S2 Is Dof

[akajp4]

Do any of you have a problem with getting any real DOF control out of the S2 IS? I bought this camera last night so I'm by no means an expert on the camera but I have been shooting on 35mm SLR equipment for a couple years. When I shoot in Ap priority using either 2.7 or 8.0 I don't see any real difference in the DOF. I'm shooting at the widest setting (obviously or I wouldn't be able to get 2.7) across a room that's about 30' wide. When focusing on an object about 2' in front of the lense, chairs in the background that are about 20' away have the same clairty at 2.7 and 8.0. What am I missing here?

[timmciglobal]

The sensor is 1/6th the size GREATLY increasing the dof at any apature.

The only way to get a narrow DOF on a P&S is to use the long end of zoom at near limit to focus usually.

Tim

[akajp4]

Thank you. You were spot on. Working in 35mm it never even occured to me. So I'm assuming even if I went to a DSLR I would still experience some of this same problem (to a much lesser degree) unless I get a full frame sensor.

[BowerR64]

The sensor is 1/6th the size GREATLY increasing the dof at any apature.

The only way to get a narrow DOF on a P&S is to use the long end of zoom at near limit to focus usually.

Tim

You can do it 3 ways ive found on the S2. One is the long end of zoom, second is using macro, and then super macro.

stepping back a bit then using zoom, if your close the maco isnt bad, then super can work depending on how you use it.

THe lens on the S2 is somthing like a 70mm -400mm isnt it?

[AaronBBrown]

THe lens on the S2 is somthing like a 70mm -400mm isnt it?

36mm - 432mm

[akajp4]

Thanks for your replies. After toying around with the S2 IS this weekend, I've come to the conclusion that it's not for me. I'm sure it's a great camera but it doesn't meet my needs.

The first strike for me was the difficulty with any real control of the DOF throughout the zoom range (I should have researched this specifically before picking up the camera - my fault).

The second strike against it is the display is far to laggy for me to be really selective with my shots. (I was suprised by this because I have a cheap 3.1MP compact that has no real lag at all...not sure what to make of that.)

Last it was just too small for my hands. When I first played with the camera in the store it was a bit on the small size but I thought I would adjust. In practice this just became more irritating to me.

I'm glad I had a chance to play around with the S2 IS...it quickly helped me decide that a DSLR is really what I should be shooting for.

All in all a nice camera and great for most people. The IS was especially nice, something I will miss on a DSLR...back to using a tripod I guess.

[BowerR64]

It can be laggy if alot of theauto stuff is on. If you need an SLR you should get one. I wanted one in the begining but i found they all use compact flash and battery packs. The S2 is a nice stepping stone to hold me off a while till teh SLRs update to the SD memory and hopefuly they will get the hint we dont want battery packs. NiMH works so well and is so easy to find that it just seems like the better way to go for me. In a pinch i cant use alkalines and they are much cheaper then a propriatary pack.

I had a little trouble with it at the start also then it grew on me. Once i got into the functions

http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y191/BowerR64/Camera/th_DOF1.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y191/BowerR64/Camera/DOF1.jpg)

[K1W1]

The S2 is a nice stepping stone to hold me off a while till teh SLRs update to the SD memory and hopefuly they will get the hint we dont want battery packs. NiMH works so well and is so easy to find that it just seems like the better way to go for me. In a pinch i cant use alkalines and they are much cheaper then a propriatary pack.
http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y191/BowerR64/Camera/th_DOF1.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y191/BowerR64/Camera/DOF1.jpg)

Not trying to start flame war but the Nikon D50 uses SD, is a DSLR so you can control DOF as much as you want and even though it uses a proprietory LiIon battery pack you get nearly 1000 shots per charge (yes, even using the LCD viewfinder to review every shot) so there is really no need to worry about spare batteries. I doubt whether you will ever see a DSLR with standard AA's as the only source of power but you can already get battery grips for the D50 that use AA's if you really want.

[timmciglobal]

Battery packs really arn't an issue in dSLR's.

It sounds crazy but 2 batteries on my 20D and I usually swap only out of heavy use of IS and thats over a long day. dSLR's take nearly no energy when not taking a photo as the sensor isn't always on its just a mirror giving you the view.

The biggest dSLR issue is the images have narrower dof which isn't a good thing always. Taking a group photo with a dSLR is much harder then a point and shoot. Cost of lenses is another issue. 399 gets you a pretty good lens on S2, the same lens will run you quite a bit more for a dSLR.

Tim

[JTL]

Yeah to that...I have an S2 and a 350D dSLR with a Sigma 18-200 lens. While the picturces from the 350D/Sigma have an overall pleasing quality, there's no doubt about it, the lens on the S2 is sharper! So, the point is, for the price of just one cheap, not as sharp dSLR lens you can have a whole very good camera with a great lens...

[BowerR64]

Battery packs really arn't an issue in dSLR's.

It sounds crazy but 2 batteries on my 20D and I usually swap only out of heavy use of IS and thats over a long day. dSLR's take nearly no energy when not taking a photo as the sensor isn't always on its just a mirror giving you the view.

The biggest dSLR issue is the images have narrower dof which isn't a good thing always. Taking a group photo with a dSLR is much harder then a point and shoot. Cost of lenses is another issue. 399 gets you a pretty good lens on S2, the same lens will run you quite a bit more for a dSLR.

Tim

The 20D uses 1390mAh packs. Rechargable AAs are at 2500mah now, at only $10. a pack.

I would just rather chose what i wanted to use not be forced to use a pack because thats all that fits in it.