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Shallow DoF Sony HVR-Z1(P)

K

kingkezz

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 22, 2006
139
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Just got this new camera and I have to say its awesome. I'm wanting to do a documentary and do some shallow depth of field stuff. I'd like my subject in focus and the background slightly blurred. Does anyone have any tips to achieve this?
 
Without getting all technical, the long & the short of it is that depth of field gets smaller the more you zoom in and the more you can close your iris. Back away from your subject so that you have to zoom in pretty far to frame him. Obviously you'll need a good tripod here. Light him well so that you can close your iris a stop or 2.

That's the short answer. If you want more in depth than that lemme know & I'll get all textbook on you.

Sweet camera, btw. I'm hoping to get one this fall.
 
kingkezz said:
Just got this new camera and I have to say its awesome. I'm wanting to do a documentary and do some shallow depth of field stuff. I'd like my subject in focus and the background slightly blurred. Does anyone have any tips to achieve this?
Click to expand...

Zoom in as far as your optical zoom can go and open up the aperture a lot.

Does that work?
 
If you can adjust the aperture manually, set it to the lowest number (widest iris). Because of this you'll also get more light in your lens, so your camera will use a faster shutter speed. If your scene is too bright, you may not be able to choose a low aperture.


So who is right, PegasusMedia or me? :)

edit: my god, am I slow..
 
Sharewaredemon said:
You want to open up the Aperture a lot, and use some ND filters if it's really bright I believe.


Why are you slow?
Click to expand...

When I started typing that post, you hadn't posted yet, so it took me at least 15 minutes. ;) I was distracted by other stuff or something.
 
cc bcc said:
When I started typing that post, you hadn't posted yet, so it took me at least 15 minutes. ;) I was distracted by other stuff or something.
Click to expand...

haha I understand, as it turns out, I just read an article about this today so I can't wait to go out and try it today.
 
M2 Adaptor

Here is another (not cheap) solution - the M2 adaptor
http://redrockmicro.com/

I have one that I am using with my HDR-FX1. The results are fantastic.
 

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With a homebrew (or pro) stedicam rig, you /can/, however, with such a short sweet spot with the focus, it will be difficult. We are experimenting on that very problem now. The range really depends on what lens you use. We did some tests with a dolly and they were very not bad. It the real world, the sequence would use a combination of shots with and without the adaptor.

The rig that I went for included the rail system ($1,295.00), but the rails are very nice.

The adaptor by itself is $550.00 + $90 for a the lens mount (nikon, canon, etc)

They also have a DIY kit for $45 that includes the ground glass, but the 72mm Achromatic lens will set you back $395, so unless you have a ton of macros laying around, the prebuilt adaptor is the way to go.

Also check out this link if you wanna go total home brew. I started down this path first -
http://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/dof/index.htm
 
Thanks everyone for your input. It's working a treat. A film lens adapter is the dream, but for now, it's working fine.

Thanks again.
 
Something else to dream about. Red Digital Cinema

To quote:

RED RENDERS OBSOLESCENCE OBSOLETE

Modular and upgradeable, the RED ONE camera is a future-proof acquisition system you can build upon. RED's modular design means you can upgrade with us as we add new features, accessories and improve system specifications.

Typical high-end HD camcorders have 2.1M pixel sensors and record with 3:1:1 color subsampled video at up to 30fps. We deliver 11.4M pixels at up to 60fps and record RAW, or 2x over-sampled HD in 4:4:4 or 4:2:2. your choice. That's more than 5 times the amount of information available every second and a vastly superior recording quality. Don't need all that data for your workflow? Dial it back, and keep all the other advantages of the Mysterium. Super 35mm cine sized (24.4 x 13.7mm) sensor. You get the same breathtaking Depth of Field and selective focus as found in film cameras. Mysterium. boasts a greater than 66db Signal to Noise Ratio thanks to its large 29 sq. micron pixels. And 11,480,800 pixels deliver resolution that can only be called Ultra High Definition.

RED ONE is a modular design that easily accepts upgrades in hardware, software, storage, handling and monitoring accessories.

Shoot lightweight ENG style (body less than 7 lbs., in rugged magnesium alloy) or load it up to shoot a feature film. Initial options will include RED-CAGE for mounting accessories and "growing" the camera body. Configure for studio pedestal, crane or long lens applications. RED-GUN lets you shoot from the hip, or shoulder like a rifle. Onboard or external high-resolution RED monitors come equipped with advanced tools for framing, exposure and focus. The RED ONE camera has numerous stainless steel mounting points on the body to allow hundreds of optional RED and third party accessories... some that haven.t even been dreamed of yet.

MSRP of $17,500 for RED ONE camera.
Click to expand...


Wow.
 
I think I am actually drooling.. really.. puddle of drool on my keyboard.. how did I miss this thing???
 
g4pismo said:
I think I am actually drooling.. really.. puddle of drool on my keyboard.. how did I miss this thing???
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Not sure.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/171373/
They presented at NAB, though only with a few "non-working" (i.e. hollow plastic) prototypes. I'm still not sure what to think of the whole thing...
www.red.com

EDIT: looks like they've updated their site with some more detailed mockups.
 
pdpfilms said:
Not sure.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/171373/
They presented at NAB, though only with a few "non-working" (i.e. hollow plastic) prototypes. I'm still not sure what to think of the whole thing...
www.red.com

EDIT: looks like they've updated their site with some more detailed mockups.
Click to expand...
My favorite uber device to never come to market has been the Kinetta I just hope we see the RED camera become a reality.
 
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