On the Nikon Coolpix, or any point and shoot, can I control depth of field to get a blurred background?
2021449
Yes and no, most point and shoot cameras have pre-set features, the S9100 it's not the exception. Yes, you can adjust it, but only to the extent permitted by the preset features, meaning that only those settings programmed by the manufacturer will be available. There is no way to customize any setting. You would probably be better off with a more advance camera such as Fujifilm or Canon Rebel that are capable of using different lenses. Those cameras would probably cost more but are worth the price for those interested in advanced photography.
783734
Simple answer, no. I have an Olympus XZ-1 that has a lens that's better suited to background blur, and even then it's generally marginal at blurring the background when your subject is the size of a person - in other words, a subject that's 4-6 ft tall, 8-10 ft away, with the background more than 10 ft behind the subject.Your cheapest option for something that will effectively blur the background will likely be a Sony A5000.
442190
The lens can blur backgrounds only at wide apertures, like F2.0 of F1.4. The camera may not let you set wide apertures in video mode. You have to see if you can take movies in aperture priority. I think you can do it but you have to check.
2136301
You can, but have to set the polarizer after focusing. Typically not a problem for distant / landscape shots as the ring is mostly around infinity focus.
783733
No. I have had to use an editing program for background blur but I havent tried the manual settings. On their own the pictures are just ok. But they do clean up very well if you edit them.
1842623
It's the lens. If you shoot wide open you get a beautiful effect in the out of focus areas. You just have to be careful to focus carefully on what you want in focus. The depth of field at f1.2 or f1.4 is very shallow.
671246
I don't have my camera in front of me, but I don't recall any setting to change the focus.It would most likely be one of the preset shooting modes the camera has that would produce a shot like that.
1312517
Hi Allison, yes you can. Set the camera to either one of these settings, Aperture priority or Manual mode and set the aperture to the highest f stop (lowest number), also change the focus area to flexible spot to enable you to choose which area to focus on. Thanks_Mitch
1533844
If it can, I have not found that setting yet. I recommend the Cannon Rebel Xti. I use it at work and it is amazing. I set it on action mode and you can snap away, just hold the button! And it has settings to change the aperture for different lighting.
1063893
Yes you can also use a manual focus. it isn't something that I would use but it is there
1028023
you have focal/focus point,which is what it says.depth of focus is what you can use for average focal/focus. too little makes it hard to stay in focus,too much is all blur.
1476956
Yes you can if it's on video mode you just simply press the photo button on top though be sure to focus it so it isn't blurry. If you want advance options switch to photo mode and simply read the instructions from that point :)
111694
Yes but not moving subjects. Distant subjects are especially hard to capture without blurring the image. For casual pictures it is actually very good in low-light and rarely to I need a flash unless it is truly dark.
2078480
There are two advantages:(1) shallow depth of field - allowing you to have photos where the background is blured allowing you more photography freedom to evidence what you want(2) better low-light sensitivity - allowing you to take photos in low light conditions without loosing quality (low noise).
1312519
Yes you can, but it depends on the lens you're using. This camera has "Peaking Focus", which colours things that are in focus.
2131145
The camera has a manual program where you can set the values of aperture, ISO, and exposure so yes, I'd say you can. The larger the aperture, the greater blurr-out-effect you get on the objects out of focus. And yes, you can even choose the focus manually.
793192
What else did you try that helped? When I use any amount of telephoto indoors the result is blurry unless I use a flash.