advertisement


Product goes all blurry at the back

That shot you've linked to is at F4, so you need to increase the depth of field by using a smaller aperture like F11 or F16 so the depth of field increases. The shutter speed will need adjusting as well to compensate for the lack of light (due to the smaller aperture), which shouldn't be a problem if you're using a tripod. The depth of field can be paper thin when you get really close to objects.
 
Great thanks, and the alternative is to reduce the depth of field by hovering over the visible parts more evenly? It's just I am on smart mode and I am not sure I can override just one part of its lack of smartness.
 
Experimentation is the key. Put the camera on aperture priority and select the smallest aperture that the camera will go to, then place it on a tripod or something sturdy and play with the distance between the camera lens and the object you're trying to photograph. If your hand holding the camera and the shutter speed is below let's say a 1/60th of a second you've got the potential of camera shake blurring your photo. As a general rule of thumb if the lens is a 60mm the shutter speed needs to be at or above the lens focal length. Adjust the other parameters like film speed and lighting to bring the exposure into a zone where it's feasible to handhold.

I can't handhold close-ups as I shake like a flat pack wardrobe!
 
I've just googled that camera - PASM mode = Program, Aperture, Shutter and Manual. so choose aperture and experiment, you'll get there.
 
Great thanks, and the alternative is to reduce the depth of field by hovering over the visible parts more evenly? It's just I am on smart mode and I am not sure I can override just one part of its lack of smartness.
Richard, forget the camera, I don't think it's a good idea to publish your TAN numbers online.
 
hope all is workin now but just to add...
wide angle lenses have more d.of F than telephotos, so using a 35mm for your pics is a good idea.
The further you are from the subject, the more D.of F you will get... there is a lot more dof with just 2 or 3 foot backwards movement.
Combine all three ideas: F11 or f16, a wider angle setting or lens and move back a bit, should sort it out.
Now you'll need to crop your image ofc, but any simple editing prog can do this.
 
Thanks, I'm on it now, all things recommended being addressed.

Question though, I cant afford a lens and it is a zoom and it is for work, so cropping images is a pain, if I go back a foot and then zoom in do I still get the DoF benefit of being further away?
 
The greater the focal length the more you'll see that what you focus on is sharp, but all behind or in front isn't. The solution has already been mentioned - you need to stop down your lens to f16 or so and use the widest angle you can. That means moving in closer, not further away.

By the way, the more you stop down the slower your shutter speed will be as your camera has to compensate for the reduced amount of light the lens is letting in. That means a steady hand, and/or a tripod if the lighting conditions are not particularly bright.
 
Thanks, I'm on it now, all things recommended being addressed.

Question though, I cant afford a lens and it is a zoom and it is for work, so cropping images is a pain, if I go back a foot and then zoom in do I still get the DoF benefit of being further away?

As mentioned, just try. My tip is to focus on a point about ⅓ from the front to rear of the object. That way the depth of field will extend to the front and rear of the object. I'd guess that at f/11 you'll have everything at an acceptable sharpness. Beyond that, defraction 'might' make the image go soft.
 
Thanks again, getting back on it again now, no progress this afternoon unfortunately, no matter what I tried. I'll go in close this time.
 
A thing to keep in mind: For the same reproduction ratio and aperture, the focal length of the lens has no bearing on depth of field.

https://www.dpreview.com/articles/3064907237/depth-of-field-in-macro-photography

Understanding depth-of-field
Before we can begin to figure out how to better control DOF, we must first understand the factors that make it so problematic in macro photography. Depth of field is dependent upon three factors: aperture value, focal length and subject distance. When each of the other two variables are fixed, setting a larger F-stop number (which actually means a smaller aperture opening) will result in a larger DOF. Using a longer focal length will result in a smaller DOF. And shooting at a closer subject distance means a smaller DOF.

In macro photography, however, DOF depends primarily on just two factors: aperture value and magnification. At any given aperture value, the higher the magnification ratio, the smaller the DOF. And this explains why DOF is so shallow in macro; the magnifications are simply much larger than in any other type of photography.

Joe
 


advertisement


Back
Top