the richness of color in the background.
This type of photo composition is normally achieved by adjusting the aperture, or f-stop, and the actual distance to the subject. A larger aperture (smaller f-stop number) and shorter focal distance will result in a narrow depth of field and serve to produce a photo composition with the desired effect.
This is all very well and good with a proper SLR, but sadly, most pocket cameras have such a tiny lens that it isn’t practical to change the aperture, so there are no f-stop settings.
There is a theory that controlling depth of field with a pocket camera is possible by zooming up on the subject, but in actuality, if you zoom up on the subject, you will have to step back and increase the distance, so the depth of field remains essentially the same. There is some merit in using the macro setting and making sure the background is some distance away from the subject, which will work to some extent for flowers and other small objects, but of course wouldn’t be practical for a larger photo composition such as a portrait.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, pocket cameras are set to focus on as much of the frame as possible. In other words, it’s set to have the largest possible depth of field, which essentially renders controlling depth of field with a pocket camera impossible.
Cell phones, on the other hand, are usually set to have the sharpest possible focus for any given object, and have a shorter depth of field. This photo was taken with a Japanes Panasonic cell phone (905i) with a 5.1 megapixel camera. I’m not familiar enough with i-phones to know if they would work the same way. Perhaps someone who has one could comment on this?
Tags: controlling depth of field with a pocket camera, depth of field, photo composition, pocket camera
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