Depth-of-Field (More info relating to this topic) When a certain subject is brought into focus, there is only a limited range in the foreground and background of the subject which can be kept clearly in focus. This zone of sharpness in the subject field is depth-of-field.
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There are two methods of confirming the extent of the depth of the field: by stopping down the lens diaphragm or by reading a value from the depth-of-field scale on the lens.
Confirming the Depth-of-Field by: 1). Stopping-Down the Lens Diaphragm. Wind the film and determine the aperture required for the subject by metering, then set the f/stop by turning the aperture ring after disengaging the aperture ring from the "A" mark. 2). Press the stopped-down lever until it locks. Once locked, the depth-of-field can be checked by looking into the viewfinder. Thus, the extent of the depth-of-field can be seen as the zone of sharpness in the subject field observed on the screen. When the stoppeddown lever's release button is pressed, full aperture metering will be restored.
3). After having turned the aperture ring to the maximum f/stop on the lens, reset it to the "A" mark. Otherwise, you will not be able to obtain the correct automatic exposure for the next shot.
Stopping-down of the FD lenses should only be done after advancing the film. Should you not advance the film, the stopping-down of the lens diaphragm would only be possible up to the previous exposures aperture. Also, when the aperture ring is set at the "A" mark, the stopped-down lever cannot be pressed.
Generally, the depth-of-field will become deeper as the aperture becomes smaller, and shallower as the aperture becomes larger. A shorter focal length as well as a greater subject distance will also attain deeper zone of depth-of-field. Comparing an interchangeable 28mm lens with a standard 50mm lens set at the same f/stop, the 28mm lens's depth-of-field will be greater. And when the photographic distance changes, the depth-of-field changes, too. For example, if the same subject is photographed from three and then from seven meters away, the foreground and background of the subject will be deeper at the greater distance.