compact camera with decent depth-of-field

[phatmanace]

could anyone recommend a compact digital camera that can do decent depth of field*?

happy to spend up to about £350

-ace

• in case I've screwed up my terminology, what I mean by depth of field - I'm referring to being able to take photos with blurred background and in-focus foreground, which I think always looks nice with portraits.

[GetCarter]

Any camera that can do Speed priority, aperture priority or manual will let you alter the depth of field. (that's every camera compact or otherwise I've ever owned, but doubtless there will be some out there that are rubbish).

FYI On Canons they are listed as Tv, AV and M and on Nikon as S, A and M

Check out the Canon S95... it's fab.

ETA actually I lied, my first camera was a Kodak Instamatic, and only had a shutter release.


Here you go. This was just taken with the S95 in aperture priority mode at f2.8 (giving a very narrow depth of field)

Edited by GetCarter on Thursday 11th August 08:23

[havoc]

Most "adjustable" compacts will do decent bokeh...it's the large depth-of-field they struggle with, I assume because they only have small front elements.

e.g. My Canon A560 does f/2.6 to f/5.5 (odd #s but that's what it says).

[Crafty_]

Aperture is a calculation of focal length and lens iris, e.g.

50mm focal length / 5mm iris opening = f10.

I assume the relatively short focal lengths that compacts use (due to a high crop factor) has an effect here, thus the odd f stops ?

[Cabinet Enforcer]

GetCarter said:

Any camera that can do Speed priority, aperture priority or manual will let you alter the depth of field. (that's every camera compact or otherwise I've ever owned, but doubtless there will be some out there that are rubbish).

There are plenty of bottom end compacts that only stretch to Program mode. Plus a lot of the cheaper models have just 2 or 3 f-stop settings or are pretty slow anyway.

OP asked for a 'decent' DoF, assuming this means narrow, then that means a bigger sensor and a reasonably fast lens. The new fuji X100 fits the bill with its aps-c sensor and f2 lens, but it is £950.

One of the new mini-SLR type cameras like a sony NEX or an olympus PEN might fit the bill, combined with a pancake lens but budget is an issue again, and it won't really be 'compact'

There is only one genuinely compact camera in your budget with a large sensor, and that's the Sigma DP2s, the newer DP2x hasn't quite dropped to £350 yet. I wouldn't necessarily recommend one to a newbie though, high ISO isn't exactly a strongpoint or operation speed, very much an acquired taste all round.

[RobDickinson]

Crafty_ said:

I assume the relatively short focal lengths that compacts use (due to a high crop factor) has an effect here, thus the odd f stops ?

Compacts can have quite fast lenses in comparison. usually say a 3mm to 7mm lens (in real terms) so it doesnt take much of an opening to get f2.8.

The downside is that as you shrink the sensor your increasing depth of field, all to do with magnification and circle of confusion + the relatively short real focal lengths.

To have the best chance of usable dof you want the largest sensor you can find ( S95/G12 size) and a fast lens (f2.0 or f2.8) at the longest focal length ( P&S are usually variable aperture so much slower at the long end)

You can 'force' these cameras to produce very shallow DOF by focusing close ( closer = shallower dof), but then as soon as you want to isolate a subject at any kind of distance it starts to fall apart a bit.

If your really keen then something like the X100 will do (aps-c sensor, fast fixed lens) or a m43rds with a 20mmf1.7, neither option is that cheap..!

[LongQ]

Canon S95, as demonstrated by Mr. Carter, seems to fit the requirement quite well with street current prices at £320.

I agree with Rob on the m4/3rds suggestion and a few of the older (though not that old) models are near the price point though not necessarily with the required lens. It would offer a way forward though since the interchangeable lenses provide for some flexibility when required. However to go that way would tempt one into spending more than the budget.

[RobDickinson]

An Oly E-PL1 is what about £250 for a kit, and £200-300 for the 20mmf1.7?

[NDA]

GetCarter said:

Any camera that can do Speed priority, aperture priority or manual will let you alter the depth of field. (that's every camera compact or otherwise I've ever owned, but doubtless there will be some out there that are rubbish).

FYI On Canons they are listed as Tv, AV and M and on Nikon as S, A and M

Check out the Canon S95... it's fab.

ETA actually I lied, my first camera was a Kodak Instamatic, and only had a shutter release.


Here you go. This was just taken with the S95 in aperture priority mode at f2.8 (giving a very narrow depth of field)

Steve, there's a pube on 29.

Deal with it.