Science · 6 pages · 12 min
How a camera aperture changes depth
A smaller opening blocks the rays that would miss by the most, so more distances look sharp.
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From the opening
A camera aperture changes depth of field because it decides which rays from a point may reach the sensor. A small opening keeps rays that nearly agree about where to land, so a point at the wrong distance still makes only a small blur. The opening covers the blur patch from a missed focus, focus distance versus forgiving depth, and why the background goes soft.
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Inside
- The blur patch from a missed focus
- Focus distance versus forgiving depth
- Why the background goes soft
- Diffraction eventually limits the gain
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Circle of confusion and depth of field
- F-number as focal length over aperture diameter