Instruction manual

14 | Get more from your digital SLR
Focusing
15
Through the viewfi nder
Compose your shot through the viewfi nder as normal but ensure that you’ve
set the aperture using either manual or aperture-priority exposure mode. At
this stage the image in the viewfi nder will be shown at the lens’ maximum
aperture, so you won’t see the effect of the aperture setting.
Depth-of-fi eld preview
T
he image you see through your D-SLR’s viewfi nder
is shown using the lens’ maximum aperture
(usually f/4 or f/5.6), so if you set a smaller
aperture there’ll be more of the scene in focus than
you see when you take the shot. This can mean that
elements in the background or foreground that were
blurred (or even invisible) in the viewfi nder become
visible and distracting in your fi nal shot. Most D-SLRs
offer a useful feature called depth-of-fi eld preview,
which gives you a much better idea of how the fi nal
image will look by stopping the lens down to the
aperture that you’ve set.
Press the depth-of-fi eld preview button
This will stop the lens down to the aperture that you’ve set on the camera,
but the image will look much darker than the normal viewfi nder image. To
allow you to see the effect you need to look through the viewfi nder for
some time while keeping the button pressed to give your eyes time to
adjust. After a while you’ll be able to make out more detail in the viewfi nder,
so start looking around the subject to check how much of the image is in
focus and whether any distractions are visible. The smaller the aperture the
darker the image, so the longer you need to wait for your eyes to adjust.
It’s much easier to see the
effects of this feature if the
camera and subject are static,
allowing you to make precise
changes to the settings or
subject before you take the fi nal
shot. While you can use it when
handholding the camera,
mounting it on a tripod will
mean that you can be sure that
it won’t move between you
checking the image and taking
the shot. Once you’ve got used
to the dark image in the
viewfi nder you can then use it
to either ensure you’ve got the
right amount of the image in
focus or that there aren’t any
distractions in the shot that you
need to account for before
taking your shot.
‹Using depth-
of-fi eld preview
Don’t be put off by the image as seen
through your camera’s viewfi nder – it’s
shown at the lens’ maximum aperture,
hence the minimal depth-of-fi eld.
Press the preview button and the
image in the viewfi nder will darken.
This is because the view is stopped
down to the aperture you’ve chosen.
›Viewfi nder view ›Depth-of-fi eld preview
‹The depth-of-fi eld
preview button
On many D-SLRs the depth-of-
fi eld preview button is located at
the base of the lens mount. On
others it can be located in the
menu or near the on/off switch.
FINAL IMAGE