DEPTH OF FIELD & BOKEH

Today I installed my 50mm F1.7 Prime lens to my K5, and headed for Lower Cromane, my mind set was that I have done the views to death, so try something different! I decided to leave the lens at F1.7, and concentrate on taking photos that show how narrow the depth of field is at very wide apertures. The following photos show the effect.

As can be seen here a very shallow depth of field exists.

Great Bokeh here

This shows another effect of wide apertures, how sharpness falls off at the outer edges of the photo.

When you want an item to be the main object in a photo, you throw the background out of focus, this is easily achieved with a fast lens.

The depth of field is usually inches at F1.7, don't confuse it with macro where the DOF can be fractions of an inch/mm

The centre of the lens at F1.7 is the sharpest point.

This centre spot focus can be seen here

The Lichen on this rock show a very narrow DOF at minimum focus distance.

This cleat knot focal point shows, how both foreground and background are out of focus at F1.7.

An outboard engine cowl, shows the DOF reducing along the Yamaha logo.

Oooppss, a deviation to re focus the eyes, this was at F8, lots of DOF

Back to the short focus.

Another deviation, can't miss these shots F8 again

Tractor tire tread, fading away

Focus on the tractors front wheel, and the rear is well out of focus.

Pallets, focus close on end grain, shows very short DOF

Three rocks, focus on the front rock, shows DOF fade towards rear rock.

Focus on foreground, iron work behind out of focus, see next photo

As previous photo, but focus shifted to iron work, now foreground is thrown out of focus

Another foreground focus

Another Landscape catches my eye, so F8 again. lots of DOF

Back to foreground focus

foreground focus on the evil Gorse 

And just to get our eyes back to normality, another F8 landscape.

I hope this wide aperture effects study has been useful to those of you that want to get this effect, but don't now how its done, similar effects can be achieved using telephoto lenses, so if you don'y have a super fast F 1.7 lens, then use you tele lens.

All photos Pentax K5, Pentax 50mm F1.7 Prime lens