35mm DOF without adapter

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Daniel Alexander

Active member
I understand that a 35mm adapter will give me a greater control over my DOF, however my question is this...is it possible to mimic the effects of a 35mm adapter on my Sony EX1 by simply moving the camera as far back as posible/or to a relevant distance to get the same DOF?

Im curious to see/hear what people have achieved without the aid of an adapter in regards to work such as short films/features, the only examples of work done with the native lens that i have found tends to be montages of trees and flowers which doesn't really help me, so are there any ex1 users out there that have done any filmic work with just the standard lens? Thank you
 
With a 1/2" chip camera a narrow depth of field won't be AS narrow when using a 35mm adaptor. And there's something about using 35mm lenses and the adaptor that make the images more" movie-like" than just the depth of field.

That being said I find 1/2" chips to be perfectly suited to achieving/having control over narrow focus. I like it this way because it's much easier to one-man-band a short film which is how a lot of low budget films are (can't hire a focus puller or have the money to rent a 35mm adaptor/the necessary lenses for the job.) Plus being able to shoot with less lights or only practicals (adaptors knock your camera's sensitivity down a stop or so) is a real plus.

There are a lot of videos on Vimeo that use the native lens. Just search for "ex1".
 
Thanks for your input, I agree with the adapter somehow making footage look more movie like. As for Vimeo, trust me I have done many searches and i can't find a short film that is based on people in a natural setting (can find green screen stuff) that is shot using the naked lens. I feel like i'm the only one trying to do films without an adapter lol
 
Kerberos uses just the stock lens on the EX1
If you look through the stills gallery you will see some shallowish depth of field on some shots (though a lot of work has also gone into framing and lighting to give good separation between foreground and background, so the filmaker isn't relying just on DOF)
It is worth bearing in mind that the best DOF blurs are achieved on fairly tight closeup shots where (presumably) the camera is on a fairly long focal length and a fair way back. The sets are also fairly large warehouses etc which give plenty of room to get the camera back. If you are shooting in a small domestic setting, you will struggle with the stock lens to get these sort of results.
Without an adaptor the EX1 is probably the best fixed lens camera for achieving these results (before the Scarlet comes along) but it is still a challenge, and not always possible.
 
thanks, i think im going to just take the plunge and get the adapters while i have the money (well some sort of money). I hear good things about the letus but because im buying from the UK the import tax etc mounts up way too expensive so i think I'l go with a UK company like sgpro as they have an ex1 fix now aswell, which means i can get a complete system for under £1000
 
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