I own a Powershot A60, I like it, but I cannot take pictures with any "depth of field".?

Question

I own a Powershot A60, I love all the manual features it allows but I cannot take pictures with "depth of field". Do you know of a similar digital camera that would allow me to create this effect? Is there a way to know which cameras can do it?

Answer 1

Welcome to the in-focus world of small sensors combined with wide angle lenses!

I am not familiar with the A60. If it has a manual or aperture priority mode, you can try setting the aperture wide open (smallest number, like 2, or 2.8) Also, zoom as far telephoto as you can, and have the subject as far away from the background as possible. Or use macro mode if the subject is small enough and close enough for focus.

The reality is, digicams have an inherently great DOF, and there's not really much you can do about it.

Edit: Maybe I am mis-understanding your question. Do you want more DOF? If so, the answer above mine is correct. Somehow I assumed you wanted selective focus, with the subject sharp and the background out of focus. Either way, the aperture and distance from subject control the DOF.

Answer 2

Your Canon should be able to do this - I have an A75, and it works good.

Depth of field is affacted by the aperture size (the size of the opening behind the lens). The smaller the aperture is, the larger your depth of field will be. If you use a large aperture, the camera will take better pictures in low light, but the depth of field will be less. If you use a smaller aperture, the camera will need more light, but there will be greater depth of field. The most extreme example of this is a pinhole camera - it takes a long time to get an exposure, but everything is in focus, near and far.

Aperture is expressed in F-stops. The larger the F-stop value is, the smaller the aperture is. So, your aim is to have a large F-stop number, and then set the camera to use this number, and calculate the best exposure length so that the picture you get is bright enough with the small aperture.

To do this, use the little rotary switch on top of your A60 and turn it to "Av." This allows you to adjust the F-stop, and the camera will automatically set its exposure time. Set the F-stop to the highest it will go for the best depth of field.

To make it easier for the camera, try to get the objects you are taking pictures of as brightly lit as possible, or use a tripod. If you are trying to take moving objects in dim light, you will be out of luck here, you will need bright sunlight or something like that to ensure the small aperture will get a good exposure.

Answer 3

You've gotten some good answers here.

Now for my input. Depth of Field is a product of lens opening and lens focal length. A wide angle (10mm, 15mm) will give the most apparent DOF at almost any f-stop. A telephoto (or zoom at its longest focal length) will give the least DOF.

Here's an example: a 200mm lens focused on an object 8' away and set at f8 will have DOF from 7' 11" to 8' 1" - focusing here is critical.

A 24mm lens focused to 6' at f8 will have DOF from 3' 5" to 26' 9" *; focused at infinity at f8 the DOF will be from 7' 6" to infinity.

* Since objects in the background will be small they usually appear to be in focus from a normal viewing distance.

Answer 4

If you can still get hold of one a canon powershot A430