Depth of Fieldtechnical
How much of the scene, front to back, appears sharp.
See it
Drag to see the effect (illustrative simulation).
Wide open — background melts awayf/1.2
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f/1.8f/11Depth of field is driven by aperture, focal length, and subject distance. Wide apertures, long lenses, and close subjects all make it shallower (more background blur); narrow apertures and wide lenses make more of the scene sharp.
Use this when
- Isolate a subject: wide aperture, get closer, longer lens
- Everything sharp: narrow aperture, step back, wider lens
Common mistake: Expecting f/2.8 to keep a whole group sharp — someone will be soft.