Your depth of field preview button can do much more than just strain your eyes
Written by: Rod Barbee
Source: http://www.barbeephoto.com/articles/dof.htm
DOF Preview button on a typical DSLR
“This button just makes everything darker, it’s useless.” I’ve heard this many times from beginning as well as experienced photographers. The first part of what they say is true but the second isn’t; they’ve yet to discover the many uses of the depth of field preview button.
Not all cameras have one and if you’re new to photography you may not even know what it is. When you’re looking through your camera, what you see isn’t necessarily what you’ll get on film; if you’re using a single lens reflex camera, as you look through the viewfinder you’re looking through the lens at its widest aperture setting, which may or may not be the aperture chosen for your picture.
The DOF preview button has several practical uses:
- Detecting hotspots.
- Detecting dark spots.
- Detecting unwanted elements (or “Intruder alert”).
- Finding the best background.
- Placing a graduated neutral density filter.
- Optimize the range of focus for your main subject.
- Pre-visualize underexposure.
- Detecting lens flare problems.
- Detecting vignetting from stacking filters and lens hoods.
- Use the DOF preview button as a compositional aid.
Your depth of field preview button can do much more than just strain your eyes. If your camera has this valuable tool, be sure to use it to its full potential.
To read the article in its full glorious detail elaborating on each points above, please go to Rod’s article at http://www.barbeephoto.com/articles/dof.htm.
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