Mastering the Nikon D300

2.14. Understanding Depth of Field

Depth-of-field is one of those things that confuses a lot of new DSLR users. Yet, it is very important! I'm going to attempt to explain this concept using pictures. This topic transcends the actual DSLR being used – in fact my illustrations were created with my trusty Nikon D2X.

Let's say you are taking a picture of a friend, who is standing 6 feet (2m) away from you. About 6 feet behind your friend is another person. There is also a third person standing about 6 feet behind the second person. Three people total, each about 6 feet apart, with the friend in front (see Figure 8A).

Figure 2-8. Control Panel with A-Aperture Priority Auto mode

You are shooting with a 50mm f/1.8 lens. You focus on your friend's ...