Self-education in Photography

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alex S
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Alex S

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Happy 2008 to you all! One of my TP New Year resolutions was to learn more about how my camera works and why it does the things it does, in the hope that this would make me a better photographer.

In this vein I spent my lunchtime searching the TP forum for threads about DOF preview buttons, a feature my camera has but that I've never used because I didn't understand it. I found a couple of threads that helped me to understand it and now I will feel confident to use if needed - success!

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=2709&highlight=dof+preview+button

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=10748&highlight=depth+field+preview+button

I also followed another link to a very complicated article about the aptly named 'Circle of confusion' :bang: which was way over my head. However, a link within it lead me to this article on Bokeh, a technique I'm familiar with and use a lot but have never know how it works and why.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh

So in less then 30 minutes I've not only answered my original question but learnt something extra as well. Just thought I'd share the links in case this can help anybody else who is self-educating themselves :)
 
Thanks Alex, as we have the same model of camera I will read those with interest:thumbs:

Happy new year and good luck with the resolution:)
 
Thanks for sharing those. I have to say, I've never used the DOF Preview button as I find it makes the viewfinder so dark you can't see anything anyway! I'll have a read of those links though :)
 
you could always use the DOF button to show how small the appeture is.. giving you the oppertunity to Guesstimate the amount of DOF, it'll just be a guide though, but you'll see at a glance whether the appeture is wide open or not.. but if you look closer in good light you CAN see what the DOF looks like.. but if the light isnt good it'll be hard to see if your stopped down..
 
Completely off topic but here's a speedtest for you Fraggle

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;)
 
Thanks, I hope you find the links as useful as I did. I think I'll probably use DOF preview mostly for macro work, although I can see that it would only be really useful in good light and wide apertures.

I'm going home tonight to start a list of things I'd like to know more about or understand better, I have a feeling it might be quite long :bonk: Plus, as demonstrated by today's example answering one question leads to many more unanswered ones :bang:
 
Things like that are always helpfull dude..
 
My cameras have had the DoF button on them since the mid seventies - it was pretty useless then and totally useless now!

If you want to gauge DoF, take a shot and review it on your screen - pressing the 'magic' button only darkens the viewfinder to a point where you can't really see the effect anyway

Good to hear you're reading and learning though - far too many buy & shoot with hardly a clue what's really going on

2p rolls slowly by...

:thumbs:

DD
 
DiddyDave said:
My cameras have had the DoF button on them since the mid seventies - it was pretty useless then and totally useless now!

If you want to gauge DoF, take a shot and review it on your screen - pressing the 'magic' button only darkens the viewfinder to a point where you can't really see the effect anyway

Good to hear you're reading and learning though - far too many buy & shoot with hardly a clue what's really going on

2p rolls slowly by...

:thumbs:

DD
Click to expand...

Thanks for the 2p, pennies make pounds so they say :)

It begs the question why manufacturers continue to include it as a feature. Do cameras with Live View have it and if so does it display to the LCD or only through the viewfinder?
 
Alex S said:
It begs the question why manufacturers continue to include it as a feature. Do cameras with Live View have it and if so does it display to the LCD or only through the viewfinder?
Click to expand...

Good point on Live View & I have no idea

However, I'm guessing a clever software techie could give you an electronic version on the screen of the DoF without the button actually moving the aperture leaves - in either case on Live View - it could (for the first time really IMO) become useful
 
i never knew bokeh was called bokeh until today. it was always just blurred background to me. :p

Still no one has answered why the DOF button is in such a rubbish place though.
 
acidliam said:
i never knew bokeh was called bokeh until today. it was always just blurred background to me. :p

Still no one has answered why the DOF button is in such a rubbish place though.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by rubbish place? Where would you like it to be?

It's a straight manual connection that closes down the lens, hence it's down by the lens - is that what you meant? :shrug::shrug::shrug:
 
mattyh said:
I believe the correct terminology is..... grass :lol:

On topic: I've never seen the point in the DOF preview button, everything's too dark to see 9 times out of 10. Specially in these days of digital, take the shot then have a quick chimp to see if it's alright :D
Click to expand...

Nice one Mattyh - you've just rephrased what I said at point 8! :lol:
 
DiddyDave said:
What do you mean by rubbish place? Where would you like it to be?

It's a straight manual connection that closes down the lens, hence it's down by the lens - is that what you meant? :shrug::shrug::shrug:
Click to expand...


I wouldnt really want it to be anywhere if I'm honest, its not something I feel the need to use. I appreciate it has to be near the lens, but on the canon its not only in a place that doesnt sit naturally with my girly fingers but its not very prominent, maybe because its not very popular.
 
acidliam said:
I wouldnt really want it to be anywhere if I'm honest, its not something I feel the need to use. I appreciate it has to be near the lens, but on the canon its not only in a place that doesnt sit naturally with my girly fingers but its not very prominent, maybe because its not very popular.
Click to expand...

A Canon user - you should have said! Sympathies dear :lol::lol::lol:

But yes - it has to be near the lens, and it's probably tucked away as they know no-one bothers

DD
 
I would still like to hear from the people who have Live View, come on all you new 40D users! And the Oly lot ;) Do your Live View cameras have DOF preview button and, if so, does it show the preview in the LCD or through the viewfinder?

Enquiring minds need to know :)
 
DoF preview is a wonderful thing and I use it all the time. Even on little digi SLR's. Yes it makes the viewfinder dark but you only have to wait a few seconds for your eyes to adjust and then you can see what's going on.

It can be a bit of a tall ask shooting at f22 in the dark but mostly it's ok.

When I shoot digi (which is nearly all the time at the mo) I work religiously off the histogram and preview but I still think that people would learn alot by shooting for a day or two with the screen covered up. :D
 
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