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Entry Level Depth of field camera?

  • I encourage you to not direct me to a wikipedia site/sites showcasing the mathematical formulae and optical properties of DSLR's and lenses. I have seen them. I find them esoteric and inaccessible. Could a photographer out there recommend an entry level DSLR or compact camera with depth of field control? I am currently under the impression only DSLR's do this, I've never seen a compact do it outside of macro mode. The Sony Alpha NEX-3 and 5 have this 'background defocus' mode, should I go for it? Why is it so expensive? The two most sought-after features I think are background defocus effects and HDR. I'm certain a veteran photographer reading this is going to be SO UPSET I'm reducing the entire field to these two features, I'm sorry. I'm 'generation Y', and I need a shortcut.

  • Answer:

    First, there is no such thing as a "...depth of field camera." So you need to learn about Depth of Field (DOF) - what it is and how to control it. There are only 3 factors that affect your DOF: 1) The focal length of the lens. 2) The f-stop (aka aperture) used. 3) The subject distance. This site will help you. http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html As far as I'm concerned the so-called "background defocus mode" you mention is just a further dumbing down of photography as people seem to prefer having a machine think for them instead of learning to think for themselves.

Liam at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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OK...the "shortcut": 1) vary the distance between your subject and the background (the further the background is from the subject the more out of focus it will be). 2) Use the lens aperture to do the same thing. Using an f/2.8 or lower (normally f/2.0-f/1.2 works best) to achieve a nice Bokeh (de-focus). In other words, buy "fast", quality lenses. The "fast" lenses are considered to be f/2.8 and better.

All entry level DSLR's have aperture control. Canon and Nikon have the most popular entry level DSLRs and are about equal. However, seeing how you are not interested in learning about this fundamental feature, you probably just need a point and shoot camera with an aperture priority mode. They do exist. Ask your local camera store salesman to show you cameras in your limited budget range. They will be cheaper than a DSLR. I've heard the Canon PowerShot G-series allows manual aperture control (I prefer Canons).

WanderingShutterbug.com

Question/Comment: "Could a photographer out there recommend an entry level DSLR or compact camera with depth of field control?" Answer: It's called an adjustable aperture. All SLRs (film or digital) have this. Depth of field is also affected by the type of lens and the subject to camera distance. There is no shortcut (unless you want to use "background defocus mode" or photoshop). Instead of going to wikipedia, why not get a book on photography? that will explain things a lot better. There is nothing esoteric about depth of field (maybe you mean "confusing").

mister-damus

"I find them esoteric and inaccessible" Tough! They are perfectly simple and well explained.; Are you admitting that earlier generations, who had no trouble with this stuff, are so much better than you or are you going to knuckle down and do the little bit of work required?

BigAl

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