Small lens openings give you _____ depth of field.

• A. Less
• B. Same
• C. More
• D. Unchanged

Answer: (C)

Depth of field is the range of distances in a scene that appear acceptably sharp. Stopping down to a smaller aperture increases depth of field, so more of the scene from near to far stays in focus. The smaller opening narrows the cone of light entering the lens and broadens the zone that meets the focus criteria, making foreground and background both appear sharp. This is why landscape shots often use a small aperture to keep everything in focus. If you open the lens more (larger aperture), the depth of field becomes shallower, and more of the scene away from the focus plane will blur. The other options describe less, the same, or unchanged depth of field, which doesn’t match what actually happens when the aperture is reduced.