Manual Focus Usage

[sand_dnas]

I have seen the photographs on the net in which (for example), only a bird or a butterflly is seen clearly and rest of the things in the background and foreground are not clear, lik e they are not in focus.

I want to know how to get that effect?

ITs like that at a distance from the camera the lens are focussed and anything in that focus will be clear and rest of the things will be out of focus. The photograph looks amazing when the Object is in motion.

Please send me the tips and tricks to acheive that effect with my Canon S2IS.

[JTL]

I have seen the photographs on the net in which (for example), only a bird or a butterflly is seen clearly and rest of the things in the background and foreground are not clear, lik e they are not in focus.

I want to know how to get that effect?

ITs like that at a distance from the camera the lens are focussed and anything in that focus will be clear and rest of the things will be out of focus. The photograph looks amazing when the Object is in motion.

Please send me the tips and tricks to acheive that effect with my Canon S2IS.It has nothing to do with manual focus and everything to do with understanding and controlling Depth of Field. Type "DOF Tutorial" into Google and start reading...

[berniej]

In close shots (macro, portrait) try having as much distance as possible between the subject and the background. You should then achieve a nice blur to the background. If that is what you want of course. I like a little environment with my subjects but that is just me.

[Andrizzle]

The effect you're looking for is difficult, but not impossible to achieve on the S3. It doesn't require manual focus, but you do need to change some other settings.
If you aren't familiar with the manual controls on your camera (aperture and Shutter speed for example) then I would suggest using Av mode. This allows you to pick an aperture, and the camera will take care of the rest.

In order to have a shallow depth of field (fewer things in focus) you need a very low aperture number. If you are zoomed all the way out, the lowest number you can get is a 2.7, and if you're zoomed all the way in the lowest you can get is a 3.5. In Av mode, select the lowest Av you can, the Aperture will be shown at the bottom of the screen, and you change if by using the down button.

berniej was also right, the further the background is from your subject, which the camera is focused on, the easier it is to achieve the effect. Another thing that I have found that helps is to stand far away from your subject and zoom in on them.

So those are the basics for depth of field on the S3. There isn't a whole lot more you can do. The good news is that if you ever decide to upgrade to a dSLR, the effect will be much easier to achieve.

Now the other thing you mentioned isn't depth of field, but panning. That's the photo where it looks like something is in motion. It's difficult to get the hang of, but you move the camera with a fast moving subject. It is tricky because instead of using a really fast shutter speed to freeze the subject, you want to use a slightly slower one in order get that effect.

Let me know if any of that made sense to you;)

[reppans]

As has been recommended above:

- Av priority, use the largest aperture (smallest number) possible
- Get as much distance between the subject and background as possible

And a couple which has not been mentioned above:

- use as high a zoom as possible, depth of field gets shallower at higher zoom powers
- get as close to the subject your zoom allows

[Andrizzle]

Here are a couple examples from my S3:

26635

As I suggested, this shot was taken at full zoom with an aperture of 3.5, the largest (smallest number) aperture available at that focal length (zoom).

26636

This is a kind of weak example of panning, but an example none the less. If you look, #39 who is running at full speed is in focus, while #19 who is basically standing still is blurry:

2663726638

Now the blur is present because I moved the camera while taking the picture to follow #39. This is a different from the background blur.

[peejayS3]

Andrizzle, both your messages make up a "quick and dirty" tutorial that's easy to understand and straight to the point. It helped a novice like me, I hope it also helped the OP, thanks. :)