I am looking into a new camera and I have decided on the Canon EOS50e (Elan IIe). I am unsure how the eye controlled depth of preview function works. Do you lock in a focus and then select the next focus point to determine the depth of field? Do you actually see in the viewfinder what will be in focus on the film or is it represented on the viewfinder by markers indicating the depth of field? How does this work?

Thanks

Paul Cave

-- Paul C (yeah_paul@yahoo.com.au), July 12, 2001

Answers

Eye controlled depth of field preview work by choosing an AF point with your eye and locking in the focus, then looking to the upper left corner of the view screen. The camera will then stop the lens down to the taking aperture, so you can get a rough idea of how much of the foreground and background will be in focus. If you want more/different DOF, you can then change the aperture or focus point. The viewfinder will also get somewhat darker depending on what aperture you have chosen, the focal length of the lens and the distances involved.

The 50e (along with most other EOS cameras) also has a Depth mode where you select the near point you want to be in focus and then select the far point you want in focus. The camera then selects an appropriate aperture to make it happen. That's often more usefull, and certainly more accurate.

-- Jim Strutz (j.strutz@gci.net), July 12, 2001.

Also, the camera needs to be in one-shot or Al servo (the top two...not the tracking setting).

-- Aaron Lam (aaron_lam@hotmail.com), July 13, 2001.

Thanks for your assistance. Just to clarify, do you actually see the amount in focus through the viewfinder or is this represented with markers?

Thanks

Paul Cave

-- Paul Cave (yeah_paul@yahoo.com.au), July 16, 2001.

You will see the depth of field as it will look when the picture is taken. That is, the aperture closes down to the position that it will be in when the picture is taken. As a result of the closing down of the aperture, the viewfinder will darken because there is less light entering. I don't delieve there is any camera on the market that represents depth of field via markers on the viewing screen.

You may be confusing depth-of-field preview with the Elan II/IIe's DEP mode, where speaking of "markers" and "focus points" is more appropriate. Time to revisit the camera manual.

-- Peter P. (pphan01@hotmail.com), July 21, 2001.