Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 User Manual page 88

Depending upon the distance the subject is to the camera, the current
aperture setting and focal length of the lens (zoom setting) the length of
the yellow bar will indicate the actual DOF (depth of field) that the image
will have when the picture is taken.
The wider the zoom is set (shorter focal length) combined with a smaller
aperture (bigger f-number) the more DOF will be captured. That is to say
more of the subject from front to back will be in focus.
Conversely if you want very shallow DOF you will need to use a higher
zoom setting (longer focal length) and a wider aperture (smaller f-
number).
By positioning your camera as close as you can to your subject and at
the same time keeping the distance from the subject to the background
as far as you it is possible to achieve some very nice portraits or still life
studies with a beautifully blurred background.
Focus position and DOF displayed
(Tip)
To prevent these settings from being lost when the camera "sleeps" you
can enable two settings in the "tools" menu.
Zoom resume and Focus resume.
So if the camera enters sleep mode you can press the shutter button to
bring it out of this mode. The camera will resume exactly to the same
zoom and focus positions as previous to when it entered the sleep mode.
< --DOF-- >
Here in this illustration the focal
distance is 1.3 metres and the
DOF extends from this distance
to infinity. By setting the end of
the yellow bar against the infinity
mark and using a wide angle
setting you can shoot without
need to focus - allowing you to
concentrate on the composition
of the image.
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