Depth Of Field/Depth Of Field Scale - Leica MP Manual

Depth of field/Depth of field scale

The plane – parallel to the film – to which the lens
is set, is depicted with maximum focus in the sub-
ject. This maximum focus gradually diminishes
moving forwards and backwards, which means
that there is a certain range of depths that is re-
produced sharply in the picture: the depth of field.
It is determined by the distance, the focal length
of the lens (together these give the reproduction
ratio) and the set aperture. Stopping down, i.e.
setting a higher value, increases the depth of field
while stopping up, i.e. setting a lower value, reduc-
es it. In conjunction with the depth of field scale
(11b) you can read the currently valid depth of
field for the set distance on the distance setting
ring (12).
For example, if you have set the LEICA SUMMILUX-M
50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. to 5 m, the depth of field at
f/1.4 is from around 4.6 m to 5.5 m. If, on the
other hand, you stop down to f/16 with the
same distance setting, the depth of field ranges
approx. from 2.5 m to infinity.
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