Are there any cameras that can do aperture / DOF bracketing (e.g., automatically take 3-5 consecutive shots at different f-stops … f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, etc.)?
If so, which cameras are you aware of that can do this and what is the setting called in the menu system?
Is auto-exposure bracketing that most all cameras have not what you want; you want the camera to change ISO or shutter speed to maintain the same exposure?
Interesting idea, varying degree of background blur in the choice presented to a client. But I am not certain that a portrait client could actually appreciate the subtlety of varied level of background blur in choosing between poses! This graphic depicts the degree of background blur graphically at various distances behind the plane of optimal focus, shooting head & shoulders framing with 100mm lens.
Interesting idea, varying degree of background blur in the choice presented to a client. But I am not certain that a portrait client could actually appreciate the subtlety of varied level of background blur in choosing between poses! This graphic depicts the degree of background blur graphically at various distances behind the plane of optimal focus, shooting head & shoulders framing with 100mm lens.
OK another want that rubs me the wrong way. Why have a camera do something that you can easily do yourself. In this case just set your whiz bang automatic camera to Aperature Priority and change the f/stop manually?
People forget all this automatic stuff today’s camera can do is still a machine that is not actually seeing the subject like we do and therefor quite often gets it wrong. It is like a reflective light meter reads the amount of light it is pointed at. It doesn’t know it is a white wall, a grey wall, or a black wall- so you, as a human being has to step in and help it out.
Norm Shapiro wrote:
OK another want that rubs me the wrong way. Why have a camera do something that you can easily do yourself. In this case just set your whiz bang automatic camera to Aperature Priority and change the f/stop manually?
People forget all this automatic stuff today’s camera can do is still a machine that is not actually seeing the subject like we do and therefor quite often gets it wrong. It is like a reflective light meter reads the amount of light it is pointed at. It doesn’t know it is a white wall, a grey wall, or a black wall- so you, as a human being has to step in and help it out....Show more →
Why? Time, efficiency and framing consistency. Auto bracketing a burst of 3-5 images can often be handheld while maintaining subject framing. It is impossible for me (and I suspect most other humans) to operate the aperture control ring or dial without upsetting the composition. For fast moving subject, manually changing the aperture and capturing consecutive image is mostly impossible too.
I've asked for aperture and shutter speed bracketing with constant exposure for years and gotten zero traction. It is ironic that retro-committed Pentax is the only company offering this feature.
Shutter speed bracketing with variable aperture and/or ISO at constant exposure would be my preferred function. With moving subjects I constantly struggle to guess the minimum shutter speed needed to freeze motion without incurring too heavy a noise penalty with higher ISO. Being able to capture bursts of 1/500 @ ISO1600, 1/1000 @ ISO3200, 1/2000 @ ISO 6400 would often guarantee getting one sharp image. But then I'd have the option to choose the least noisy if both the 1/1000 and 1/2000 shots were sharp. Otherwise, I'm shooting at 1/2000 to be sure I'm stopping movement but potentially dealing with more noise than I need to if a slightly slower shutter would have captured an equally sharp image.
@Norm Shapiro - For inanimate subjects, no problem doing that. But when I'm doing portraits, I prefer to avoid having my subject hold poses / smiles longer than necessary while switching settings multiple times per scene. 1st shot...3 dial clicks...2nd shot...3 dial clicks...3rd shot...3 dial clicks, and then reset back to the original aperture is a hassle when I've got dozens of poses to shoot.
@jeffbuzz - Great idea about shutter speed bracketing for action
jmreese wrote:
Are there any cameras that can do aperture / DOF bracketing (e.g., automatically take 3-5 consecutive shots at different f-stops … f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, etc.)?
If so, which cameras are you aware of that can do this and what is the setting called in the menu system?
I just tried an experiment with my A7V. S setting, fixed ISO, Cont. Bracket drive mode. It took a few images with different apertures. Number of images and the step are adjustable. Is this what you're looking for? It's safe to say that other Sony cameras should do it, and maybe other brands too, just need to know the right settings to force it to adjust F-stops instead of SS or ISO. Pretty sure my old RX10 IV did it as well.
jmreese wrote:
@Malka_1@ - I'll have to experiment with that, thank you!
Let me now how it goes! I believe this feature auto-advances 1 of the exposure triangle settings when the other two are locked. In manual mode, it does that with ISO. The nature of it is that exposure will be all over the place. I suppose a lot of it can be recovered in post-processing esp. if starting off under-exposed.
