1 Program Mode and Depth of Field Boldon & District U3A Photography Group February 9 th, 2016

Before we start Some important information to keep you safe and enjoy today’s session:  Emergencies Fire alarm RVP Attendance register  Domestic arrangements  Mobile phones  Fixtures, fittings and wires Be careful Be alert to potential hazards 2

About today Program (P) mode Depth of Field (DoF) 3

4 Program (P) Mode

DSLR - Command/Mode Dial Manual mode Aperture priority auto mode Shutter priority auto mode Auto multi-programme mode Auto point & shoot mode Digital vari-programme modes: Portrait; Landscape; Close-up; Sports; Night landscape; Night portrait.

Program (P) Mode 6 It’s a semi-automatic mode; similar to your cameras Automatic (A) mode, but it’s different (confusing isn’t it!) Automatically sets the correct exposure for your shot (….but you can’t set aperture or shutter) Allows you to control most of the cameras settings  ISO and Flash  Metering and Focussing  Exposure Compensation

Program (P) Mode Handy and really useful Easy to use It’s good for learning how to use different settings without having to worry about exposure Perfect for ‘on the spur of the moment’ shots when you don’t want to mess around with settings  E.g. photojournalists ‘f8 and be there’  Pre-set custom mode 7

Program Shift (AKA - Flexible Mode) Half press the shutter and review the aperture and shutter speed If you want to change either the aperture or shutter speed make the appropriate changes using the command dial or buttons  This allows changing the DoF and to speed up/slow down the shutter (e.g. for an action or panning shot) 8

9 Depth of Field

Depth of Field (DoF) Depth of field refers to how much of your image is in focus and will usually be described as deep or shallow. 10

What affects DoF There are several factors that can influence the depth of field in an image. These are:  the lens aperture (f/stop value)  the focal length of the lens being used  the distance between you, the subject, and the background  size of the camera sensor 11

Aperture The aperture is the opening that can be made larger or smaller at the front of the lens which allows more, or less light to reach the camera’s sensor The various sizes of the lens aperture opening are known as f/stops.  Smaller aperture openings produce deeper depth of field in an image (e.g. f/11 or f/16)  Larger lens aperture openings produce shallow depth of field in an image by isolating a subject (e.g. f/1.8 or f/2.8) (blurring or Bokeh) 12

Lens Focal Length Shorter focal length lenses result in more depth of field than longer focal length lenses 13

Distance to the subject The closer you are to the subject, the less depth of field there will be The further you are away, the more depth of field you will have 14

Camera sensor Size really does matter  Bigger is best P&S cameras have very small sensors  Images have little, if any, DoF On the other hand DLSR’s, CSCs and high-end Compact cameras have much bigger sensors producing images with greater DoF 15

Camera Sensors Sizes Comapred 16 36mm x 24mm 24mm x 16mm 5mm x 3mm

17 Examples (Using a DSLR camera (APS-C sensor) fitted with Canon 35mm f/1.4 L lens, UV filter, tripod, and cable release)

f/1.4 and f/2 18

f/2.8 and f/4 19

f/5.6 and f/8 20

f/11 and f/16 21

f/1.4 and f/16 22 Shallow DoF Deep DoF

DoF - Summarised Small f number = big opening = shallow depth of field = less of the picture in focus Large f number = small opening = greater depth of field = more of the picture in focus 23

Take home messages No more using the fully Automatic setting  Fully automatic mode – green symbol – shuts off many functions so is best avoided Instead use your cameras P MODE from now on  Gives high level of automation but allows you to make corrections or alter settings Practice using different apertures to get a feel for and better understanding of DoF 24

Take home messages It is also a good idea to start practicing with the other settings:  Aperture Priority(AV)  Shutter Priority (TV)  Manual (M) Practice, practice, and practice some more  GET OUT THERE AND GET SHOOTING 25

Thank you Question time 26