Owner's Manual

48
BASIC OPERATION
the lens
until it stops. The viewfinder screen will
darken offering you a visual preview of the
depth-of-field . Another way of determining the
depth - of-field is to check the depth-of-field scale
engraved
on the lens barrel. The f-numbers appear
at
both sides of the focusing index mark indicating
the ~ear and far limits of depth for any given
focused distance and lens opening.
For example,
with the standard 50mm lens focused at 15ft . (5m),
depth-of-field at f/16 extends from 8ft. (2 . 5m) to
infinity (00) . This method is particularly useful at
small f/stops , when a visual preview of the
depth - of-field becomes difficult, because the view-
finder screen gets too dark .
• Selective
focus is a creative technique used by
many photographers to throw a distracting or
unimportant background (or foreground) out of
focus. Try using a slow film (ASA 100 or below) and
a
normal or telephoto lens. Focus on a subject close
to the camera. Then choose a fast shutter speed
which will permit the camera's AE control to select
a large
f/stop, such as f/1.4 - 4.
• For those shots which demand almost unlimited
depth-of-field, where every object in the photograph
appears sharp,
use your standard 50mm lens (or
better yet, a wide-angle) and focus about half-way in-
between
the nearest and farthest object. Adjust the
shutter speed dial until the meter needle in the
viewfinder points to f/16. If necessary , mount the
camera
on a tripod when slow shutter speeds
are required.