Problem: M2 MicroX produces shallow DOF

givemefood

givemefood

Well-known member
Hi

I have an M2 adaptor along with all its accessories. And i purchased the MicroX to use on my HVX.

The MicroX is the new HD Acromat + Flip tool to work on SD/HD Cameras.

The MicroX is attached to HVX. And then the M2 is attached to MicroX. Finally, the 35mm lens sits on the M2.

Now, during setup, i have to zoom into about 88 on the HVX to get a full frame through the M2. And i have to focus at about z95 to get the ground glass in focus.

The picture looks great. Hardly notice the light loss. The problem i am facing is that this setup produces extreme shallow DOF. The best i can do is about a foot deep depending on the lens and how far/near i am from the subject.

I have tried bringing the f-stop down on both, HVX and 35mm Lens but that still does not make the DOF any deeper.

It looks like the setup is great for music videos or Ads but it wouldn't work for a live action short/feature.

Has anyone used this setup? HOw do i get a deeper/longer DOF? I need something that is at least 3 to 4 feet.

What can i do to fix this problem?

Please advise. Many thanks

BTW- I sent these questions to the guys that designed the tools and there has been no response
 
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I will try to post some frames sometime this week.

The problem, i believe, is the zooming in of the HVX. Since we are zoomed into about 88, it creates a shorter DOF.

If the MicroX was created in a way that HVX would not have to be zoomed beyond 50 or so, we could get higher DOF.

How much are you zooming in with your adaptor?
 
Letus Ultiamte + HVx200A= 31.6mm. Focus is set at 2.89mm


Kinda strange that you're saying the DOF is way too shallow and doesn't change with wider lenses.
 
That's the difference....

You are zoomed in @ 31.6mm with the HVX and mine @ 88mm

Have you used the MicroX?
 
Not yet. But remember there are different settings on the camera.

My HVX readout is setup to MM/FeET or something like that. Yours sounds like NUMBER.

It's probably about the same. When you get a chance post up some stills with different lenses.
 
That's what I was thinkin. It'll only affect how sharp your image is. Maybe this is one of those cases where the diffusion of the GG being greater creates a shallower DOF versus a less diffused.
 
Maybe, but for the dof to not change with the lens size OR f/stop would render the thickness of the GG irrelevant for this specific problem, but like you said it probably would be the cause of an irregular dof reaction.

Please post some stills of a ruler or tape measure at different stops and with different lenses so we can dummy check this.
 
Kholi/Andrew

I will post pictures in 2 days. I am out of town, so i will do that when i return home. Thank you for all your help.

Question- Depending on how much the HVX is zoomed into the GG, does that affect DOF at all? What do u guys think?
 
givemefood said:
Kholi/Andrew

I will post pictures in 2 days. I am out of town, so i will do that when i return home. Thank you for all your help.

Question- Depending on how much the HVX is zoomed into the GG, does that affect DOF at all? What do u guys think?
Click to expand...


Hello again - I hope you received my last email from our exchanges. The zoom/focus on the HVX does no affect your depth of field. Essentially the HVX is focusing on a flat plane (the cinescreen inside the adapter) which has no depth: the screen only has the image projected by the 35mm lens. As a result the HVX zoom/focus settings, even if they substantially affected DOF, would only relate to the focusing on the screen itseelf, not the DOF of your shot.

Some example images will help. Also keep in mind the differences in DOF are sometimes not that great. For example, a 50mm lens at a subject of 5 feet has the following DOF:


at f1.4 DOF = 0.25ft (standard 35mm SLR frame CoC)
at f2.8 DOF = 0.5 ft

that is only 3 additional inches of DOF, which if you are looking for big changes may not be that obvious.
 
bvalente said:
Hello again - I hope you received my last email from our exchanges. The zoom/focus on the HVX does no affect your depth of field. Essentially the HVX is focusing on a flat plane (the cinescreen inside the adapter) which has no depth: the screen only has the image projected by the 35mm lens. As a result the HVX zoom/focus settings, even if they substantially affected DOF, would only relate to the focusing on the screen itseelf, not the DOF of your shot.

Some example images will help. Also keep in mind the differences in DOF are sometimes not that great. For example, a 50mm lens at a subject of 5 feet has the following DOF:


at f1.4 DOF = 0.25ft (standard 35mm SLR frame CoC)
at f2.8 DOF = 0.5 ft

that is only 3 additional inches of DOF, which if you are looking for big changes may not be that obvious.
Click to expand...


So given these facts, would you recommend a specific Nikon lens that can provide a variable DOF?

Thank you for the information.
 
One of the ironies of 35mm adapters on 1/3" CCD camcorders is that you go directly from way too much DOF (bare camera) to hardly any DOF (adapter on). And light loss from the adapter just exacerbates the problem. If you're outside in daylight, or in a very well lit interior you can stop down enough to get more of a medium DOF, but otherwise you're pretty much stuck with the extremes.

I'm planning some tests of matching bare camera (HVX200A in my case) with my Letus Extreme/Zeiss or Nikon EDs. I know others have done this, but I haven't seen many examples. Perhaps someone could direct me to some clips or threads about it.

If the two can be matched reasonably well, then I'd probably only use the adapter when I wanted shallow DOF or focal lengths that the bare camera can't deliver. In nighttime or very low light I'd be trying very hard to not use it at all.

As you can tell, I'm still somewhat in the "experimental" stage of using my rig. The findings of others on this issue, especially HVX users, would be of great interest to me.
 
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