Would Wide Angle converter help to acheive shallow DOF?

[Azel712]

I have been looking at the Redrock 35mm adapter, but after testing my HVX200 with full zoom in most situations I can create a somewhat shallow depth of field. However, part of my independent project is shot in a moving car... making full zoom impossible unless I just want to see the actor's pupil. ????

Would a wide angle converter like this link shows
http://www.abelcine.com/store/product.php?productid=1000049&cat=354&page=1

assist in creating a shallow depth of field in situations where full zoom is impossible? I just don't want spend the money and time on Redrock w/extended arsenal of lens...

Any ideas on creating shallow dof in tight (car) situations would be great....


azel

[kevinM]

A wide angle adapter will do the opposite. It will give you greater depth of field.

In tight situations where you can't zoom in to decrease DOF, using a 35mm adapter is about all you can do.

Shooting with the iris wide open like f2.8 or more will help some as well.

Larger imaging surface (be it film or ccd) + larger iris (smaller f number) + longer lens = shallow DOF.

Smaller imaging surface (the HVX ccd) + smaller iris + wide lens = greater DOF or everything in focus.

The chip size in the HVX is the big limiting factor in tight shooting situations.

[Sad Max]

Any ideas on creating shallow dof in tight (car) situations would be great....


azel
What about shooting into a mirror? Bring the mirror's surface inside the lens' minimal focus distance, and angle it to the lens to get the composition you want, reflected in the glass.

That might work.

[Azel712]

nice... sad max, that was the kind of MacGyver answer I was looking for!

RE: KevinM, I know the Wide angle converter will initially increase the Dof but would it allow you to zoom all the way in and create a shallow dof???

or does a telephoto lens adapter create shallow dof without having to zoom all the way in... sorry if these are novice questions but I'm a novice.

[Azel712]

Oh, and Sad Max I checked your imdb and Last of the Mohicans is my favorite movie of all time!!! Thanks again.

[Disco Robo]

The distance to the subject is just as important as focal length in manipulating DOF. If you want DOF in a car put the camera right up on your subject, within a foot or so you should have pretty nice dof. Also keep in mind that longer focal lengths produce a flattening effect that reduces spacial depth.

Also if the car is moving you can use a slow shutter to fake it. At 1/24 or 1/30 the background should be fairly blurry. It's not DOF per se but you end up with the same result. Good Luck.

[SadMax]

I just remembered that there are also screens you can buy that are sort of like ground-glass texture (on polymer sheets, I think) which you put between your nearer (in-focus) subject, and your more distant (out of focus) subject - the screen texture blurs out everything behind it, for a shallow DOF fake. Never tried it; sounds like the sort of thing that works perfectly 10% of the time, and not very well, the other 90%...

[ddh]

I remember Jarred coming up with something like a polyer sheet for DOF faking! Check with him.