Minolta Dynax 7xi, Instruction Manual, Page: 86 / 103

If focal length and subject distance remain constant, as the size of the lens
aperture decreases, depth of field increases. Aperture-priority (A) mode,
manual (M) mode, and PA enable you to vary the size of the aperture in order
to directly control a picture's depth of field. Different situations usually require
different amounts of depth.
For example, in a portrait situation, you may want to use a larger aperture in
order to focus only on the main subject and separate the person from their
background. A small aperture, on the other hand, would be preferable in
such cases as landscape photography when you want as much of the scene
as possible to appear in focus. Expert Program Selection will automatically
set a large aperture in portrait situations so that only your main subject will
appear in sharp focus, and a small aperture for landscapes and extreme
close-ups to maximize depth of field.
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