ExpoAperture2 Depth-of-Field Guide

Excerpts from recent reviews:

"I found the ExpoAperture incredibly easy to use and understand. Once you get the steps down, it makes figuring out depth of field simple and much more accurate than ever before. ExpoAperture would be a great tool for the classroom, and in fact they make a large size that can be used in the classroom setting."
-T. Michael Testi, Blogcritics Magazine, August 9, 2008.

"... the ExpoAperture2 is one of the best depth-of-field learning tools I've come across in a long time... The result is a deeper understanding of photography that should benefit any but the most accomplished photographers." 
-Philip Ryan, Digital Imaging Products, CNET, October 23, 2007.

"The DOF Guide is designed just as much as a field tool as it is a teaching tool, and I found myself playing with it just to make some what-if calculations on various format and lens combinations. It is for those who want to make precise DOF decisions quickly and easily... And it is a very clever item indeed." 
-George Schaub, Editorial Director, Shutterbug, October, 2007.

What is the ExpoAperture2 Depth of Field Guide?

The ExpoAperture2 Depth of Field Guide is a versatile and unique tool which instantly shows you the relationships between focal length, focus distance, aperture and resulting depth-of-field.  The ExpoAperture2 Guide empowers photographers to take control over depth-of-field and to apply selective focus easily and effectively in their photography.

A photographer using the ExpoAperture2 Depth-of-Field Guide simply selects the camera’s sensor or film size and desired focal length for a given shot.  The Guide quickly provides the resulting depth-of-field for a given aperture, or, alternatively, determines the aperture necessary to achieve a desired depth-of-field.  The Guide also easily calculates hyperfocal distances.  The Guide is designed so that beginning and experienced photographers alike can quickly compare the relative variables (aperture, lens focal length and subject distance) to determine which combination works best for their chosen shot.  In this way, the Guide enables photographers to exercise better creative control over their cameras and images. 

As a tool for everyday use, the ExpoAperture2 Depth-of-Field Guide can easily fit into a shirt pocket or camera bag for convenient access when needed.  The Depth-of-Field Guide is printed front and back on three durable, circular plastic discs that rotate against one another, effectively functioning as a compact mechanical calculator.

What is Depth of Field?

As a concept, depth-of-field is poorly understood by many beginning and amateur photographers. One of the primary benefits of owning a DSLR camera is the control the photographer gains over the relative depth-of-field (what appears to be in sharpest focus) for any given shot.  In contrast, digital point and shoot cameras utilize sensors so small, with correspondingly short focal length lenses, that there is very little opportunity to exercise any depth of field control because literally everything appears to be in sharp focus.
 
Even for those more experienced photographers who do understand the relationships between aperture size, lens focal length and subject distance, calculating the best aperture to achieve a desired result often amounts to little more than guesswork, and frequently results in overcompensation and wasted shutter speed.

ExpoAperture2 can be set to any DSLR sensor or Film size.

The proliferation of different size image sensors in digital imaging has resulted in the loss of depth of field scales from nearly all modern DSLR lenses.  To help photographers overcome the absence of these scales, along with the difficulty of adjusting for different sensor and film sizes, the ExpoAperture2 Depth-of-Field Guide was designed to allow the user to adjust for a camera's specific sensor, or film size.  An included reference chart provides the conversion factors necessary to use the Guide with nearly any camera, regardless of sensor size or film format -- from the 4/3 system to APS-C sensors, to full frame 35mm, to medium and large format film sizes.

Teaching depth of field with the ExpoAperture2.

Teaching depth-of-field concepts has traditionally been one of the most difficult jobs for photographic educators.  The ExpoAperture2 Depth-of-Field Guide makes educators' jobs easier by offering beginning photographers a hands-on, visual learning experience that can be used to provide real solutions to common photographic dilemmas.  The Guide represents a unique teaching tool that can demonstrate depth-of-field relationships in an intuitive, visual way easily grasped by students.

The ExpoAperture2 Depth-of-Field Guide is available in a Full Focal Range 2 Disc Kit.  The Standard version of the Guide (Version 2.1) covers 10 to 135mm and distances from 12 inches to infinity, and the Telephoto version covers 70 to 600mm and distances from 15 feet to infinity, giving photographers increased flexibility in making depth-of-field calculations using a wider variety of lenses, from macro to landscape.  The ExpoAperture2 Depth-of-Guide 2 Disc Kit is also available in Metric distance units.

The ExpoAperture2 Depth-of-Field Guide includes a CD-ROM containing an Instructional Manual, a printed Quick Start Guide, a storage pouch, and a sensor format reference chart.

The ExpoAperture2 Depth-of-Field Guide is also now available in a large (21.25 in. diameter) version for educational use.

Features

- Assert better creative control over depth-of-field
- Compensates for a wide variety of sensor formats and film sizes
- Develops an intuitive understanding of depth-of-field relationships with continued use
- Includes printed QuickStart Guide, CD-ROM containing full manual, storage pouch, and sensor format reference chart
- Fast and easy to use