im new at photography and planning to buy a entry level dslr...
and do experimental photography...
anyway i was checking pros and cons of nikon's D40 and found that nikon lacks the depth of field preview.. what does this mean?
can i still take pictures with very small depth of field?
2007-09-09 15:10:02 · 8 answers · asked by tsubi 1 in Consumer Electronics ➔ Cameras
To put is simply, you can't preview it before you shoot.
But you can see the results on the screen afterwards.
To be honest, I don't think I've used my depth of field preview button in years. But most of my photography is in the category of photojournalism, sports, or travel.
The actual ability of the camera to capture the perfect image isn't diminished at all. Chances are, you won't even notice it's not there.
I just finished touring China with a D50 and never found that a problem.
By the way, here are some photos I took with that same D50, the camera that was replaced by the D40.
http://tinyurl.com/2l7saa
I hope this is helpful for you.
2007-09-09 15:46:48 · answer #1 · answered by George Y 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi there. Nikon D40 is a good camera which will give you great pleasure. Yes, you can take pictures with small DOF(depth of field) and large DOF. The DOF preview button simply shows you what areas of your photo are in focus before you take the photo.
From my experience, many photographes do not use this feature anyway. Also it is sometimes difficult to see the DOF preview anyway as the aperture closes partly during it's operation making the DOF preview dark and hard to see. I would not let that influence your decision.
It will cost you a couple of hundred dollars more to go to the next one up the D40X or even the D80. I have the D200 and can't even recall using that feature. Nikon or Canon are two very good brands of camera but new lenses are quite pricey.
You can however buy after-market lenses from Sigma or Tamron etc which are a bit cheaper and seem to work almost as good as the genuine article. Hope this helps...
2007-09-09 17:30:18 · answer #2 · answered by CSI Slydog 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Let me just join the chorus. I have depth of field preview on my D200, but find that I rarely use it. Certainly not for general shooting. Part of the reason is that I know what to expect from certain apertures and part of the reason is that it often doesn't matter. As George said, you can see your image in the LCD right after you take it and consider it a depth of field "post-view" if you like. If it's not quite what you want, you can immediately retake the picture.
Trust me. Before too long, if you pay attention to what you are doing, you will have a pretty good idea what to expect of your depth of field. You will just lean towards the f/2.8-4.0 end of the aperture scale if you want to limit the DOF and towards the F/11-16 end if you want to have more DOF.
I'll also give a couple of "related" examples from a D50 and D70s, which are both Nikon 6 MP cameras like the D40. You could get exactly the same results if you were using the same lenses.
D50: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/539996212/
D70s: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/487790706/
2007-09-09 16:41:19 · answer #3 · answered by Picture Taker 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depth of field preview is just a lever on the camera to manually stop down the lens to try to help you see what's in focus at your selected aperture. It helps somewhat, but if you have the time to pull the lever, you could just as easily take a photo and check the LCD to see what's in focus.
So, I wouldn't let the lack of the depth of field preview lever be the deciding factor in your purchase decision.
Yes, you can still take photos with shallow depth of field with the D40.
2007-09-09 15:16:09 · answer #4 · answered by anthony h 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
All the "Depth of Field" preview does is stop the lens down to the taking aperture you set. In most situations, especially from f5.6 on, your viewfinder will be too dark to see anything. IMO its useless.
As previously stated you'll soon learn what to expect.
2007-09-09 23:44:26 · answer #5 · answered by EDWIN 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means you can't physically check it.
A depth of field preview button closes down the iris so you can literally see what will be in focus.
2007-09-09 16:57:13 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
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