What factors determine depth of field, and how can I increase it besides changing aperture?
Asked 8/18/2017
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I want to understand what controls depth of field so I can estimate, at least intuitively, how much of a scene will appear acceptably sharp. I know aperture is one factor, but what else affects depth of field? In particular, does subject distance matter?
For example, if I’m photographing an object of a certain size at f/1.4 and only half of it is in focus, what can I change besides the aperture to get more of the object within the depth of field?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Depth of field is mainly controlled by three things: aperture, focal length, and subject distance.
- Smaller aperture (higher f-number) gives more depth of field.
- Shorter focal length gives more depth of field.
- Focusing farther from the subject gives more depth of field.
So yes, the distance from the sensor/camera to the subject matters a lot. If only part of your subject is sharp at f/1.4, you can increase depth of field by:
- Stopping down the lens.
- Moving farther back from the subject.
- Using a shorter focal length.
Depth of field can be calculated mathematically using hyperfocal distance and near/far acceptable sharpness formulas, which also include the circle of confusion. In practice, though, many photographers use DOF calculators or apps for this.
If you must keep f/1.4, moving farther away or switching to a wider lens are the main alternatives.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
0
There are three main factor that determine the DOF:
- Distance to the subject
- Focal length
- Aperture
There are useful online calculators to calculate the required distance to have the subject(s) within the DoF.
Regarding equations to calculate the Hyperfocal distance, near distance of acceptable sharpness, you can use the following formulas:
Hyperfocal
Near distance of acceptable sharpness
Far distance of acceptable sharpness
where:
H is the hyperfocal distance, mm
f is the lens focal length, mm
- s is the focus distance
- Dn is the near distance for acceptable sharpness
- Df is the far distance for acceptable sharpness
- N is the f-number
- c is the circle of confusion, mm
Originally by user63377. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user63377
8y ago
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