Filter
Top Products
About Your Camera
April 28, 2004 2-21
Depth of Field Preview Button
The depth of field is the zone of acceptable focus in front of and behind the
subject.
• Press the Depth of Field Preview button to confirm the depth of field
through the viewfinder.
Pressing the Depth of Field Preview button stops the lens down to the
aperture controlled in Programmed Auto or Shutter-Priority Auto
Exposure mode, and down to the aperture selected in Aperture-Priority
Auto or Manual Exposure mode. By looking through the viewfinder, you
can confirm the approximate depth of field with the given aperture.
Depth of Field Your camera is equipped with autofocus where focusing is automatically
executed.
When focusing, you should consider depth of field. Depth of field is the
zone of sharpest focus in front of and behind the subject on which the lens
is focused. Depth of field varies according to shooting distance, focal
length, and especially aperture.
Smaller apertures (larger f-numbers) produce a deeper depth of field
where the background and foreground become sharper. Larger apertures
(smaller f-numbers) produce a shallower depth of field where the
background becomes blurred.
Similarly, shorter shooting distance or longer focal length produce a
shallower depth of field, and longer shooting distance or shorter focal
length produce a deeper depth of field. Note that depth of field tends to be
shallower in front of the subject in focus and deeper behind the subject.
NOTE: Confirm the depth of field with the Depth of Field Preview button.