I have just recently begun to develop a real interest in becoming a proficient photographer; strictly for my own pleasure, no professional intent. Having taken snapshots most of my life I have been aware of depth of field and how it is influenced by aperture. As I've been doing some reading to better understand the use of depth of field in producing better photographs I have come across DOF calculators. When planning a shot do people often use a depth of field calculator? If so, I'm struggling with how one knows how far from the camera the focus is. I'm using a Sony NEX-6 (only recently acquired) and short of taking a tape measure in the field and manually focusing and then measuring I don't see how one might calculate a depth of field.
Perhaps I'm over thinking this, not unusual for me, but I can see how having an accurate value for depth of field could give one tighter control over the elements of the photograph.
Any insight and/or suggestions for further readings is appreciated.
Thanks from a new guy,
Andrew