What is Depth of Field means ?

Depth of field is the distance in metres or feet in front of and behind the focal point that is in acceptable focus. For example, with the lens focussed on an object 30ft away, the range at which objects appear to be in focus might be from 15ft from the lens to infinity. Any objects closer than 15ft would become progressively softer as they get nearer to the camera.

A shallow depth of field means that the subject placed at the focal point will be sharp whilst objects immediately in front of and behind this point will be soft. A deep depth of field is the opposite and will render most of the scene in focus.

Depth of field is affected by the object's distance from the lens, the lens focal length and the lens aperture or F Stop. These factors can be controlled creatively to give a desired effect.

Depth of field can be calculated using depth of field tables or a Kelly calculator.