Comments on: How to Get Shallow Depth of Field in Your Digital Photos http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos Discover how to use your digital camera with our Digital Photography Tips. We are a community of photographers of all experience levels who come together to learn, share and grow in our understanding of photography. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:28:06 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Durlov http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/comment-page-1#comment-72152 Durlov Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:17:56 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/#comment-72152 Hi Great article and you write quite well. Enjoyed. I own a canon 1000D now. Earlier I had a canon AE 1 with 50mm 1.8 lens. My current lens is 18-55mm.. what is the difference between my AE 1 50mm and 1000D 55mm.. the latter is much more tele... Hi Great article and you write quite well. Enjoyed.

I own a canon 1000D now. Earlier I had a canon AE 1 with 50mm 1.8 lens. My current lens is 18-55mm.. what is the difference between my AE 1 50mm and 1000D 55mm.. the latter is much more tele…

]]> By: Red http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/comment-page-1#comment-66616 Red Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:26:48 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/#comment-66616 "using a telephoto lens (anything above 50mm) won’t push the background away–it’ll bring it closer. Telephoto lenses compress the depth of the image; wide angle lenses expand the depth of the image." That is the DUMBEST thing i've read in a long time. Wide angles have far greater depth of field, hence fisheyes have pretty much infinate dof. Your statement is utterly false. “using a telephoto lens (anything above 50mm) won’t push the background away–it’ll bring it closer. Telephoto lenses compress the depth of the image; wide angle lenses expand the depth of the image.”

That is the DUMBEST thing i’ve read in a long time. Wide angles have far greater depth of field, hence fisheyes have pretty much infinate dof. Your statement is utterly false.

]]> By: pp http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/comment-page-1#comment-66165 pp Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:24:14 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/#comment-66165 can i create sofy blurry background with my normal dogital camrera canon s3IS? can i create sofy blurry background with my normal dogital camrera canon s3IS?

]]> By: Greg http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/comment-page-1#comment-60770 Greg Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:06:56 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/#comment-60770 Reading through these posts got me thinking about the confusion I had with F-stops and what they did so I've been thinking of yet another analogy for it.....I'll just run this up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes ! Your camera is actually a garage and the aperture is the roll-up garage door. F-stop tells you how far the door has closed..... F/0................................F/1.4................................F/5.6......................................F/8................................F/22 Fully Open Closed a bit Closed a little bit more Almost shut Just a very small gap !! Lots of light going through Not so much light Very little light so needs fast shutter speed Needs slow shutter speed and tripod!! Now the Depth of Field is how much of the roll-up garage door is visible...... F/0................................F/1.4................................F/5.6......................................F/8................................F/22 Small sliver of door Very big sliver of door !! Shallow Depth of Field Large Depth of Field Hope this helps........also have a peek here.... http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html Happy snapping ! Reading through these posts got me thinking about the confusion I had with F-stops and what they did so I’ve been thinking of yet another analogy for it…..I’ll just run this up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes !

Your camera is actually a garage and the aperture is the roll-up garage door.

F-stop tells you how far the door has closed…..

F/0…………………………..F/1.4…………………………..F/5.6………………………………..F/8…………………………..F/22
Fully Open Closed a bit Closed a little bit more Almost shut Just a very small gap !!
Lots of light going through Not so much light Very little light
so needs fast shutter speed Needs slow shutter speed and tripod!!

Now the Depth of Field is how much of the roll-up garage door is visible……

F/0…………………………..F/1.4…………………………..F/5.6………………………………..F/8…………………………..F/22
Small sliver of door Very big sliver of door !!
Shallow Depth of Field Large Depth of Field

Hope this helps……..also have a peek here….
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

Happy snapping !

]]> By: christine http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/comment-page-1#comment-58749 christine Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:46:26 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/#comment-58749 You are an awesome teacher!! It is a gift. You have a wonderful way of breaking down the intimidating aspects of a camera into manageable bites for people to consume. Anyone who reads your instructions can understand. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are an awesome teacher!! It is a gift. You have a wonderful way of breaking down the intimidating aspects of a camera into manageable bites for people to consume. Anyone who reads your instructions can understand. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

]]> By: mrsrobinson http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/comment-page-1#comment-58521 mrsrobinson Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:18:29 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/#comment-58521 A lot of detail is helpful when you are trying to learn online, because you can't be there to ask questions as you go along! Good article for newbs! A lot of detail is helpful when you are trying to learn online, because you can’t be there to ask questions as you go along! Good article for newbs!

]]> By: shannon http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/comment-page-1#comment-55505 shannon Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:54:54 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/#comment-55505 What lens would you suggest for a Nikon D60? What lens would you suggest for a Nikon D60?

]]> By: Rebecca http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/comment-page-1#comment-50598 Rebecca Tue, 12 May 2009 00:02:59 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/#comment-50598 I have been trying to figure out my camera for a YEAR now and your simple, extremely helpful instructions are exactly what I needed!!! I almost cried when I finally realized what I needed to do..partially from fumbling around all this time trying one thing after another..but I guess you explained it just how my mind needed to see it. I cant wait to go out and take some more portraits!! I have been trying to figure out my camera for a YEAR now and your simple, extremely helpful instructions are exactly what I needed!!! I almost cried when I finally realized what I needed to do..partially from fumbling around all this time trying one thing after another..but I guess you explained it just how my mind needed to see it. I cant wait to go out and take some more portraits!!

]]> By: Rhonda http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/comment-page-1#comment-49838 Rhonda Sun, 03 May 2009 18:43:15 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/#comment-49838 Love this site!!!! My husband has a Nikon D90 and I wanted to start having some control over my own photos but didn't want to go DSLR as well so I just recently bought a Canon D990 IS, the only compact point and shoot that has a limited manual mode. Needless to say, when doing side-by-side tests, he gets better "blurriness/shallow depth of field" than I do. After much research, including on this site, I finally understand the factors that affect depth of field and the Nikon is better because of longer focal lens length than mine (and larger sensor size). I now know to get closer to my subject, use as low f-stop as possible, and zoom in as much as possible to get a shallower field depth but I'm wondering if there is a better point-and-shoot style camera that will give me shallower depths easier (camera with longer lens focal length). The SD990 IS has a 7.7 - 28.5 mm lens (f2.8 - 5.8). Any suggestions without going to too large a camera? Is the SD990 IS considered the best for what I'm wanting? Love this site!!!!

My husband has a Nikon D90 and I wanted to start having some control over my own photos but didn’t want to go DSLR as well so I just recently bought a Canon D990 IS, the only compact point and shoot that has a limited manual mode. Needless to say, when doing side-by-side tests, he gets better “blurriness/shallow depth of field” than I do. After much research, including on this site, I finally understand the factors that affect depth of field and the Nikon is better because of longer focal lens length than mine (and larger sensor size).

I now know to get closer to my subject, use as low f-stop as possible, and zoom in as much as possible to get a shallower field depth but I’m wondering if there is a better point-and-shoot style camera that will give me shallower depths easier (camera with longer lens focal length). The SD990 IS has a 7.7 – 28.5 mm lens (f2.8 – 5.8).

Any suggestions without going to too large a camera? Is the SD990 IS considered the best for what I’m wanting?

]]> By: Jenny http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/comment-page-1#comment-49773 Jenny Sat, 02 May 2009 23:33:54 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/#comment-49773 It worked for me. BUT, i cant keep the camera from shaking. Makes me sad. It worked for me. BUT, i cant keep the camera from shaking. Makes me sad.

]]>