Depth of View preview

[CatherineA]

I just read about the DOV preview feature. My camera doesn’t have it, maybe because it is a bridge camera but I’m not sure. Do most cameras have this?

It seems a big advantage to mirrorless cameras that what you see in the viewfinder is what you will get.

[Shadowman]

Most cameras don't, I have it on one of my cameras but don't use it; how do you think it will assist you?

[DanK]

Every SLR I have owned since 1967 has had this feature. The reason is that SLRs keep the lens wide open when you are composing the image and only shut down to the setting you choose briefly when the mirror is lifted and the shutter opens. That gives you the maximum light possible while composing the picture, but it means that unless you are shooting wide open, DOF is always narrower when you compose the shot than when the shot is taken. The preview feature lets you see the actual DOF, assuming that there is enough light for you to make sense of it when the aperture is closed down. I often use this feature to help me decide whether I have chosen the aperture I want.

I think some mirrorless cameras have a similar feature, emulating DOF in the electronic viewfinder, but I'll leave that for mirrorless users to comment on.

[Manfred M]

The cameras I use all the time have this feature and I use it reasonably frequently, probably more out of habit than anything else. In the film days, this feature was a quick check to see what the depth of field impact of selecting a particular aperture would be as there would be no feedback until the film was processed. As the lens would be stopped down, the image one sees in the viewfinder is going to be darker than normal.

With the instant feedback from digital cameras, it is possible to check this using the camera screen, right after the picture is taken. One can even zoom in to areas of interest to get a closer view of how the aperture selection impacts the depth of field in the image. There are easier and better work arounds, so you are really not missing much with your camera not having this feature.

[pschlute]

Like DanK, all my cameras have had Depth Of Field Preview. It is more important when using film rather than digital as we are able to review our captures instantly now. When shooting film the preview is the only way to get a visual feel for the DOF, although if using a small aperture (unless the scene is very bright) it can often be difficult to see much clearly !

I still use the optical preview on my DSLR before taking a picture where DOF is critical. Old habits I suppose.

[pschlute]

Looks like we had a mind-meld there Manfred !

[CatherineA]

Thank you John and Dan.

John - One situation where I thought that it could be useful is with a perched bird. I need to be fast but, if the bird is perched long enough, then I could try out a few different settings. The preview would be faster than taking the picture and then viewing it on my screen - especially since I often use continuos shooting and the camera can be slow to be ready to shoot again.

Dan - thank you for the explanation. I didn’t know that!

[CatherineA]

Thank you Manfred and Peter. I had a feeling that DOV preview wasn’t all that was between me and great photos....Mind you, I’ve just read about autoexposure lock and my camera doesn’t have that either. THAT must be the reason my photos aren’t great.

[Stagecoach]

Hi Catherine,

Are you looking for reasons to get another camera

Seriously, I suspect with increasing experience you will soon become aware that if you fill so much of the frame with a bird you are going to need an aperture of f/'x' to get it all within the DOF. Rather than worry about not having DOF preview assess the other settings to see if you have the scope to close down the aperture for another shot.

Do you get many shots with your camera where the DOF is not adequate when shooting birds?

[LePetomane]

My Fujifilm has it. I do find it useful.

[billtils]

Catherine

If your DoF concern is centred on resting bird shots, the answer is complex and simple. Complex because we don't know know the lens you are using or how far away you are from the bird, and simple because you will more than likely have lots of shots that you can review and see what worked and what didn't.

If you don't have too many suitable reference images, get creative and fire off a bunch with a bird-sized target. That's the nice thing about digital - no cost incurred other than time and you'll end up with the best answer for you, your gear, and your personal style.

[pschlute]

Yes for bird shots you will soon get the hang of what the minimum aperture is you can get away with that keeps the bird sharp but allows a fast enough shutter speed. I doubt you will have time to check DOF before taking the shot !

[CatherineA]

Thank you Grahame, Bill and Peter!

Grahame- No! I’m not angling to get a new camera .... well, maybe....well, yes, in fact I am

I really appreciate your comments because now is too early to do that and I wouldn’t benefit from the expense. I can experiment easily enough with the sweet chickadees or even, as Bill suggests, a bird-sized subject. I thought that it might be a faster way to see if I could make a background prettier but experimentation should get me there!

[CatherineA]

My Fujifilm has it. I do find it useful.

Hi Paul David,
I can see that it could be a feature that is nice to have.

[rpcrowe]

All my SLR and DSLR cameras have this feature. However I have used it very seldom because of how dark the viewfinder appears when viewing stopped down.

[DanK]

Catherine,

Since you are new to this, I thought I would add to Manfred's comment. Looking at the LCD to examine a photo after taking the shot is called "chimping." Like Manfred, I often do this when I am uncertain about DOF or other aspects of the shot, and has he suggests, when I am uncertain about focus, I often enlarge the image to get a better view. For reasons that utterly elude me, many people look down their noses at people who do this and use "chimping" in a disparaging way. That seems ludicrous to me. It's about as sensible as telling people that good drivers don't look at their dashboards. One of the nice things about digital is that it can give you this feedback instantly. And this avoids the problem Richard noted, that is, how dark the view often is when one stops the lens down.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

This is interesting to me for several reasons. As a mirrorless shooter, I use the focus peaking color to tell me where the DoF is going to be in a given scene. Since I don't wear my reading glasses when shooting, I can't preview using the LCD or afterwards as in 'chimping'. The focus peaking will actually 'walk' the DoF forwards and backwards as I focus the lens, when using a manual focus lens, and thus I can see exactly what the camera considers to be 'in focus'. I've lately found that I get even better results using the focus magnification feature on my cameras that have it.

[xpatUSA]

This is interesting to me for several reasons. As a mirrorless shooter, I use the focus peaking color to tell me where the DoF is going to be in a given scene. Since I don't wear my reading glasses when shooting, I can't preview using the LCD or afterwards as in 'chimping'. The focus peaking will actually 'walk' the DoF forwards and backwards as I focus the lens, when using a manual focus lens, and thus I can see exactly what the camera considers to be 'in focus'. I've lately found that I get even better results using the focus magnification feature on my cameras that have it.

Thanks for this; I've never had a camera with focus peaking - I was unaware that it actually shows the DOF. So if one were to take a perfect rocky landscape using a perfect hyperfocal distance, the peaking would show all the way to the horizon, if I understand correctly?

And that would only be on a lens with a manually-set aperture if am not mistaken?

[DanK]

This is interesting to me for several reasons. As a mirrorless shooter, I use the focus peaking color to tell me where the DoF is going to be in a given scene. Since I don't wear my reading glasses when shooting, I can't preview using the LCD or afterwards as in 'chimping'. The focus peaking will actually 'walk' the DoF forwards and backwards as I focus the lens, when using a manual focus lens, and thus I can see exactly what the camera considers to be 'in focus'. I've lately found that I get even better results using the focus magnification feature on my cameras that have it.

Alan,

I have one mirrorless camera and consider both focus peaking and focus magnification to be one of its advantages, relative to my DLSR. With respect to the latter: before AF, SLRs typically had some means of making focus more accurate (split-screen viewfinders in Nikons, microprism viewfinders in Canon bodies), and these served the same function as focus magnification. Unfortunately, these features disappeared a long time ago. I also find that I need to chimp less with my mirrorless.

However, focus peaking isn't entirely a substitute for DOF preview. the point of DOF preview is less to see what is in focus than to evaluate the gradual loss of focus in OOF areas of the image. Focus peaking, being binary--pixels are either illuminated or not--can't give you that information. My mirrorless does supposedly have a feature that will show you the effect of closing the aperture via the EVF, emulating a DOF preview, but it doesn't work well at all. I don't know whether that is just my camera or whether it is a limitation of EVFs.

Dan

[CatherineA]

Thank you Richard, Dan, Alan and Ted for all this helpful information.

Dan - It’s good to know that experienced photographers like you and Manfred look to screen for feedback. Sure makes sense to me. I first heard about chimping -and not to do it - in Lynda.com. It might not be right for some photographers but it is very useful for me.