These are the most dramatic illustrations of Depth Of Field, and shows how important it is to use the smallest lens aperture possible in close-up photography.

The matches are 2cm apart; the target match with the black line is 45cm from the camera.

This photo was taken at aperture f1.8.

With the lens stopped down to f5.6 there is an improvement in Depth Of Field, however only the matches on each side of the target match may be regarded as being in reasonable focus.

Whilst still blurry, the end matches can now be identified.

With the lens stopped down to aperture f16, Depth Of Field is maximised.

All matches are easily identified, and most may be regarded as being in reasonable, if not perfect, focus.

The closer the subject, the more critical is Depth Of Field.

The last word is on Page 9.