Finepix F200 EXR - Aperture

[lulu913]

I just got this little guy, and overall, I love it. But on aperture priority mode, it seems that all I can do is change exposure (related, but not the same?).

I'm an amateur, so I'm sure there's something I'm missing, but I'd love a way to change the aperture directly.

Does anybody out there have experience with how to do this with this camera?

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by lulu913

I just got this little guy, and overall, I love it. But on aperture priority mode, it seems that all I can do is change exposure (related, but not the same?).

According to the manual p39, step 7 & 8, you should be able to display the aperture by pressing the selector up <+/-> and press the selector to choose the aperture.

[lulu913]

RIght - I've tried that, and the up arrow seems only to allow me to change exposure. It also displays the aperture setting with a little arrow next to it that deceptively leads one to think that left right arrows will grant control, but they only flip between f/9 and f3.3.
I'm stumped.

[RussHeath]

Originally Posted by lulu913

RIght - I've tried that, and the up arrow seems only to allow me to change exposure. It also displays the aperture setting with a little arrow next to it that deceptively leads one to think that left right arrows will grant control, but they only flip between f/9 and f3.3.
I'm stumped.

Are you zoomed in at all or at the widest angle? f/3.3 - f/9 may be the max aperture range for the particular focal length where you are trying. Most P&S cameras don't stop down much at all (no need to), and the widest available aperture is related to your focal length.

[inkista]

I'm looking at the manual on pg. 49, and it says if you're in aperture priority mode (A), then you rotate the command dial (the one next to the mode dial on the top of the camera) to change the aperture.

If you're hitting the ± and then rotating the command dial, that's messing about with exposure compensation (pg. 34) and is likely to be shifting your shutter speed around.

If you're in full Manual (M), (pg. 50), then the command dial changes the shutter speed, ± command dial sets your aperture.

[lulu913]

Ah! That does affect it, thanks.
The thing is, I was wanting more control over it so I could change the depth of field, in order to get shots where the background was less in focus. I keep tinkering, and I can't seem to get that effect.
Thanks for your help!

[lulu913]

Hmm, I hadn't seen that in the manual. Thanks.
I'm still having a problem getting those interesting depth of field shots where the foreground object is in focus while the background is a bit softer and blurred, but I'll keep messing about. And obviously I need to pore over the manual more.

[inkista]

Uh.... it's really really hard to get out-of-focus blur on the background if you're using a P&S camera with a smaller sensor (even if it's bigger for a P&S).

Your sensor is so small that you essentially have a 5x crop factor. That means, that compared to a film camera, if your camera and the film/full-frame camera were both set to f/2.8, and the film/full-frame camera had a depth of field (DoF) of five feet, your depth of field would be 25 feet.

It's really really hard to get anything out of focus with a point and shoot camera. This is, btw, by design. People who buy P&S usually like to just point and shoot, and don't want their photos to be blurry. While most photography courses and books and websites will tell you that aperture is your main control of DoF, it's actually not necessarily the main one. There are a few other factors that have even more effect on your DoF:

1). Subject distance: the closer you are to your subject, the more out blur you're going to have. This is why macro shots always have a think DoF.

2). Focal length. This is the actual reason P&S cameras have a really hard time, but it is directly related to the sensor size. The focal length of the lens and the image format size together determine the field of view you see (i.e., the amount of zoom you get). With smaller cameras, you have smaller focal lengths and sensor, and with larger formats, you have larger focal lengths and sensor that equate to the same field of view.

But the DoF is actually heavily dependent on the ACTUAL focal length. While your Fuji's "35mm equivalent" focal length is 28-140 mm, the actual focal length of that lens is 6.4-32mm (it's written on the front of your lens). And (you guessed it), the smaller your focal length gets, the deeper your DoF becomes. Don't be sad, though, the flip side of this effect is that you have macro capability. With dSLRs, you'd have to use a separate lens to get that close with a longer focal length.

3). The separation between the background and the subject. The larger this distance becomes, the more background blur you'll have.

So, what you may want to try to get a blurred background is moving your subject close to you, far away from a background, zoom in until just before you lose the ability to focus (increases the focal length), AND open up the aperture all the way, to see if you can maximize out of focus blur. [And just for completeness's sake, a larger aperture is represented by a smaller f-number. f/2 is LARGER than f/8].

It's still going to be hard to do. Not impossible, mind you. But for this particular effect, a P&S camera is pretty limited, unless you're doing macro photography.

[lulu913]

I was thinking it might be something like that. I'm considering stepping up to DSLR, but don't want to splurge until I feel like I'm ready...
Thanks so much for all the info!

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by lulu913

I was thinking it might be something like that. I'm considering stepping up to DSLR, but don't want to splurge until I feel like I'm ready...

You can step down to a F70EXR.

Pro Focus Mode / Pro Low-light Mode

"Typically, one of the ways to distinguish ‘DSLR’ photography from ‘compact’ photography has been the use of ‘wide aperture’ to create mood and depth in a picture. These ‘professional’ shots are now possible on the FinePix F70EXR, which uses Pro Focus Mode to combine 2 or 3 burst shots together. Through complex digital imaging technology, a crisp shot of the subject is created against a defocused background and foreground. Ideal for portraiture, nature photography or any subject which needs ‘lifting’ from its background, the FinePix F70EXR Pro Focus Mode provides professional looking results not typically found in a compact, non-DSLR camera, at the touch of a button."

Source: FUJIFILM ANNOUNCES THE FINEPIX F70EXR DIGITAL CAMERA: THE FIRST LONG-ZOOM COMPACT WITH THE AWARD-WINNING EXR SENSOR