Why does everyone like DOF preview buttons?

[5stringdeath]

As an aside funny to this, while randomly googling this issue (cause I'm waiting for prints to wash) I stumbled across this response to a discussion of the DOF preview button on DSLRs:

"“Of course in digital photography it doesn't take a lot to access DOF by actually taking the shot and assessing it in review mode on the camera's LCD. And in film it’s not needed because the aperture is changed manually"

[photomem]

Well, with my old digital camera I had plenty of lenses that I had to set the aperture manually. I would thing that a DOF preview would be pointless on a digital, since you could just shoot it and look at it. On that note, I was doing a shoot for a coffee shop the other day.. the owner kept asking me if she could see the pictures. I told her sure, give me about 3 days.

[lxdude]

Aw, Geez. We poor pitiful film users don't even know about auto-diaphragm lenses. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[alanrockwood]

I use it occasionally, earlier this afternoon for example.

I actually don't think it gives a fully realistic impression of depth of field. I believe the depth of field is typically a little narrower than it appears in the darkened view finder, but the depth of field preview is at least somewhat helpful in some cases.

[photomem]

I wonder what the AF on my 645AF stands for then? Oh... it must have been designed for the Air Force..

[MFstooges]

I always use DOF when I need critical assesment. I love DOF button in fact there were times when I tried to find the button on my motorcycle

[Soeren]

I use it occasionally, earlier this afternoon for example.

I actually don't think it gives a fully realistic impression of depth of field. I believe the depth of field is typically a little narrower than it appears in the darkened view finder, but the depth of field preview is at least somewhat helpful in some cases.

Offcource it is. You are watching a 24X36mm area at best, which is to be enlarged up to .......
Doing close ups and macro shots I used the DOF button a lot both for evaluating DOF, for accessing OOF areas and to look if I get hexagonal highlights anywhere in the image.
Best regards

[Poisson Du Jour]

Depth of field can be more accurately ascertained with a magnifier attached to the eyepiece: it's pretty darned hard otherwise. Note that with ultra-wide angle lenses of 17mm+ you won't gain much from using the DOF preview button because the depth is so great in UWA optics. As noted in other posts, the viewfinder darkens and this is not a welcome development in low light, which is when most of my photography takes place; for such times I use the DOF markings on my 24mm lens to set hyperfocal.

[Worker 11811]

One of the reasons I didn't buy a new digital camera and went back to using good, old film was because of focus and depth of field control. I could not find those controls on any digital camera that I liked which was in my budget.

I use a Canon Digital Rebel at work. It is a nice camera. I like the auto focus features but there are plenty of times when it screws me up.
There are some subjects such as open sky or close-focus situations where the camera can't "lock" focus. You are forced to turn off the auto focus feature and focus manually. There are also a lot of times when I want to control depth of field and/or exposure. I don't want to have to go through 9,000 fiddly little menu screens to get to something I could just use my finger to flip a button for.

I would rather just press a lever for DOF preview.
I would rather simply twist the focus ring.
I would rather press a button or twist a knob to change shutter speed on the fly.

I want to feel as though the camera is transparent to getting the shot. I have yet to find a good, affordable digital camera where I can get that "becoming one with the camera" feeling.

I have two Pentax 35mm cameras. The one that I find myself wanting to use the most is the one with the fewest automatic features. I prefer the ME-Super over in Aperture priority mode to the Super Program in full-auto mode. If I could get my K-100 to work right I'd probably use it even more. If the ME-Super had a DOF preview like the Super Program does I'd probably only use the ME-Super unless I want to shoot two kinds of film.

When I see a shot, I can focus, twist-click the f-stop, check the meter, recheck the focus and have the shot in about 2 seconds. If and when I want DOF preview, I know just where to reach with my finger to press the lever. I bet I have missed more shots with the automatic Digital Rebel than I have with my Pentaxes.

Regardless of whether you use a digicam or a real camera, you often only have one chance to get the shot. I hate having to press buttons or take 3 shots and delete two of them, only to miss getting the shot you really wanted in the first place.

[Steve Smith]

I think the only time I use the depth of field control on a camera is to test if it works!


Steve.