blurring the backround?

Well, you can blur the background with multiple tricks ... one is during production you can use a VERY soft screen (can't recall the name of it - some people have even used shower curtains, etc.) to blur the background from the subject.

Another way is in post production ... using masks & key framing gaussian blurs, etc.

Lastly, the best way with the DVX is by going to maximum zoom, apeture wide open, then focusing between the subject & the background ... however, the maximum zoom requires you to get quite a ways from your subject, depending on the framing you want. You can increase your DOF (depth of field) by getting a 2x telephoto converter for your DVX, which tend to run $700-800, of you can also get a 35mm adapter, which has various pros & cons ... the biggest benefit is getting maximum shallow depth of field ... which is the look it sounds you want.

Hope those help & give you a direction to go in.
 
It's considerably more shallow ... however, not nearly as much as having a 35 Adapter of course, but there would be various pros/cons to either in comparison ... and depending on the adapter, they could be about the same cost.
 
"You can increase your DOF (depth of field) by getting a 2x telephoto converter for your DVX"

This should read "You can DECREASE your DOF" or "You can increase your SHALLOW DOF" "by getting a 2x telephoto converter for your DVX".

No wonder people get confused.

As far as the "MANY filters available for this", the first two look like crap and the third one is a split-field diopter that is designed to increase depth of field, not decrease it.
 
This subject of "blurring the background" is referred to as achieving a shallow depth of field. On a prosumer level of shooting (DVX, FX1, PD150, VX2000, etc.) this shallow Depth of Field (DOF as its commonly referred to) is much harder to achieve, compared to if you were shooting on a professional level of cameras. (HVX, SDX, 35mm, VariCam, etc) If your curious about the details of DOF, just check out this page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field Generally, you cannot begin to visually see a good shallow DOF until your at almost full telephoto, like Envision said. If DOF is what you want, check out the number of 35mm adapters presented and discussed on this board, or do a Google search and see what you come up with. Also, search these boards and you will find countless articles and great information, providing you with all the DOF info you could ever want. Good luck shooting!
 
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KHendrix2 said:
"You can increase your DOF (depth of field) by getting a 2x telephoto converter for your DVX"

This should read "You can DECREASE your DOF" or "You can increase your SHALLOW DOF" "by getting a 2x telephoto converter for your DVX".

No wonder people get confused.

As far as the "MANY filters available for this", the first two look like crap and the third one is a split-field diopter that is designed to increase depth of field, not decrease it.
Click to expand...

Cool, Ken, thanks for the critiques on other people's posts, but how 'bout taking a moment to point in some good directions or share some of your own knowledge on how the person can achieve what they're looking for? Just a thought.

And though you corrected me, I still refer to it as INCREASING your depth of field, in that you're increasing the various depths of the field by having a shallow depth of field ... sure that can sound confusing or even contradictory, but in my mind when there's NO depth of field, that means everything is in focus, or has a very deep depth of field.

Otherwise, call it what you want.
 
KHendrix2 said:
As far as the "MANY filters available for this", <snip> the third one is a split-field diopter that is designed to increase depth of field, not decrease it.
Click to expand...


LOL, and of course you can use it to do exactly the opposite too.
 
Hey Norm,

I truly apologize if I offended you in any way. I make 100% of my living shooting, directing, lighting, and technical directing for two different television stations in Denver. In the last three years I have worked on over 750 separate television productions. I have been doing still photography and video for over 30 years and I have found that there are many common misconceptions concerning depth of field. I was just trying to set the record straight and maybe somehow reduce the confusion surrounding this basic photographic principle. I certainly meant no harm.

Here are a few definitions for "depth of field" that I found:

1) The amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph.

2) Means of describing the area of a photograph that is in focus. A photograph that shows the area close to the camera and things far away all in good focus is said to have a large depth of field. A narrow depth of field is when only a thin section of the scene, say from ten to twelve feet away from the lens, is in focus.

3) Zone from the points closest to the camera to the points farthest from the camera that are in acceptable focus.

4) The regions in front of and behind the focused distance where the image remains in focus. With a greater the depth of field, more of the scene near to far is in focus.

5) The area in front of and behind the focused point that is sharp. A shallow depth of field is used in portraits to provide a soft backdrop, whilst a greater depth of field is useful for landscapes to ensure everything from the foreground to the background is in focus.

6) The area within which objects are in focus; a large depth of field allows a great range of objects to be in focus simultaneously, while a shallow depth of field offers a very limited area in focus.

Basically the term "depth of field" describes mow much of the frame is in focus. Obviously if you want more of the frame to be in focus, you need more depth of field. The term could just as easily have been "depth of focus". If you say there's no depth of field, then you are saying that there is nothing in focus.

I hope that this goes a long way towards "taking a moment to point in some good directions or share some of your own knowledge on how the person can achieve what they're looking for?" I think that a true understanding of the term can really help the person achieve what they are looking for.


Here are some excellent resources for further reading:

http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/optics/dofskinny.php
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/key=depth_of_field
http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/950/depth-of-field.html
 
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Hey Vidled,

That's a very good point. I wonder how well it would work in practice. I'll have to do some experimenting.
 
Ken, thanks for that extra post & links! Nope, there was no harm done, but thanks for the clarification all the same.
 
A basic element of having a soft background which many new folks forget is making sure there is distance between your subject and the background before you do all the zooming in and low lighting.

All the tricks in the world won't work if your subject is only a few feet or inches in front of the background.

Get some distance between the two. Eight to ten feet if possible. Get your camera as far back as possible and then zoom in and frame your shot.

Last, use as little light as possible on your scene. Don't blast light everywhere. That makes it harder to get the effect you want. Use dimmers if possible to get the ideal light. Just enough to see your subject well exposed.

The only way to learn how to do it correctly is to try and each scene situation is different depending on your space limitations.
 
Lensmith said:
All the tricks in the world won't work if your subject is only a few feet or inches in front of the background.
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Unless of course you're using one of those soft screens for the background, or a 35mm adapter ... with the 35 Adapter and the right lens, you can have a RAZOR sharp shallow DOF ... which if you're not careful can work against you as well, as pulling a good focus on your subject has the potential to be even more challenging as there's less room for fogiveness in the focus.
 
Envision said:
Unless of course you're using one of those soft screens for the background, or a 35mm adapter ... with the 35 Adapter and the right lens, you can have a RAZOR sharp shallow DOF ... which if you're not careful can work against you as well, as pulling a good focus on your subject has the potential to be even more challenging as there's less room for fogiveness in the focus.
Click to expand...

I appreciate your enthusiasm for the extra lighting toys...and their expense. Not only in money, but time.

Of course, if you've got deep pockets, there are all kinds of ways to help you achieve the blurred background effect. But even with those toys, if you don't have the needed minimum distance between the subject and what is behind them, you aren't going to succeed in blurring the background.

Since I've used all those toys. I know their limitations.:)
 
?? Well the soft screen, if placed directly behind the subject WILL give the desired blurred effect. And a good 50mm or more 1.4 lens on a 35 Adapter will have an EXTREMELY shallow DOF ... so much so that the eyes of your subject can be in sharp focus, while their ears are out of focus.

So unless you're talking about a litteral inch or two between your subject & the background, I'd say both of the above mentioned are VERY viable ways in achieving the desired look.

And you don't have to have deep pockets. A good lens can be acquired for $50 or less, and plenty of people have built their own 35 adapters for around $100.
 
to blur the background you need to position the camera a good distance from the subject matter or talent. Instead of being set up within 5-6 feet, I would move the camera back maybe 10-15 feet then zoom in to the person. When you zoom in it will blur the background out. You may need to move the camera further back than that...just have to play around with it.
 
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