Newbie asks how to focus on subject and blur background

bugbear wrote:
Matt Ion wrote:
wrote:
I have a Canon S3 digital. I just want to take some portrait type
shots with the subject in focus and background fuzzy. I have looked
through the guidebook but fooling around with the camera settings so
far hasn't worked. Can someone help me here? Thanks.

It will be very difficult with that camera, for the reason Jim listed:
the small sensor and short focal length means a LOT of depth-of-field
no matter what you do.

In addition to opening up the aperture as wide as possible, you want
to use the longest zoom possible to minimize the DOF. Get the subject
as close to you as possible while still allowing the desired framing
and allowing the camera to focus, and keep the subject as far away as
possible from the background.

Hmm. That advice doesn't sit well with this
(quite convincing) page:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...h-of-field.htm

Really? Howso?

The effect of a longer focal length on DOF may be *minimal*, but it's
still there. Every bit helps.

Matt Ion wrote:
bugbear wrote:
Matt Ion wrote:

In addition to opening up the aperture as wide as possible, you want
to use the longest zoom possible to minimize the DOF. Get the
subject as close to you as possible while still allowing the desired
framing and allowing the camera to focus, and keep the subject as far
away as possible from the background.

Hmm. That advice doesn't sit well with this
(quite convincing) page:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...h-of-field.htm

Really? Howso?

The effect of a longer focal length on DOF may be *minimal*, but it's
still there. Every bit helps.

The effect may be too small to be of any practical benefit.

Quoting the tutorial (best read in its entirety)

If the subject occupies the same fraction of the viewfinder
(constant magnification) for both a wide angle and a telephoto
lens, the total depth of field is virtually* constant with focal length!

BugBear

bugbear wrote:
[]
Quoting the tutorial (best read in its entirety)

If the subject occupies the same fraction of the viewfinder
(constant magnification) for both a wide angle and a telephoto
lens, the total depth of field is virtually* constant with focal
length!

BugBear

However, this ignore the size of the background detail compared to the
subject. With a closer camera, and wider FoV, the background details will
appear smaller, and more of the background will be visible, making it more
difficult to remove the distractions. With the more distant camera, the
background will appear larger in the image, and it may therefore be easier
to select a less distracting part.

I would encourage people to experiment and see what works for them.

David