What are the depth-of-field capabilities of point & shoot cameras?

Is it possible to show following by using a point-and-shoot camera?

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  shallow depth of field

  
  


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  deep depth of field

  
  

Answer

I'll offer a (partially) dissenting opinion. Point and Shoots, it's true, don't have the ability to shoot as narrow a DOF as most DSLR cameras, both because of the sensor size and the aperture of their lenses.

That doesn't mean you can't get the effect you're looking for in your photos, though -- it just means you've got to be a little more deliberate in setting up your shot. The following shots were all made with P&S cameras:

All three of these had some things in common -- they were zoomed in, and they were all subjects that had some physical separation from their backgrounds. This allows even a P&S to show some background blurring, even if it's not the super-creamy bokeh of a 50mm f/1.2 or a 70-200 f/2.8 on a full-frame DSLR.

(edit) - For a more detailed look at DOF on a P&S, look at this online DOF calculator, which will let you select your camera from a list and shows actual DOF at various apertures & focal lengths. The basic idea here is that even though P&S cameras don't have the performance envelope that a DSLR generally has, all of these cameras have DOF capabilities that you can exploit if you understand how DOF works. You can use your camera controls and compositional techniques to make the most of whatever envelope you've got once you understand the formula.