Nikon FE2 - DEPTH OF FIELD; Understanding Depth of Field

When
a
lens
with
an automatic
diaphragm is
used, the image in
the viewfinder is
viewed
with
the
diaphragm
of the lens
wide
open However,
pressing
the
depth-of
-f
ield
preview
lever
will
cause the
lens
to
be
stopped
down to the f
-number
set, enabling
you
to
examine
depth of field
before
shooting The image
in
the
viewfinder
"darkens"
according
to
the
selected f-number-
the
smaller the
aperture, the
darker the
image
The
areas
of the
picture
that
appear
in
focus
when
the
lever
is
pressed
will
be
wrthin
the zone
of
sharp focus in
the final
photograph
Note; Be
sure
lo
depress the
depth-of-field
prevrew
lever
fullv
A/so,
release
the
lever
before
vou
depress the
shutter
release
button
Depth of
field
Depth
of
field refers
to the zone
of
sharp focus in front
of and
behind the main
subject
in
the final
photograph
Because the
FE2
f
eatures aperture-priority
automatic
exposu
re,
you
have
complete control
over
depth of field
by varying the f/stop
The
following
are
important
points
to
remember:
1)
By
stopping
down
the
diaphragm to
smaller apertures
(inOi-
cated
by
numerically
larger f-numbers
on the
aperture ring),
depth of
field
becomes
deeper and not
only
your
main
subject
but the foreground
and
background will
also
be
in
sharp
focus
On
the
other
hand,
by using
wider
apertures
(smaller
f
-numbers),
depth of
f ield
becomes
shallower
and both fore-
and background
will
be out of focus,
thus
enabling
you
to
emphasize the main
subject
2) The
farther the
subject
is from
the camera,
the
deeper the
depth of
field;
the
closer to the
camera,
the
shallower the
depth of f ield
3) Usually,
background
clarity
is
sharper than that
of the fore-
ground;
thus, in
shallow
depth-of-field
situations,
you
can
expect
your
foreground images
to
be
less
clear than those
behind the
subject
+) the
shorter the focal length
of the lens,
the
deeper the
depth
of
f ield
at each
f
/stoo
5)
With most
Nikkor or Nikon
Series E
lenses,
depth of field is
indicated
by
pairs
of colored lines
on the
lens
6s. which
cor-
respond
to the
colors of the f
-numbers
engraved on the
aper-
ture
ring
Therefore, the
depth of-field
range
can
be deter-
mined
by
reading
off
the corresponding
distances
using
the
depth-of
-field
scale
(see
example
photos)
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