Nikon F80D instruction manual Depth of field, Focus Tracking

COLUMN

About Depth of Field and Focus Tracking

This camera is equipped with autofocus where focusing is automatically executed by the camera. Basics of the relationship between focus and depth of field and Focus Tracking are explained in this section.

•Depth of field

When focusing, depth of field should be considered. Depth of field is the zone of sharpest focus in front of and behind the subject on which the lens is focused. It varies according to shooting distance, focal length and, above all, aperture. Smaller apertures (larger f-numbers) will produce a deeper depth of field where the background and foreground become sharper; larger apertures (smaller f-numbers) will produce a shallower depth of field where the background becomes blurred. Similarly, shorter shooting distance or longer focal length will produce a shallower depth of field, and longer shooting distance or shorter focal length will produce a deeper depth of field. Note that depth of field tends to be shallower in front of and deeper behind the subject in focus.

•Focus Tracking

When the focus mode selector is set to Single Servo AF (S) or Continuous Servo AF (C) and the shutter release button is lightly pressed or AE-L/AF- L button (when AF start in ·11 is selected) is kept pressed, the camera automatically switches to Focus Tracking when a moving subject is detected. Focus Tracking enables the camera to analyse the speed of the moving subject according to the focus data detected, and to obtain correct focus by anticipating the subject’s position—and driving the lens to that position—at the exact moment of exposure.

In Single Servo AF, Focus Tracking is activated with a subject that has been moving in advance to the focus detection, and focus is locked when the subject stops moving and / appears in the viewfinder. In Continuous Servo AF, camera continues to track subject (even with a subject which started moving in the middle of the focus detection) and focus is not locked.

COLUMN

88

DATA BACK

Imprint the date and/or time on photographs

with the data back of the Nikon F80D or F80S, and also shooting data between frames (F80S only).

89