What lens/aperture to achieve same DOF as my HMC?

[seven.b]

Hey guys. I have an HMC150 that I love to shoot with and have been waiting for a cheap camera that does 60p. I think the 7D is the answer. For the stuff I do (skiing, biking), I've found the DOF from my 1/3" sensor is just about perfect for me.

I've never shot with a DSLR before, so I need a little help from you. What focal length lens (prime or zoom) should I get to match the DOF as closely as I can to my HMC?

Thanks.

[Cranky]

Why would not you keep the 150? You can shoot in 60i, it is the next best thing after 60p, and you can slo-mo it almost as easily as 60p.

[Jordan Berry]

Cranky, the hmc-150 does 60p.

I wouldn't worry about the DOF as much, just max out the aperture instead of using the shutter to reduce light. Indoors this will be harder. The shorter the lens the less DOF. A HMC-150 at full wide is equivalent to a 35mm. Which means you would need a 22-23mm lens to equal 35mm with the 1.6 crop factor.

[manglerBMX]

hmc150 and hpx170 at full wide is right at 28mm actually. hvx200, not the A, is right at 35mm. the 200A is like 31mm or something.

[shrigg]

An HMC's 28mm equivalent would require a 17.5mm lens on the 7D (after you divide by 1.6)

[fishops]

Tamron 17-50 2.8

It's really the best value in a standard zoom you can get right now, everyone should have one.

For skiing and biking and whatnot I would consider something with IS, but I don't know what the deal is with video mode compatibility.

[manglerBMX]

with that tamron 17-50 does the lens extend when zooming? or does it all stay internal? i have the nikon 17-35 2.8 and it all stays internal which is very nice for steadycam and matteboxes. i just wish it had a bit more zoom on it.

[Sacksnack]

I have the Tamron 28-75 on my 5d classic, and the lens extends when you zoom. I'm assuming the 17-50 does as well. I still think it's the best lens choice for a quality zoom on a crop camera. My 28-75 is extremely sharp and I hear the 17-50 is the same.

[seven.b]

Thanks guys.

So I understand that I'd want a ~17mm focal length to equal the 28mm of the widest setting of the HMC. But wouldn't the bigger sensor of the 7d be making for a shallower depth of field than an HMC150 at 28mm?

[ydgmdlu]

There's such a huge difference in sensor size between the HMC150 and the 7D that the 7D will almost always have shallower DOF. You can maximize DOF by stopping down the lens, say to F11 or F16 or so (which is what Orson Welles and Gregg Toland did to achieve their "universal focus" on Citizen Kane).

But a bigger concern, aside from DOF, should be the difference in focal lengths. Two different lenses that achieve the same FOV on two different image formats will look very different, even though the only meaningful difference (aside from image format size) between them is focal length. Remember, the longer the focal length, the more "flat" the image will appear to be. Even if you can match DOF exactly, the out-of-focus backgrounds on the two cameras will be very different because of the difference in focal lengths, which affect object proportions within the frame.