Congratulations to MagnumV8, the December 2021 Ride of the Month (ROTM)

Actually, its not. If you have a decent lens, you have to figure out how to NOT have that shallow depth of field unless that's what you're going for. Even many smartphone cameras are at least partially capable.

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You got that right, Zorb. When I first got into SLR's many years ago, I destroyed many family pictures (front row in focus, back row not so much...) before trying to figure it out.
 
You got that right, Zorb. When I first got into SLR's many years ago, I destroyed many family pictures (front row in focus, back row not so much...) before trying to figure it out.
I have an interesting combination that lives on one of my DSLRs pretty much full time. Its a Minolta 50mm, F-1.2 lens with a Minolta flash (1800?) that only fires full power on a newer DSLR, no proportional control. I leave the camera on aperture priority stopped down to F22 and let the flash do its over-flashing. The result is a semi-macro setup - about 10-12 inches with essentially infinite DOF that gives me very well lit pix. Since there is no proportional control over this flash, sometimes I have to alter settings and/or turn off the flash, but 99% of the time, this works fantastically. My other DSLR has a better flash and I'm more likely to actually swap lenses on it - most of the time I keep a Sigma 17-35 mounted.
 
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Well, I'm not an expert, but this is my understanding. The f-stop (or f-number) is not directly aperture. F-Stop is a value calculated based on aperture at a given focal length (f-stop = focal length / aperture diameter). On most lenses, if your f-stop is 3.5 for example, and then you zoom in from 35mm (no zoom) to 100mm (zoomed in), your f-stop will increase to something like 5.6 even though the aperture stays the same. The f-stop also changes if you change the aperture without changing the focal length. There are lenses which can maintain a consistent f-stop regardless of focal length - and those are the expensive ones usually with gigantic objective lenses (the front lens).

This stuff is fun if you get into it.
Your understanding is correct :) I was just trying to eliminate any potential confusion about aperture size in your original comment. You said "(a) smaller aperture gives wider depth of field, and a larger aperture gives a narrow depth of field." This is completely correct - BUT - some may confuse "smaller aperture" and "smaller f/stop (aka smaller number)".

For those curious...
The f-stop, aka f-number, f-ratio, is the ratio of the aperture opening to the focal length. The "f" in "f-stop" actually refers to focal length. The "stops" that we see and refer to represent one-full EV (exposure value). So, all other things being equal, adjusting from f/2.8 to f/4.0 will result in a one-EV reduction in exposure.

E.X. say you have a 200mm lens with the aperture set of f/4. Plugging in the numbers and you get 200mm / 4, or an aperture opening of 50mm.

This can get confusing, since the larger f-number results in less exposure. Few people understand what the "F" in f-stop means and even fewer understand that it represents a ratio, though I find it helps some people to think of it more in terms of a fraction. If a f/4 aperture is equal to 1/4; a f/16 aperture is equal to 1/16 - so the the 1/4 aperture is larger. Using the previous 200mm example, if you set the aperture to f/16, your aperture opening drops down to 200mm / 16 = 12.5mm.

For those wondering why aperture opening is important - it's one of only 3 ways to adjust how much light is captured on an image (the other two is shutter speed - aka how long the shutter curtain stays open, and film speed (aka how sensitive the film or imagine sensor is set to). Being able to "open up" a lens down to f/2.8 regardless of focal length allows for very cool things and is important in fast-moving actions, like sports, racing, wildlife, etc.

You are correct about apertures changing with focal length changes. Consumer grade glass will only typically allow the max aperture at the lowest focal length. Professional series glass will often be able to maintain aperture regardless of focal length (like my beefy Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8). This is referred to as "constant aperture".
 
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I have an interesting combination that lives on one of my DSLRs pretty much full time. Its a Minolta 50mm, F-1.2 lens with a Minolta flash (1800?) that only fires full power on a newer DSLR, no proportional control. I leave the camera on aperture priority stopped down to F22 and let the flash do its over-flashing. The result is a semi-macro setup - about 10-12 inches with essentially infinite DOF that gives me very well lit pix. Since there is no proportional control over this flash, sometimes I have to alter settings and/or turn off the flash, but 99% of the time, this works fantastically. My other DSLR has a better flash and I'm more likely to actually swap lenses on it - most of the time I keep a Sigma 17-35 mounted.
The old Minolta 1800 AF is a nice compact flash, a small bounce card and rubber band help with overexposure indoors!
 
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Your understanding is correct :) I was just trying to eliminate any potential confusion about aperture size in your original comment. You said "(a) smaller aperture gives wider depth of field, and a larger aperture gives a narrow depth of field." This is completely correct - BUT - some may confuse "smaller aperture" and "smaller f/stop (aka smaller number)".

For those curious...
The f-stop, aka f-number, f-ratio, is the ratio of the aperture opening to the focal length. The "f" in "f-stop" actually refers to focal length. The "stops" that we see and refer to represent one-full EV (exposure value). So, all other things being equal, adjusting from f/2.8 to f/4.0 will result in a one-EV reduction in exposure.

E.X. say you have a 200mm lens with the aperture set of f/4. Plugging in the numbers and you get 200mm / 4, or an aperture opening of 50mm.

This can get confusing, since the larger f-number results in less exposure. Few people understand what the "F" in f-stop means and even fewer understand that it represents a ratio, though I find it helps some people to think of it more in terms of a fraction. If a f/4 aperture is equal to 1/4; a f/16 aperture is equal to 1/16 - so the the 1/4 aperture is larger. Using the previous 200mm example, if you set the aperture to f/16, your aperture opening drops down to 200mm / 16 = 12.5mm.

For those wondering why aperture opening is important - it's one of only 3 ways to adjust how much light is captured on an image (the other two is shutter speed - aka how long the shutter curtain stays open, and film speed (aka how sensitive the film or imagine sensor is set to). Being able to "open up" a lens down to f/2.8 regardless of focal length allows for very cool things and is important in fast-moving actions, like sports, racing, wildlife, etc.

You are correct about apertures changing with focal length changes. Consumer grade glass will only typically allow the max aperture at the lowest focal length. Professional series glass will often be able to maintain aperture regardless of focal length (like my beefy Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8). This is referred to as "constant aperture".
Spot on! You never cease to amaze me, PC.
 
I think the rules need to be changed for the ROTM contest. No filters.
All photo's need to be taken using a Poloroid and photos submitted to @Chris via USPS. The use a Poloroid will prevent photo enhancement.
camera.jpg
 
If you want to win a goodie bag you have to filter your photo..this is key.
I never got my goodie bag because TRE decided to bail. :rolleyes:
I also didn't use any filters (other than what's built into my Samsung Galaxy.)
 
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Ha
Pinhole camera FTW!
HA! That reminds me of the "science experiment" where you put a pin hole in a piece of cardboard against a window. Bright day, dark room, the cardboard will present a "photograph" of the scene against the opposing wall. I think I'm going to take a picture of my jeep from a cardboard pinhole against the wall photograph...How is that for artistic effect!
 
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If you really want to have a mystery photo check out a Holga. Pure analog, just right for @Zorba
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/sear...MI1I3fs4Og9QIVJ2tvBB149wgMEAAYASAAEgIBBPD_BwE
I’ve been playing with one of these for about ten years. The camera decides what you get most of the time.
Gotta love this: "Shutter Speeds: 1/100 sec. and Bulb"

I have had the occasional urge to mess with medium format - perhaps a SeaGull TLR. Or hell, maybe even a view camera. Worked with a guy who had a Hasselblad.
 
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