How to Understand Depth of Field in Photography

By Jenn Mishra

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Related course: Photography for Beginners

Depth of field (DoF) is one tool that will make your images more powerful and interesting. It is an artistic focusing choice with a technical foundation.

In this article, I’ll help you understand depth of field and how you can use it in your own photography.

Evergreen in the rain with shallow depth of field. Photo by Jenn Mishra. Settings: 208mm, 

1/80@f/6.3, ISO 320

Understanding Depth of Field

Depth of field in photography describes how much of your scene is in focus. Technically, depth of field is the distance between the closest objects in focus and the farthest point of focus. Imagine looking out into a landscape through your camera. Depth of field starts at the first thing you see that’s in focus and extends to the furthest object in focus.

Deep and Shallow DoF

We talk about depth of field in terms of “deep” and “shallow”. Deep DoF is also called “wide” or “large”. Shallow DoF is also called “small” or “narrow”.

Landscape photographers often want the entire scene in focus, from the closest rock to the furthest mountain. This is a “deep” depth of field.

In this image, the waterfall in the background and the rocks in the foreground are both in focus.

Landscape with deep depth of field. Settings: 26mm, 0.5 seconds at f/11.

Portrait photographers don’t necessarily want the entire scene in focus. If you’re walking around a city taking street portraits, you want the person to be the main focus. A distracting background should be minimized. To do this, you use a shallow depth of field. Your foreground is in focus, but the background is not.

In this image, only the foreground holy man is in focus. The background gives a sense of the environment without distracting from the foreground.

Foreground flowers are in focus. Background of the garden is blurred. Settings: 400mm, 1/400th of a second at f/5.6.

Shallow DoF is a great way to separate your foreground from the background. The background might be uninteresting or distracts attention from your subject. Check out this article about more ways to use shallow depth of field.

It is possible to cleverly combine shallow and deep DoF in one photograph. In this image, the photographer used a smartphone to capture a wide DoF. Then photographed the image using a shallow DoF.

A hand holding a smartphone to naturally frame a night street photo, using a Wide and Shallow Depth of Field Together

I’ll show you in a minute how to achieve deep and shallow depth of field. But before I do, there’s one more thing you need to know about the focus area.

What is Focus Distribution?

Focus draws the eye. So as a general rule, you should focus on the point of greatest interest. Depth of field tells you how much of the scene will be in focus in front of your focus point and how much of the background will be in focus.

When you select a focus point, focus isn’t equally distributed in front of and behind this point. Often one-third of your focus falls in front of your focus point and the other two-thirds behind it.

Let me give you an example.

I’m going to use an online depth of field calculator to compute how far in front of and behind a subject will be in focus. It might help to open the calculator yourself and follow along.

1. I enter my camera body. Sensor size makes a difference to DoF. I use a Sony A7R4
2. I enter the focal length of my lens. I’m going to use my 50mm lens set at f/11.
3. I enter how far away I am from my subject. Let’s say 3 meters (about 10 feet).

The DoF calculator says that the nearest point in focus is 2.14 meters away and the furthest point is 5 meters. This calculator also tells me that 0.86 meters in front of the subject will be in focus (29.97%). Two meters behind my subject (70.03%) will be in focus. This is roughly the one-third versus two-thirds I just mentioned.

PhotoPils depth of field calculator.

The DoF calculator also tells me the hyperfocal distance. This is important for landscape photographers.

Hyperfocal distance tells me where to focus in the scene so that I’ll have sharp focus all the way to infinity. Infinity is as far as the eye can see.

In landscapes, if you focus on the foreground, the background will appear blurry in the image. If you focus on the background, the foreground will look out of focus. To fix this, focus needs to be somewhere in the middle, between the foreground and background. This focusing point is the hyperfocal distance.

Now that I’ve introduced you to the DoF calculator, play with it a bit. Enter your camera body and different focal lengths. Notice that the numbers change. All sorts of factors control depth of field.

Now that you have a little theory under your belt, let’s get practical. Let me show you how to control depth of field in your images.

How to Control the Depth of Field

Deep and shallow depth of field fall on a continuum. You can go for an entirely sharp scene or you can have the very slimmest line of focus. It’s up to you. Most photographers find a sweet spot somewhere in the middle.

I’m going to talk about three elements that change how much of the scene is in focus: aperture, focal length, and relative distance. Once you know how to control depth of field, you’ll be able to decide how deep or shallow you want your focus to be.

Change the Aperture

Changing your aperture (f/stop) is one of the major ways of changing depth of field. In general, the wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field and vice versa. Remember that wide apertures have small numbers.

Take a look at this illustration. The top highlights DoF when using an aperture of f/2.8. The girl is in focus, but the dog in the foreground and the tree in the background will be blurred. The bottom shows how the focus area expands with an aperture of f/16. The dog, the girl, and the tree will be in focus.

Neither is right or wrong. It depends on what you want in focus.

Detailed diagram explaining how aperture affects depth of field.

If you are taking a portrait, a very wide aperture like f/1.2 can put the eyes in focus, but make the nose and ears blurry. Using the same f/stop, you can focus on the nose, which will blur the eyes. To get both eyes and nose in focus, you may need to use f/5.6 or f/8.0.

Portrait with shallow depth of field. Notice the near eye is in focus but the back eye is blurred. Photo by Jenn Mishra. Settings: 50mm, 1/160@f1.8, ISO100.

Let’s return to the online depth of field calculator and put in a couple of different f/stops to see what happens.

1. I enter my camera body (Sony A7R4) and lens (50mm).
2. This time, I’ll choose f/2.8 instead of f/11.
3. I’ll keep my subject’s distance at 3 meters to be consistent.

Notice that the DoF in front and behind my subject changed a lot. With f/11, my DoF was 2.86 meters. With f/2.8, only 0.61 meters will be in focus. It’s a much narrower range.

Charts created in PhotoPils depth of field calculator comparing the different DoF for f/11 and f/2.8.

In general, an f/stop of 2.8 will have a blurrier background than an f/stop of 16.

If you want to create a shallow depth of field, select a wide aperture. If you want more of the scene in focus, select a smaller aperture. This is one reason portrait photographers prefer apertures of f/1.4 to f/5.6 while landscape photographers prefer apertures from f/11 to f/22.

But that’s not all there is to it. Other things factor into how wide or narrow your depth of field is.

Change the Focal Length

The focal length of the lens also affects depth of field. Without getting too complicated, a longer focal length like 300mm gives you a shallower DoF than a 35mm wide-angle lens.

Let’s return to our online depth of field calculator and put in a couple of different focal lengths to see what happens.

1. I enter my camera body (Sony A7R4) and choose f/8.0.
2. I’ll keep my subject’s distance at 3 meters to be consistent.
3. I’ll first enter 50mm as the focal length of my lens.
4. Then, I’ll change my the focal length of my lens to 200mm

With a 50mm focal length, my focus area would start at 2.34 meters and extend to 4.19 meters. Everything between these distances (1.85 meters) will be in sharp focus.

But with a 200mm focal length, my focus area would start at 2.95 meters and extend to 3.05 meters. This is a much shallower depth of field. Only 0.10 meters will be in focus!

Charts created in PhotoPils depth of field calculator comparing the different DoF for 50mm 

and 200mm focal lengths.

But there’s a bit more to it than that.

A 200mm lens focused at 3 meters isn’t showing you the same composition as a 50mm lens focused at 3 meters. A 50mm focal length gives you a field of view of 40°. A 200mm focal length gives you a field of view of about 10°. The composition is very different.

Compare these two images taken from the same vantage point. The only setting that changed was focal length. The image on the left was taken at 133mm. The image on the right was taken at 100mm. Notice the change in blur in the waterlilies in the background.

You can equalize the compositions by walking closer to your subject with the wide-angle lens. If you do this, the depth of field difference is less noticeable.

Consider the Relative Distance

Depth of field has a lot to do with distance. But relative distance rather than absolute distance in terms of feet or meters.

• Distance from you to your subject.
• Distance between your subject and the background.

Moving farther away from your subject will make your depth of field wider. Moving closer to your subject will make it narrower.

If you want shallow depth of field, your subject needs to away from the background. For instance, if your model is standing up against a wall, you won’t be able to blur the wall. The model and the wall will be on the same plane of focus. Ask your model to step towards you.

There is one instance where your depth of field can be manipulated. That is by using a tilt and shift lens. By playing around with the ’tilt’ of a lens, you can place an entire scene in focus when using a wide aperture.

Shallow depth of field.

How to Get the Depth of Field You Want

Depth of field isn’t one setting on your camera. You can change three different variables to affect DoF: aperture, focal length, and relative distance.

Your sensor size also affects depth of field. Larger sensors have a shallower depth of field. So, a crop sensor camera will generally have a narrower depth of field. I didn’t cover this variable because most photographers don’t change their camera body as a way of controlling depth of field. I mention this in case you’re comparing images with a friend who has a different camera body. 

If you’re not getting the depth of field you want, the next thing to change is relative distance. Get closer to your subject. If that doesn’t help, then move your subject away from the background. It will be impossible to create a blurred background if your subject and the background are right next to each other. Creating depth of field is all about depth relationships.

If you’re trying for a deep depth of field, you may need to figure out exactly where your focus point should be. Computing the hyperfocal distance will tell you this.

Finally, know that the focal length of your lens also impacts depth of field. If you have a zoom lens, try a wide-angle lens for greater depth of field and zooming in for less. Changing focal length also affects your composition, so you’ll have to balance the perfect depth of field with the perfect frame.

Next Level Depth of Field

I’ll finish this article by introducing you to a couple of related depth of field topics. Focus stacking is a way of creating a very deep depth of field. It is also possible to simulate shallow depth of field. This is particularly useful when using a smartphone.

Focus Stacking

There are situations where it is impossible to get a deep enough depth of field in one image. Landscape photographers sometimes struggle to get a very close foreground element in focus while at the same time keeping distant elements in focus.

Macro photographers capture very small subjects like flowers and insects with a long macro lens. A macro lens allows photographers to get very close to their subjects. Because they are close to their subjects with a long focal length lens, the depth of field is often very shallow.

Close up of spoons on a textured background. Photo by Jenn Mishra. Settings: 90mm, 

2.5seconds@f/18, ISO400

To combat both situations, photographers focus stack images. They take many images of a scene. With each image, they slightly change the focal point. A landscape photographer may take three or more images. The first focused on the foreground element, the second focused on the mid-ground, the third focused on the background. Later, the images are stitched together in Photoshop. The in-focus parts of each image are merged to create one image.

If you want to know how to focus stack image, see the article “How to Use Focus Stacking for Sharper Photos“.

Simulated Shallow Depth of Field

It is possible to simulate the blurred depth of field effect of a shallow depth of field. You can add a blur effect in Photoshop or you can use apps or software that digitally simulate the effect.

Smartphones are limited in the ability to create blurred backgrounds. But you can still achieve the effect by getting close to your subject or using a depth of field simulator app.

Newer versions of the iPhone have made it easier to control the effect. I still can’t change the aperture on my iPhone 11S, but I can simulate and control shallow DoF.

Let me give you an example.

I used portrait mode on my iPhone 11S to take a photo of my cat. Because I selected portrait mode, the camera automatically applies a background blur to the image. I can use this mode even if I’m not shooting portraits to get a blurred background.

Cat portrait using iPhone at f/4.5, f/1.4, and f/16.

When I click the EDIT button, I have some options. The left image is the original. You can see that the camera chose an aperture of f/4.5. If I click the aperture, I’m given a slider tool that I use to change the aperture. The middle image shows what happens if I select f/1.4. The right image shows what happens if I select f/16.

If your phone’s camera doesn’t have this feature, apps like Focos on iPhone or Android simulate depth of field by virtually changing the aperture.

To increase your depth of field, you have three options:

You can narrow your aperture by increasing the f/stop, move further away from your subject, or by shortening the focal length of your lens.

To decrease your depth of field, you have three options:

You can widen your aperture by decreasing the f/stop, move closer to your subject, or by lengthening the focal length of your lens.

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Free eBook on Wildflower Photography

 

 With spring beginning here in the southwestern United States, I thought it was time to update our free ebook on wildflower photography. The original version was released about three years ago, so it was due for an update.

Most of the content is the same, but I’ve learned a lot in the last three years, so I’ve updated just about every page in the book, and replaced a few tips with newer articles.

Anyway, here’s a sneak peak of what you’ll learn in this ebook:

• How to get perfect light
• How to control the light
• How to get sharper images
• How to get a perfect exposure
• How to get a perfect background
• How to focus closer
• How to make identification easier
• How to battle the wind
• How to create intimate images
• How to leave no trace
• How to sharpen your photos in Photoshop
• How to darken the background in Photoshop
• How to fix underexposed areas in Photoshop

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Great Photography Tips Here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZq_-NL6Z8g

How to Create a Beautiful Blurred Background in Portrait Photography

By Hillary Grigonis 

A blurred background draws the focus to what’s important. It also often plays a part in differentiating the professional portrait from the casual snapshot.
But how, exactly, do you create a blurry background? Through a mixture of gear, settings, and subject placement.
Here’s how.

What You’ll Need to Create a Blurred Background

The gear that you use will make that blurred background easier or more difficult to achieve. While getting that background blur isn’t all about the gear, it’s a big part of the equation.
Here’s the gear that’s best for background blur, and why.

Camera With a Larger Sensor

This can be a mirrorless or DSLR camera.
The larger the camera sensor is, the easier it is to get that background blur. That’s why you see smartphone companies creating fake background blur through software in portrait modes. The sensors are so small that it’s difficult to create that background blur in camera.
A full frame camera will get you the most background blur (unless of course you have the budget for medium format). But even a budget DSLR or mirrorless camera or a compact camera with an APS-C sensor inside will still offer a good amount of that background blur.

Wide Aperture Lens

The aperture of the lens is one setting that helps create that background blur. But different lenses have different aperture settings available. Ideally, for a blurred background, you should use a lens that has at least an f/2.8 aperture available.
Lower f-numbers will offer even more blur. A 50mm f/1.8 is even better, with several manufacturers offering options for less than $300.
An f/1.4 is even blurrier, but these lenses sit at a much higher price point.

Telephoto Lens (Optional)

Contrary to popular belief, a lens with a longer focal length doesn’t actually create more blur. However, the longer the focal length, the more compressed (or closer) that background appears.
That brings that blur closer and tends to exaggerate the blur more than short lenses.
Background blur is exaggerated with a longer lens. But it’s still possible to get nice background blur with a wide angle lens.
Note that portrait photographers also tend to prefer longer focal lengths. These also tend to be more flattering.

How to Blur a Background Using Aperture

Gear is part of the equation, but the camera settings are just as essential. The camera setting that determines that background blur is called aperture. This refers to how wide (or narrow) the hole in the lens is.
Aperture is designated by f-numbers; higher numbers mean a smaller lens opening. An f/1.8 is a wide aperture, and f/11 is a narrow aperture.
A wide aperture will create what’s called a shallow depth of field. In an image with a shallow depth of field, very little of the image is in focus.
There may be an inch of distance in the image that’s sharp, and the rest of the objects outside that range is blurred. That shallow depth of field is key to getting that background blur.
The narrower your aperture is, the more of the image is sharp. That tiny bit of distance that’s in focus at f/1.8 expands as you increase the aperture.
A wide aperture creates that soft, blurred background. A narrow aperture leaves more of the image in focus.
Just because a wide aperture creates that blurred background doesn’t mean you always want to shoot portraits at the widest aperture that your lens allows. If you shoot a group photo at f/1.8, most of the group won’t be in focus.
That additional depth of field is needed when taking portraits of more than one person, unless everyone is standing the exact same distance from the camera.

Even when photographing a single person, don’t leave the aperture at the widest possible setting. A narrower aperture might be necessary to get both eyes in focus if the subject is standing at a slant.
The portrait background is an important part of the image in environmental portraits, for example. So use a narrower aperture to keep more of those background details intact.
So how do you adjust the aperture for that background blur? Use aperture priority mode on your camera, or, manual mode for more advanced users.
Every camera is a bit different. But typically in that aperture priority mode, one of the control wheels on the right side of the camera adjusts aperture. On some cameras/lenses, the aperture control is around the lens barrel.
You should see those f-numbers change as you move the control. This will be either on the screen or displayed on the viewfinder. If you’re unsure, consult your camera’s user manual.
As you adjust your aperture, make sure the shutter speed doesn’t fall too low. You’ll end up with an entirely different kind of blur (and not a pleasant one either).
As a guideline, you should be using a shutter speed with that bottom number at or higher than the lens you are using. A 50mm lens should use at least 1/50th handheld, for example.
If the shutter speed drops too low while in aperture priority mode, increase the camera’s ISO.
Aperture priority mode will get you started shooting those blurry backgrounds. But manual mode will help you balance it all and control the entire exposure. Learn more about manual mode here.

How to Blur a Background With Subject Placement

Aperture and gear plays a big role in how blurred that background looks. But there’s one more piece to the puzzle on soft backgrounds — and it’s the simplest of the bunch.
A lens focuses based on distance — something the same distance from the camera as the subject will be just as sharp.
The farther away the background is from the subject, the blurrier that background will be. If you take a portrait of someone leaning against a brick wall, even at f/1.8, that wall will only be slightly blurred.
Try taking a portrait of someone standing several feet in front of that same wall. The wall will create a much softer background.

Try moving the subject farther away from the background. Or add more empty space between the subject and the background. This will help create more of that blur.

How to Create Bokeh in a Blurred Background

Bokeh is a photography term that stems from a Japanese word meaning blur. Bokeh refers to the quality of the blur in an image. But it’s often also associated with the circular, out-of-focus points of light in an image.
Those blurry lights often create an excellent background. This leaves many new photographers asking how to create bokeh.
The answer is simple — create that background blur using gear, aperture and distance. But use a background with many points of light.
Christmas lights or twinkle lights in the background, for example, create excellent bokeh.
Twinkle lights aren’t the only way to create bokeh. Highlights or bright points in the background can also be rendered as circular bokeh. For example, the sun hitting the leaves on a tree in the background.
The lights of a city skyline, the glow of a crackling fireplace, a crumpled piece of tinfoil — there are many different ways to create bokeh. You just have to find it and mix with aperture, subject placement and gear.
Learn to look for lights and highlights. Then you’ll be able to find easy backgrounds that create excellent bokeh.

A blurred background is created through a mix of gear, aperture, and subject placement. Photographers can combine all three to create the most background blur. Or you can mix and match to what’s available.
If you don’t have a wide aperture lens, you can create more distance between the subject and the background. If you want the subject posed against a brick wall, you can use a wide aperture lens. It will make that background as soft as possible.
Remember, blurry backgrounds are a mix of:

• Gear (wide aperture lens, larger sensor)
• Aperture (lower numbers mean more blur)
• Distance between the subject and the background (more distance means more blur)

Adding in lights or simply highlights from the available natural light, adds circular, blurry lights to create excellent bokeh.
Used together, a blurred background can hide away all the distractions and draw the eye to the subject.

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Contrast is one of the most crucial components of a great photo.

If it’s not done correctly, you can end up with photos where the subject is lost in the moment and seemingly out of place within the frame.

Proper use of tonal contrast in photography is a good way to set the mood for your photos and grab a viewer’s attention.

The key is identifying your dominant tone and then choosing a complementary companion tone.

This contrast creates a visual sensation that effectively uses both tones to grab the viewer’s attention.

In this guide, you will learn how to use tonal contrast creatively and effectively.

Here are the topics covered:

• What is tonal contrast in photography?
• Why should you use tonal contrast in your composition?
• The difference between color contrast and tonal contrast
• 10 techniques to use tonal contrast creatively
• A self-check quiz to ensure you learned properly!

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Understanding Camera Sensor Size (And Why It Matters!)

By Hillary Grigonis

Related: Click Here

Camera sensor size can help you predict image quality before a camera even comes out of the box.

A camera’s sensor is the part of the camera actually capturing the image. It plays a big role in what the resulting image looks like.

But what does camera sensor size mean? And why does it matter?

Understand when you need a bigger camera sensor — and when you don’t — in this beginner’s guide.

Camera sensor size plays a major role in image quality. Image by Alexander Andrews.

Camera Sensor Sizes Explained

The camera sensor is like a single exposure of film. It can be used over and over again. Just like photography film comes in different sizes, digital cameras have different sensor sizes.

In a digital camera, the sensor is like a solar panel that gathers the light to create an image. A larger camera sensor will gather more light, creating a better image overall.

Camera sensor sizes are standardized. This makes it easy to compare the size of the sensor in one camera to the size of the sensor in another.

There is some variation, Canon’s APS-C is smaller, for example. But the variations are slight enough not to make a noticeable difference in the final image.

Excluding the expensive medium format digital camera, the standard camera sensor sizes are:

A camera sensor size chart

• Full frame: A full frame sensor is based on the size of 35mm film, measuring around 36 by 24mm. Full frame sensors are found in professional level DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. Some very high-end compact cameras also have it.
• APS-C: An APS-C sensor crops the full frame image by about 1.5x, measuring around 22 by 15mm. This is the size sensor found in most entry-level to mid-level DSLRs. Some mirrorless cameras such as Fujifilm’s, and sometimes a high-end compact camera also have it.
• Micro Four Thirds: The Micro Four Thirds sensor camera launched with the start of the mirrorless camera. It was to find a happy medium between camera size and image quality. The Micro Four Thirds sensor has a 2x crop compared to a full frame sensor, measuring 17.3 by 13mm. Olympus mirrorless cameras use a Micro Four Thirds sensor. So do most Panasonic mirrorless cameras.
• One inch: Designed for compact cameras, the one-inch camera sensor measures about 13.2 by 8.8 mm, with a 2.7x crop from full frame. A one-inch sensor is found in a high-end compact camera. It packs more quality than a compact camera, but not as much as a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
• Compact camera and smartphone sensor sizes: The sensors in typical compact cameras and smartphones have more variation. All of them are small considering the size of a full frame sensor. A 1/2.3-inch sensor is one of the most popular sizes, along with sizes like a 1/1.7-inch.

Cameras with a sensor smaller than full frame have what’s called a crop factor. Because the camera sensor is smaller, the image is cropped in closer.

Full-frame sensors offer the most quality. But there are a few perks to picking up a camera with a smaller sensor.

So what are the pros and cons of going with a large sensor compared to a small one?

The Pros and Cons of a Large Camera Sensor Size

Larger Camera Sensors Have Better Image Quality

Camera sensor size is one of the biggest indicators of image quality. Other influencing factors are the number of megapixels, the design of the camera sensor, and the camera’s processor.

Larger camera sensors capture images with more light, less noise, more detail, and more of that beautiful background blur, to name a few.

When comparing two cameras, if one has a larger sensor, that one will have better image quality.

Larger Camera Sensors Gather More Light

One of the reasons larger camera sensors mean a better image has to do with light. The larger the surface area of the sensor is, the more light it can gather in a single shot.

Larger camera sensors are excellent for low light photography for that reason. A larger camera sensor can gather more light even with the same shutter speed and aperture.

That’s why they tend to do better at any type of shot where the lighting is limited. For example, photographing a night landscape or photographing a theatre production, concert, or dark dance floor.

Larger Camera Sensors Handle High Megapixel Counts Better, With Less Noise

Camera sensor size and megapixel count go hand-in-hand. But a higher megapixel count is always better on a larger camera sensor than on a smaller one.

A 50-megapixel full frame sensor will have larger pixels than a 50-megapixel APS-C sensor. Those megapixels have more room on that larger sensor.

That’s why it’s much easier to find a 50-megapixel full-frame sensor than it is to find a 50-megapixel APS-C sensor.

More megapixels create a higher-resolution image with more details. But, trying to fit a lot of megapixels on a smaller sensor creates problems when it comes to low light photography. Those pixels are so small.

A small sensor with 25 megapixels will have more noise or grain at high ISOs than a full frame sensor with 25 megapixels.

Larger Camera Sensors Create More Background Blur

Ever wonder why you can’t get that nice soft background blur from your smartphone? Larger camera sensors make that nice soft background easier to attain. This is near impossible with a smaller sensor.

That’s why smartphone companies are faking background blur using artificial intelligence in portrait mode. The sensors are just too small for the real thing.

If you want that soft background blur or narrow depth of field, you want a full frame camera with a wide aperture lens.

Larger camera sensor sizes create more background blur in a number of different ways. The larger sensor size increases background blur due to the enlargement factor.

Larger sensors don’t crop the image. Photographers will also tend to get closer to the subject, which will also increase background blur.

Smaller Camera Sensors Allow for Better Zooms

Full frame cameras may take the cake when it comes to image quality and background blur. But if you want to get up close, a smaller sensor has a few perks.

The camera sensor’s crop factor means smaller sensors make it easy to get up close to the subject. Zoom lenses are also smaller and cheaper when designed for smaller sensor cameras.

For example, the Micro Four Thirds sensor has a 2x crop factor. That means a 300mm lens is really a 600mm lens.

One of the biggest perks to a smaller sensor is that it’s easier to get up close. Without carrying around a huge, $10,000 600mm full frame lens.

That’s a big consideration for photographers that can’t move closer to the subject. This includes wildlife photographers and sports photographers.

Smaller Camera Sensors Mean Smaller Cameras Overall

If the camera sensor is smaller, in general, the entire camera will also be smaller. That’s not true 100 percent of the time (like with the large Micro Four Thirds Olympus OM-D E-M1X).

But most of the time, smaller sensor cameras weigh less and are more compact.

If you want a good travel camera, a smaller sensor camera may be easier to pack. The growth of mirrorless camera changes this some.

It’s now easier to find a compact full frame camera than ever before. But most Micro Four Thirds and APS-C mirrorless cameras are still more compact.

The bigger reason that smaller sensors mean smaller camera systems is that the lenses are smaller. You can pack a 150mm lens to get the reach of a large 300mm lens on a Micro Four Thirds system, for example.

The perk is with the biggest telephoto lenses, the wide angle lenses won’t offer much of a difference.

Smaller Camera Sensors Are More Budget-Friendly

One of the biggest reasons to skip the full frame? The cost. Most full-frame cameras are professional-level gear.

Entry-level full frames can be picked up for around $1,200 to $1,500. But many are $2,000, $3,000 and even higher.  Click Here

Photographers on a budget can get most of the same perks by choosing a mid-sized sensor. Sure, an APS-C sensor isn’t quite as good as a full frame sensor. But it is way ahead of smartphones and compact cameras.

The entry-level options can be picked up for a few hundred dollars instead of a few thousand.

Some smaller sensor cameras are able to pack in more high-end features without getting too crazy with the price point.

Finding advanced features like 4K video and in-body image stabilization for under $1,500 is often easier with a Micro Four Thirds camera system.

Camera sensor size is the biggest indicator of image quality. It’s also important to note that it’s not the only quality indicator. More megapixels will increase detail (but also tend to decrease low light quality).

A backlit sensor is also better than a sensor of the same size that’s not backlit. The camera’s processor or built-in computer handling those images also play a role in image quality. Newer processors tend to produce less grain on the image than older processors.

The lens plays a role in image quality as well. Whether that lens is attached to the camera or interchangeable.

Larger camera sensors capture better images. This is especially true in low light, with more background blur and the potential for fitting in more megapixels.

Smaller camera sensors, meanwhile, offer more zoom, smaller overall camera sizes, and lower price points.

So what sensor size is right for you? If you want maximum background blur and the best low light quality, choose a full frame camera.

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Photo Credit: Garrett Morrow

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Film vs Digital Photography Debate (Which is Really Better?)

By Christopher Bryan-Smith 

Over the last 30 years, digital camera technology has taken great strides in quality and performance. Many photographers have turned to digital cameras for both work and pleasure. It seemed the demise of film photography was almost inevitable.

But there are still plenty of traditionalists flying the flag for film cameras. Seemingly immune to the features and functions of digital technology, they prefer the smell of film and the sound of the shutter. And many digital photographers are also returning to film and analogue photography.

Is it just a fad? Is it a retro fashion trend? Or, is this the tide turning on the digital vs photography debate?

We’ll look at some of the main areas of contention, such as resolution and dynamic range. Then, when the points have been counted, we’ll give our verdict.

Does Digital Have Better Resolution Than Film?

All photographers, whether film or digital, want beautifully crisp and vibrant photos. They want their images to stand out. That’s why the resolution is the perfect place to start the debate.

How does a roll of film compare to a digital sensor?

The resolution of a digital sensor is measured by the number of pixels they house. The more pixels the sensor has, the more detailed the image will be. Film doesn’t use pixels—the resolution is measured in ‘angular resolution.’

If we compare film with a digital sensor, it has a resolution range equivalent to 4 to 16 megapixels. The exact number depends on the film type you use.

For example, the Kodachrome 64 film has an effective comparison of around 10 megapixels. Entry-level DSLRs, such as the Canon EOS Rebel T7i, has a resolution of 24.2 megapixels. In this example, film falls behind.

Film Cameras Can Use Larger Format for Increased Resolution

So, it looks like digital cameras have an edge on resolution. But, film photographers are not limited to 35mm. When they need a higher image resolution, they can turn to medium or large format cameras.

Increasing the film size is like increasing the sensor size in a digital camera. It means you will have a higher image resolution.

Medium format film can reach a whopping 18cm x 6cm. Large format film is 4″ x 5″ (10.16 cm x 12.7 cm).

Medium format has an image resolution equivalent to an unfathomable 400 megapixels. Even the best digital sensor doesn’t come close to this.

In fact, digital technology limits the resolution of a medium photo image when scanned onto a computer. The scanned version falls somewhere between 50 and 80 megapixels. Large format reaches 200 megapixels, even after scanning.

Digital Cameras Are Best For Everyday Use

It’s important to remember that resolution and megapixels only count if you’re printing or enlarging your images with a computer.

So even though large format film cameras are in a different league to digital cameras, digital image resolution trumps film for everyday use.

But for specialist use, large and medium format film cameras offer a much higher resolution than digital. A medium format camera will also help your wallet. For example, a second-hand Mamiya medium format analogue camera ($250) has a higher resolution than Phase One’s latest system ($40,000).

Use Digital Cameras to Avoid Film Grain

Film photographers will be familiar with grain. It’s the granular texture you find on a photo, usually caused by low lighting.

With film, this is caused by a chemical reaction on the film’s light-sensitive emulsion. It’s the result of a lack of light reaching the particles.

In low light conditions, you’ll need a film with a higher ISO. The higher the ISO, the higher the ratio of silver halide crystals in the emulsion. It means the film is more sensitive to light, but there’s a greater risk of grain on the final photo.

In the digital world, this granular effect is called noise. This results from visual distortion, where the sensor has to deal with a lack of light.

Digital cameras have surpassed film when it comes to light sensitivity. Digital noise is is becoming less of a problem with every sensor upgrade. And, for a long time, this was the main purpose of digital photography.

But today, grain is coming back into fashion. People like the retro aesthetic of a grainy film photograph, especially in black and white.

Digital technology is superior to film if you want true-to-life colour photos without noise. For many photographers, that is what they’re looking for. Others are looking for something with a bit of mystique. They want a photo that looks like a piece of history. And for that you need film.

Digital Cameras Have Better Dynamic Range

Dynamic range refers to the amount of light a film or sensor can capture. If there is a section of your image with too much light, it might appear as a white blur. If there’s a lack of light, you get a patch of detail-less black.

Until recently, digital could not compete with film’s dynamic range. But now digital is starting to take the lead.

Achieving a better dynamic range in a digital system is a complex process. High-end sensors, powerful file compressors, and digital algorithms improve this aspect of digital photography.

Traditional film uses a dynamic range of 13 stops. Digital cameras are now reaching 14 stops, with the Sony A7R III system hitting almost 15.

Film was the dominant force in dynamic range, and they still beat low to mid-range digital cameras. But now the tide is turning, and some digital cameras are now leading the field.

Roger N. Clark conducted tests in 2005 demonstrating that high-end digital cameras showed a huge dynamic range. These were compared to analogue scans and prints, specifically Kodak Gold 200 and Fujichrome Velvia.

Digital cameras can capture sequential shots (e.g. HDR, Fusion, focus stacking). This can be a great advantage to their digital range.

Film Cameras are at a Disadvantage for Film Speed

The speed of film relates to its sensitivity to light, which is measured with ISO. The higher the ISO grade, the more sensitive the film.

Analogue film is available at speeds between 50 and 3200 ISO. You can also find ISOs of 6400. You can also “up-rate” the film by pushing the ISO speed, then develop the film for longer. This does affect the contrast, so they will have a distinctive look that is better suited to art than editorial.

Digital cameras now have broad ISO ranges built-in. A consumer camera like the Nikon D5 has an ISO range of 100 to 102400.

Digital Cameras can Change ISO at the Press of a Button

Digital cameras have another huge advantage. A film camera is limited to the ISO of the film you have installed, while with digital you can change the ISO by pressing a button. You can change the ISO from shot to shot.

Medium format cameras have interchangeable backs, but this is still limited. They are bulky, heavy, and not exactly cheap. Large format cameras use sheet film, so you load the camera for one shot at a time. It makes changing ISO easy, but you are limited by the sheets you have on you.

Digital Cameras Are More Expensive

When making any comparison, looking at the prices is always a good idea. Photography is no different, so we’ll look at the costs involved for both film and digital.

With digital, the camera itself is the biggest expense. A top-quality digital camera isn’t cheap. A full-frame mirrorless camera, such as the Sony A7R III, will cost almost $3,000. That’s just for the body alone.

Lenses and other equipment aren’t cheap either, but these are not unique to digital. A digital photographer will also need a computer. They might need photo editing software as well.

Of course, there are more affordable digital cameras, which are often sold with bundles of gear. A Nikon D3500 is a good example of this.

Using Film Costs More in the Long Run

You can find film cameras in second-hand shops or online at bargain prices. You might be happy with your purchase, but the camera is just a small part of the financial picture.

The first significant expenditure is the film. Unlike digital, you essentially have to pay for each shot you take. As long as you want to shoot, you will have to buy film. A roll of film won’t break the bank, but it will add up over time. The more you shoot, the more you have to pay.

If you take 180 images using Kodak Portra 400 Professional film, it could cost you $45. For older film cameras, the film it takes can be in short supply and even more expensive. This makes film photographers more pragmatic. They need to be.

The benefit here is that film photographers have to consider every shot. They can’t be wasteful, so they need to be precise in practice.

Digital photographers can be more trigger-happy. Even if they reach the limit of their memory card, they can delete images to create space. This allows for more trial and error.

Developing Film Takes Time and Money

You will also need to get the photos developed. You can go to a shop or send them off for development, but you’ll be charged for the service. This also takes time. It is possible to get photos developed in a few hours, but many services can take days.

Another strategy is to develop your photos at home. But the chemicals and equipment aren’t cheap, and not everyone has space for a darkroom in their house.

You’re Less Likely to Need to Upgrade Your Film Camera

As technology advances, you may feel the need to upgrade your digital camera. If you think your system is obsolete, you will want a new camera to keep up with the highest standards.

But the cycle of obsolescence is slow, especially with high-end machines. So you won’t need to upgrade for many years if you buy a good digital camera.

With film cameras, you’ll rarely think about buying an upgraded model. As long as they are in good condition, they will continue to function as intended. They don’t feel the pressure of their modern competitors.

It’s Cheaper to Share and Save Images With Digital

For digital, you will need a memory card. This is an added expense, but not so pay-as-you-go like buying rolls of film.

For $20, a CF memory card is available, allowing you to capture 160 images. It’s half the price of the film, and you can reuse it as many times as you need.

But, if you want to share your film photos online, the images will have to be scanned. Film developers can digitize the images for you, but you’ll have to pay extra. The other option is the buy a scanner.

Digital Photographs Are Much Quicker to Work With

Think about your workflow. If you use a digital system, it’s fast, convenient and efficient to capture a scene, edit and share online. From the click of the camera to online publication can take less than 10 minutes.

Film photography runs at an entirely different pace. Film is definitely the tortoise in this race.

Before you can even get your film developed, you have to complete the roll. If the image you want is shot one on the roll, you could be waiting a while. If you don’t shoot very often, then you need to be patient about seeing the images.

Once the roll is exhausted, it’s time for development. There are same-day services available, but usually you will be waiting a few days to get your photos back. Then, before you can share online, you will need to scan the images.

If you do opt for home development, there is a lot to learn. You need to mix the chemicals and keep them at the correct temperature. You’ll need to source all the equipment too. On top of everything, you’ll need enough space to do it.

Film Photography Can Be Inconvenient

Even before you take a shot, analogue photography takes time. Most medium and large format cameras won’t have light meters built-in, so a light reading may be necessary. And the lack of autofocus capabilities means you have to take your time capturing the shot.

In the convenience category, it seems that film has taken a beating. It’s true that digital is far more convenient in most respects. You can take a shot and share it online in minutes. If you’re a professional working to deadlines, then film is only going to cause problems.

If you work with film, you have to be patient. And, for many, the processes and the waiting are all part of the fun of analogue photography.

Conclusion

The final bell has rung and the points are being tallied up. In the battle of digital vs film photography, it seems that digital trumped film in most areas. But that’s only on paper. If digital is so much better, why does film continue to be so popular?

Good digital cameras are expensive, but once you have one, you can have unlimited shots. You can upload straight to your device and share images in minutes. You don’t need to buy more film or wait for them to be developed. Digital life can be a lot easier.

If you have tight deadlines, or if you need thousands of images, going digital will make your life a whole lot easier.

But photography isn’t just about meeting deadlines and convenience. Film photography still has a certain magic that digital can’t replicate. Every film camera has its unique quirks, and you never quite know how the photos will turn out. There’s a sense of creativity and mystery you don’t get with digital cameras.

On paper, digital looks to have won. But life isn’t only on paper. Film photography may not be as convenient as digital, but it allows you to indulge in the art of photography. That’s why it’s still so popular. And that’s why film isn’t going anywhere. 

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