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Controlling depth of field with Aperture
Depth of field of a photo is the area of that appears sharp. You can control the depth of field by setting the Aperture value on your camera.
A smaller Aperture (or higher f-stop) results in greater the depth of field.
See the following two pictures of the same subject to see how depth of field can be controlled by the “f-stop”.
Big aperture or low f-stop (f/5.6)
The following picture is taken at f/5.6, and results in a small depth of field.
Camera: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: 100
Exposure: 3.0 sec
Aperture: 5.6
Focal Length: 200mm
Flash Used: No
Small aperture or high f-stop (f/16)
The following picture is taken at f/16, and results in a greater depth of field. More of the photo appears sharp!
Camera: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: 100
Exposure: 13.0 sec
Aperture: 16.0
Focal Length: 200mm
Flash Used: No
Conclusion
If you want a small area of the photo to appear sharp and want to blur everything else (for artistic reasons), set your camera to either manual mode or the “Aperture priority” mode and set a low f-stop value (see the first photo above).
If you want a big area of your photo to appear sharp, set your camera to either manual mode or the “Aperture priority” mode and set a high f-stop value (see the second photo above).
(Photo: loose tea leaves)
Posted in DSLR photography
Tagged AF Micro-NIKKOR 200mm f/4D IF-ED, big aperture, depth of field, macro, micro, small aperture
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Correcting exposure by switching from Auto mode to Manual mode
This post shows one situation in which you should switch from Auto mode to the manual mode.
When you are taking pictures in the (full) Auto mode or the Aperture mode, the camera automatically determines the exposure (the amount of time the shutter is open). However, sometimes the camera over exposes or under exposes the photo. In such cases you can switch to the manual mode and try to correct the exposure manually.
In the following example, we will fix the photo by manually correcting the exposure.
Auto Mode
The first photo was taken in the “Aperture” mode at f/9. The camera automatically set the exposure to 1/500 sec.
Camera: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/500 sec
Aperture: 9.0
Focal Length: 62mm
Flash Used: No
The photo looks “washed out” or over exposed, and therefore we will reduce the exposure.
Manual mode
To reduce the exposure we keep the same aperture f/9 and switch to the manual mode. In the manual mode, we can control the exposure. Since the photo looks over exposed, we make a guess and reduce the exposure 1/1000 sec, half of what the camera calculated.
Here are the results.
Camera: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/1000 sec
Aperture: 9.0
Focal Length: 62mm
The colors in the second photo are a closer match to the actual scene.
Conclusion
If you are taking pictures in the Auto or Aperture mode, always look at the preview after taking the picture. If the photo in the preview looks over exposed, switch to the Manual mode keeping the same Aperture (F value). Now reduce the exposure and take the picture again. Iterate a few times if needed till you are satisfied with the preview.
Posted in DSLR photography
Tagged aperture priority, auto mode, exposure, manual mode
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Night sky photos at different ISO levels
I used my Nikon D60 at night and took night sky star photos with different ISO levels. I used the camera in the Manual “Bulb” mode with high Aperture (f/3.5) and approximately 1 minute exposure. Here are the results.
Low ISO
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: 100
Exposure: 63.1 sec
Aperture: 3.5
Focal Length: 18mm
Flash Used: No
Medium ISO
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: 400
Exposure: 51.6 sec
Aperture: 3.5
Focal Length: 18mm
Flash Used: No
High ISO
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: 1600
Exposure: 50.2 sec
Aperture: 3.5
Focal Length: 18mm
Flash Used: No
Conclusion
Low ISO should be preferred for taking night sky photos with long exposure.
Posted in DSLR photography
Tagged bulb mode, high aperture, iso, long exposure, night sky photos, nikon d60, stars
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Bear sighting in Crescent Meadow, Sequoia National Park
After hiking in the Crescent Meadow we returned to the parking lot and were waiting for the park shuttle to pick us up. While we were waiting, we saw a mother and baby bear cross the road.
Experiments with ISO and Aperture in low light
I used my Nikon D60 at dusk and shot the same photo with different combinations of Aperture and ISO in the “A” (or Aperture Priority) mode. Here are the results.
Small Aperture, Low ISO: F/22, ISO 100
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: 100
Exposure: 30.0 sec
Aperture: 22.0
Focal Length: 18mm
Flash Used: No
Small aperture allows less light to enter, and low ISO results in a dark image
Small Aperture, High ISO: F/22, ISO High
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: n/a
Exposure: 15.0 sec
Aperture: 22.0
Focal Length: 18mm
Flash Used: No
Small aperture allows less light to enter, and high ISO results in a grainy image
High Aperture, Low ISO: F/3.5, ISO high
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: n/a
Exposure: 0.7692308 sec
Aperture: 3.5
Focal Length: 18mm
Flash Used: No
Big aperture allows more light to enter, but high ISO in the auto mode results in small exposure and results in a grainy image
High Aperture, Low ISO: F/3.5, ISO 100
Model: NIKON D60
ISO: 100
Exposure: 25.0 sec
Aperture: 3.5
Focal Length: 18mm
Big aperture allows more light to enter, and low ISO in the auto mode results in long exposure and results in a good image
Conclusion
In the Aperture Priority mode, night photos are better with low ISO and low F stop (big aperture).
Coyote Valley, Rocky Mountain National Park
Coyote Valley, Rocky Mountain National Park
Posted in National Parks
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