best digital non-SLR for shallow DOF

[spiff101]

I'm looking to buy a digital camera for the first time (currently use a film SLR) - something more portable than a SLR but with a good range of control, like maybe the Pentax DMC-FZ7 or Canon powershot a710IS.

I like taking portraits and macros. While doing a bit of research, I've read that it's difficult to get narrow depth of field with digital cameras because of their small sensor size. I borrowed a friend's canon powershot and can't seem to get narrow DOF at all.

Is it possible to get shallow DOF with a digital camera like the ones mentioned, or would I have to get a SLR? Any recommendations or tips?

spiff

[wulf]

Taking the pictures in macro mode can help - on my old camera, that certainly seemed to open the apeture wider, which could be exploited for pictures other than close-ups. As a second best, remember that many pictures will lend themselves to creating a shallow DOF effect in the digital darkroom (ones where the background is fairly distinct from the subject and either at a distance or a relatively flat plane).

Wulf

[PnwGuy]

Take a look at the Canon Powershot S3 IS. It has Macro and Super Macro modes which work great. You can add a wide angle converter or teleconverter, as well as filters. It does decent DOF at 2.7 aperture. The zoom is pretty darned good too.

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=13077

[hitkaiser]

To get a good DOF you need the following conditions:

· Subject is far from background
· Wide Aperture (Small F number)
· Long focal length (Large mm number)

On a point and shoot, often the focal length is very short which is the main problem. (So the more you can zoom out the better).

So you must exaggerate the other components as much as possible to get the best DOF, as long as the aperture range goes below f3, any should do

This is the best I could get from my sony p200, its not very good but its something.



http://farm1.static.flickr.com/143/318100019_7f864dd2eb.jpg


It works better in macro mode since a larger aperture is used, however for general shooting you can always use the macro mode!

[Seltzer]

As always, for reviews one of the best places that I have found to go is Steves-digicams. He has some great reviews and very in-depth breakdowns of cameras. Here are some samples that he has for the Canon s3 IS: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/s3is_samples.html
Another site for figuring out what is best for you of course is http://www.dpreview.com/

[spiff101]

thanks guys, useful stuff.

[Hank Freid]

Without real apperture control and a wide angle of view you will not be able to achieve a shallow depth of field. Most of the non-SLRs have a wide angle of view. Like Dr. Sam says, if you can afford to, come as close to the subject, zoom in and set a small f-stop number.

It depends on a number of factors. Go to the site below:

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

Regards:
Hank Freid (http://realtravel.com/member-m6886540-hank_freid.html)

[inkista]

Wide angle (short focal length) actually increases the perceived DoF.

Here's a really cruddy picture I took just to see if I could get thin DoF with my G9:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inkista/2101410881/" title="more G9 play by inkista, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2241/2101410881_dbf13f4ce8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="more G9 play" /></a>

Exposure: 0.25 sec (1/4)
Aperture: f/4.8
Focal Length: 44.4 mm
ISO Speed: 400

I just zoomed in and used Macro mode. The cup was a few inches away from me, the CD spindle behind it about two feet. The aperture was f/4.8 (wide open for the focal length). The G9 has a slight advantage over a 1/2.5" sensor camera since its sensor's a little bigger (1/1.7"). The SD950IS and A650IS have the same sensor, iirc.

So, it's possible to get thin DoF with a point and shoot, but its a great deal harder than with a dSLR, where you get not only the larger sensor, but also the ability to mount a lens with an aperture that opens up wider than f/2.8.

[dlaf]

Like wulf said, shooting in macro mode makes a huge difference.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/daybeezho/2415012982/" title="IMG_5107 by daybeezho, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2415012982_12a07e8520.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_5107" /></a>

Not the prettiest picture, but I was really surprised at the dof I got in this shot.

EXIF
Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 7.8 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

[dmvp]

My old Sony Cybershot DSC-F717 is what got me hooked to macros. I think it had great DoF. So, maybe look into the Sony brand.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35017736@N00/83046227/" title="Crab Apples by dmvp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/39/83046227_fac26d2a9e.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Crab Apples" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35017736@N00/82140474/" title="Aspen leaf by dmvp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/82140474_3f0df7cb0a.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Aspen leaf" /></a>