Depth of Field (DOF)

Depth of field refers to the degree of sharpness in front of and behind of the main subject when the main subject is in focus. Depth of field is affected by aperture, subject distance and focal length.

1. Aperture

Using a large aperture will result in a shallow depth of field. This is especially useful if you want to isolate the subject as the subject will be in focus and the background will be blurred. On the other hand, using a small aperture will result in large shallow depth of field as the main subject as well as in front of and behind the subject will be in focus. Use that when you want to take for example landscape.

2. Subject Distance

By moving nearer to the subject, the depth of field will be shallow. Likewise by moving farther away from the subject, the depth of field will be deeper.

3. Focal length

Using the same aperture but different focal length, you will find that a wide angle has a deeper DOF compared to the telephoto len.

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