Think You Know Depth Of Field? Online Quiz Will Make Your Brain Hurt

Think You Know Depth Of Field? Online Quiz Will Make Your Brain Hurt

With so many photographers entering the movie-making scene with DSLRs that shoot HD video, understanding depth of field has become crucial for keeping moving subjects in critical focus. In this online test from blackandblue.com, your knowledge is put to the test with 10 basic concept questions, and then 10 scenario questions. Post your score in the comments and tell us what you thought of it.

Mike Wilkinson is an award-winning video director with his company Wilkinson Visual, currently based out of Lexington, Kentucky. Mike has been working in production for over 10 years as a shooter, editor, and producer. His passion lies in outdoor adventures, documentary filmmaking, photography, and locally-sourced food and beer.

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62 Comments

I scored an F with 50%. Epic fail.

Jason Butts avatar

Got all right on the first section and then stunk on the second section.

same here, all correct on first section and not so flash on the second
 

Jason Zeis avatar

65%. That second part was, um, confusing!

Martin Booth avatar

75%, mixed up super/hyperfocal, and got educated guesses on the second half, which I guess weren't so educated!

I do sometimes do a preview of the DoF with the aperture button on the camera, but it's tough when not well lit

55%!  Tragic...got all right in the first part and pretty much none on the second one...

Photoman Ayu avatar

i got C 75%
nailed the 1st part, 2nd part 135 format wasn't a problem. but stuck on other formats

weimaranermedia avatar

70%, got all right in the first part, but had to guess on the second one. How do you even calculate it? anyone?

Matt Koby avatar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field#DOF_formulas        although they are hardly ever used in practice, you really just had to know the sensor size of each camera and make an educated guess based on experience. 

apercep avatar

70%... But question 19 confused me... answer a.) was:   4 in. (Six inches)

Simon wardenier avatar

65%, hard to guess in inches and feet, if you're used to using the metric system...

Matias Acevedo avatar

yeah, because the distance of the subjet was in meters and the focal distance was in feet, inches, and foot

Marcus Windmark avatar

I say the same as the people above, the first part was quite easy but failed at the second part.
Still got 70%

Tomek Whitfield avatar

I live in the Netherlands so inches don't make any sense to me. So the second part was pretty much bull

ajmills avatar

You can work out the DoF for the second section if you know the dimensions of the sensor and/or the CoC. But I couldn't be arsed to research it and guessed, so only got 60%.

Cinexcellence avatar

Got the first section right, at least. :)

Jaron Schneider avatar

Yikes. 60%. That test is HARD.
Got the first section right at least lol

Yahor Shumski avatar

What is T-stop?

Matt Koby avatar

it is a practical version of an F-stop (which is mathematical) T-stops account for the lenses Efficiency to transmit light through the glass. all glass reflects some light rather than transmitting it. thus the more glass and cheeper glass in your lens the larger the difference between your t stop and f stop.

Stacey Quine avatar

Part 1 100% right
Part 2 0% right

Enrico Bagarotto avatar

since i don't use feet or inches but meters it was pretty hard... F

Andreas Dalum Sahl avatar

I got 70% (C-) 

I'm from Denmark, so I'm pretty much screwed without the metric system.. Got the first part right, but I just guessed on the second part. Didn't have a clue about the sensor sizes on the most of the cameras, except for the 7D..

Brett Blignaut avatar

70%. Would be nice if it showed me which ones I got wrong.

Yael Paris avatar

B- not too bad, second part is hard tho

Pierre-Christian Heggren avatar

You Scored: 80% (B-)

Louis Rafael Rosenthal avatar

70% - first part easy, second part.... well for a lot of them i didn't know the film/sensor size.....

Steve Pearce avatar

65 for me. 

Alexandre Dias avatar

50%: i failed some from the first part for misreading the question! The second part is for professionals used to all kinds of format-for the amateur you have to use trial and error formula. (And converting inches and feet to the metric system is a pain!)

Andy Potter avatar

100% here :) My HS Math teacher would be proud.

Miquiztli avatar

75% the first part 100% in the second part do my best guest work (that wasn't the best)

Marco Gaspar avatar

60%! No bad! The second part ... WOW!

Aldo Mijares avatar

got a C, 75% :)

C-, 70%. I could have whipped out my DoF calculator app on my phone for the second part, but just guessed based on what I estimated the film/sensor size would be.

Warren Coskey avatar

60%...phew that second part was difficult.  haven't used any of those cameras

Maya Anwar avatar

Ok....85%(B) even thou i just guessed answer after the 12th question in part two..... hehehe :D

Chris Lyn avatar

I got 85% (B), pretty straightforward, I'm not a professional nor a professor of physics. 

Brian McCarthy avatar

80%.  I got all of the first ten questions right but the practical section was a series of guesswork based on what I perceived the sensor sizes might be.  

Eje Gustafsson avatar

ouch 65% not used to anything but regular 35mm film and to be honest not much video just photography so lot of guesing on the second part.. LOL.. 

Evan avatar

Hey Mike -- I'm Evan Luzi the editor/author of The Black and Blue and just wanted to stop by to say thanks for posting about the quiz and to thank all F Stoppers who went over and gave it their best shot.

By no means is the test easy, so if you're scoring above 50% you're doing fairly well! Especially since most of you aren't video/film guys.

That said -- I'm gonna work on adding metric measurements to the second half later today based on the feedback here.

Janne Hämäläinen avatar

70% (C-) , as with others guess work in part 2.

Srinivas Rs avatar

I feel bad commenting here seeing all ur scores..30% epic fail :(

Joe Topping avatar

Yeah, really not a test for photographers who don't know about the sensor size of these fancy movie cameras. Hard to know if its cropped or full-frame so we are pretty much guessing. Also - that man, are we trying to get his full body in focus? with how much negative space above and below him? BLEH!

Got 100%...up until I quit on question 14.  Hard to stay interested in scenarios with no personal relevance.

Crosby Ignasher avatar

B- 80% not too shabby

Alberto Nieto avatar

I scored 70% C-, well I don´t undertand all expresions in english... jijiji

Mars Oliva avatar

90. Maybe it helps I do this every day anyways.