Dear Jerry Lewis,
I'm from a time when dof scales were printed on lenses barrels. All you had to do was use it. Manual Nikkors even had colors for each aperture.
Another point of the equipment favored by time is I still use mostly film. My SLRs are F2 Nikons, which show 100% of the image in the viewfinder, which is also very bright (the faster the lens, the brighter the image). This way I see the image 100% as it'll be recorded, including dof. These Nikons also have a dof button that stops down the lens to its aperture so you can check dof.
I don't know which equipment do you use, but being used to these amazing SLRs, it's hard for me to get used to DSLRs viewfinders.
My suggestion is that you tests with each of your lenses. It is boring, but'll let you know what to expect. Put an object on a table/chair, mar 3 distances - 2 metres, 5 metres and 8 metres. Then take pictures with each of you lenses from each distance changing apertures by 1 stop. Then, spend a good time analising the results.
I like to shoot wide open to defocus the background. To get the results I want I always remember these:
- the closer to the subject, more defocused the bg will be
- the smaller the angle (teleobjectives), more defocused the bg will be
- every lens' best aperture is around F/4~8
- the more focused you subject, the more defocused the bg will look
- some lens, by design, work better at close focus and wide apertures while others are the opposite. An example is Nikkor's 85/1.4 AF/D - a portrait lens that produces fantastic images at closer distances and wider apertures
- bokeh is the name of the defocused area. A good bokeh is "creamy", with no obvious borders, like the one from the 85/1.4 AF/D mentioned. You can check images made with it on this site
- each lens produces a different bokeh. Get to know your lenses' bokeh so you know what to expect
Hope it add to your knowledge.
My best,
Joseazevedo
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