@gsbuah wrote:
im not so good in English, but if i understood your saying, I've already taken pictures with depth of field and bokeh as well, so i don't think what you said is accurate..
and I'm 16, so i must be wrong, but that what i was taught so maybe our definitions are a little bit different.
I assure you that you are far better at English than I am at your native language. But let me try to clarify a bit:
A lens's depth of field (i.e., the range of distances between the subject and the focal point at which the subject will be perceived to be in focus) varies with its focal length and with the size of the aperture used. It's greatest for a short focal length and a small aperture and least for a long focal length and a large aperture. In many (perhaps most) cases a large depth of field is desirable; it makes it easier to keep major elements of the image in focus.
But a small depth of field has its own advantages. If you want to emphasize one element of a picture and get rid of other elements that may serve as distractions, one way to do it is to focus on the important element and throw the rest out of focus. That usually requires a small depth of field, so you use a longer lens and/or a wider aperture to achieve it.
The term "bokeh" (a word supposedly adapted from the Japanese language) is a measure of the attractiveness of the out-of-focus portion of the image. Different lenses handle them differently, and what is considered attractive in such circumstances varies from person to person, so "bokeh" is a highly subjective term. But there's enough agreement overall to allow many lenses to be categorized as having good or bad bokeh without too much argument.
In your case, it sounded as though you were looking for both good bokeh and a large depth of field. But in a way, that's contradictory. If the entire image is in focus, the term "bokeh" doesn't apply. If almost all of the image is in focus, the bokeh doesn't matter much. So if you want to be sure that we understand what you're looking for, you need to be more precise about how you're using the terms "depth of field" and "bokeh".
When I was 16, I got my first adjustable camera, an Argus C-3. I'm now almost 77, and I've had a long, sporadic relationship with photography. The advent of the digital camera rekindled my interest, and I'm now a serious photographer for the first time in my life. You're lucky to be starting out with a range of available technology that I couldn't have dreamed of. Work hard at photography, and it will likely bring you great satisfaction all your life.
Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
