Depth of field: portrait vs macro

[philippe99]

Hi everybody.
Beside the A,P,M modes (I've not started to learn these modes), which is the limit (in terms of use) between portrait and macro modes as far as the depth of field is concerned.

My question refers to shooting nature small stuffs, like flowers, tree's branches, leaves, ...: I want to use either portrait or macro modes to put the object in the clear foreground while blurring the background, but where is the pratical limit of both portrait and macro modes ?

Thanks for your advices
Phil

[navcom]

Hi Phil,

I think I understand your question. In simple terms, depth of field is a product of the lens as well as the aperture you use for the shot.

If you are concerned with DOF, I would recommend using Av (aperture priority) mode. This allows you to select the aperture and lets the camera decide the ISO and shutter to create a proper exposure.

Smaller aperture (higher number) will give you a greater DOF. Larger apertures (smaller number) will give you less DOF.

Knowing this, you can greatly control your DOF for each lens. Of course keep in mind that the extremes at either end of the aperture range will have negatives as well, such as loss of sharpness or image quality.

Hope that helps! If I didn't understand your question, this probably doesn't mean much!

[monkeyfinger]

I fully agree with navcom, but to answer your question another way, both the modes you mention will purposefully throw backgrounds out of focus by using a larger (smaller number) aperture. However, its likely that in portrait mode the flash will be enabled, and the motordrive turned on. In macro mode, the flash may be off, and the motordrive almost certainly will be too.

Of course, the effectiveness of the macro mode depends on the lens you attach - it won't make a 'normal' lens any better at focussing closely.

But really, its worth spending some time figuring out the Aperture Priority mode - it is your friend!

[spookie5150]

I will throw my hat in the ring for using Aperture Priority mode here as well. It served me very, very, well while also building my confidence to venture into the horror that is full manual.

Another idea is to take a few steps back and use a longer lens to zoom in on your subect. Doing so will open up some composition ideas while also getting that nice blurred out background you're looking for. (The longer lens needs a larger aperture to get the same amount of light in as a shorter one, so you're using the same rule mentioned above.)

[wulf]

It looks like you've got a D40. Therefore, you can go beyond the mode setting tricks you might need to play to force a point and shoot camera to your will. As noted above, aperture and distance determine depth of field so, at very least, give Aperture Priority mode a try.

Most of the time I use Manual. Partly I'm forced to by my choice of cheap, old, second hand lenses but, even when I put the kit lens back on, I normally stick there. It took me a few months before I dared try it but now I rarely go back - it is really not all that difficult to take full responsibility for the exposure you achieve.

Wulf