Can I do a shot like this on a DSLR?

I

ironpony

Carbonite Member
If you zoom in to 2:00 into the video example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJMxGFco57Y

I want to start out with a close up, then zoom really far back, really fast. Now their are telephoto lens for DSLRs, but they have what I am told is called a 'sticky aperture'. I tried color grading in post to make the aperture all match during the zoom but you can see objects in the background get brighter and change color a little and it's noticeable. Is it possible to do better post work? Or even better, is it possible to safely modify the lens, so the aperture does not stick? I also tried looking for a DP with a lens that can do this but none I could find in my area do unfortunately.

Thanks.
 
ironpony said:
If you zoom in to 2:00 into the video example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJMxGFco57Y

I want to start out with a close up, then zoom really far back, really fast. Now their are telephoto lens for DSLRs, but they have what I am told is called a 'sticky aperture'. I tried color grading in post to make the aperture all match during the zoom but you can see objects in the background get brighter and change color a little and it's noticeable. Is it possible to do better post work? Or even better, is it possible to safely modify the lens, so the aperture does not stick? I also tried looking for a DP with a lens that can do this but none I could find in my area do unfortunately.

Thanks.
Click to expand...


You would greatly benefit from a zoom lens that is parfocal, constant aperture through the range, and has a great zoom range. Set the focus while zoomed in and snap zoom to your hearts content!

Am I missing something?

Even if you have a lens without a constant maximum aperture through the range, you can still set the lighting to the aperture setting that will carry across the zoom. I.E., if the lens is a F/2.8-5.6, set the lens to a F/5.6 and when you zoom at any length in the range it should stay the same.

Also, the ability to do this is in the lens. The type of camera matters little with the exception of perhaps some slight weirdness from rolling shutter cameras, especially the worst of them. Otherwise, it's all in the lens.
 
Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
You would greatly benefit from a zoom lens that is parfocal, constant aperture through the range, and has a great zoom range. Set the focus while zoomed in and snap zoom to your hearts content!

Am I missing something?

Even if you have a lens without a constant maximum aperture through the range, you can still set the lighting to the aperture setting that will carry across the zoom. I.E., if the lens is a F/2.8-5.6, set the lens to a F/5.6 and when you zoom at any length in the range it should stay the same.

Also, the ability to do this is in the lens. The type of camera matters little with the exception of perhaps some slight weirdness from rolling shutter cameras, especially the worst of them. Otherwise, it's all in the lens.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. A parfocal constant aperture would be best. However, like Ryan says, if the lens is not a constant aperture, light and expose to the highest aperture, on the longest end, and if it is parfocal, zoom in and out at will. If your lens is not parfocal, it is still doable. I can do a shoot like that with one of my favorite lenses, a Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm f2.8 - 3.5 in F mount that I use on a FS-100. This lens is a "Push-pull" lens in that the focus and zoom is controlled by a large ring that moves in and out as well as rotates (Focal length changes with the in and out movement and focus changes with the rotation). What I do is set up my wide end focus with witness marks on two pieces of camera tape on the lens base and zoom focus ring (Old school) then zoom in and focus. Using the single zoom/focus ring I can now zoom out and hit the wide end witness mark using the one zoom focus ring. It takes a bit of practice, but it is doable for sure. Zooming in is more difficult as the zoom/focus ring moves forward away from the witness mark set on the lens base. I really haven't been able to hit it that regularly. For zoom ins I would do it as a quick stand alone shot done as an easier zoom out. Then I would just reverse the shot in post to make it a zoom in.
 
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ironpony said:
If you zoom in to 2:00 into the video example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJMxGFco57Y

I want to start out with a close up, then zoom really far back, really fast. Now their are telephoto lens for DSLRs, but they have what I am told is called a 'sticky aperture'. I tried color grading in post to make the aperture all match during the zoom but you can see objects in the background get brighter and change color a little and it's noticeable. Is it possible to do better post work? Or even better, is it possible to safely modify the lens, so the aperture does not stick? I also tried looking for a DP with a lens that can do this but none I could find in my area do unfortunately.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

For your Canon T2i (As I recall...), you can get a PL mount adapter, and then get a real(tm) zoom lens with the mentioned 'parfocal' lens. With the PL mount you can also get a cine lens that has both focus and aperture rings, so you can 'pull' focus and aperture while moving between areas of significantly different lighting.

These can be rented and delivered to 'your area'...

As for my opinion of the 'snap zoom'... to me it is like the 'snap pan', and other 'shock' techniques.... Unless I'm watching the Bluray 40 year anniversary special edition of "Enter the Dragon"(1973), I hate them...

http://www.amazon.com/Enter-Dragon-...825&sr=8-1&keywords=enter+the+dragon+blue+ray

Now I really feel old...
 
j1clark@ucsd.edu said:
For your Canon T2i (As I recall...), you can get a PL mount adapter, and then get a real(tm) zoom lens with the mentioned 'parfocal' lens. With the PL mount you can also get a cine lens that has both focus and aperture rings, so you can 'pull' focus and aperture while moving between areas of significantly different lighting.

These can be rented and delivered to 'your area'...

As for my opinion of the 'snap zoom'... to me it is like the 'snap pan', and other 'shock' techniques.... Unless I'm watching the Bluray 40 year anniversary special edition of "Enter the Dragon"(1973), I hate them...

http://www.amazon.com/Enter-Dragon-...825&sr=8-1&keywords=enter+the+dragon+blue+ray

Now I really feel old...
Click to expand...


Yeah, when I think of the snap zoom I do think of the late '60s and 1960's films. The project where I learned to man handle the Vivitar Series 1 push pull zoom to do zoom shots was a comedy short and we specifically referenced skits from the 1960s TV show "Laugh In" for the snap zoom shoots. We ended up cutting the scenes and not shooting them, but I figured out how to do the zooms.

BTW, I am a real big Peckinpah fan, especially "The Wild Bunch". It has one of the best opening sequences ever filmed. "If they move... KILL 'EM"!
 
Well I want to use the snap zoom only once for a specific effect. I don't want it to come across as old or outdated form. As far as lighting the scene so that the aperture will be a constant zoom, for the shot I want, I am actually pointing the camera to a building rooftop, and zooming out. So I cannot light really, if it's going up.
 
ironpony said:
Well I want to use the snap zoom only once for a specific effect. I don't want it to come across as old or outdated form. As far as lighting the scene so that the aperture will be a constant zoom, for the shot I want, I am actually pointing the camera to a building rooftop, and zooming out. So I cannot light really, if it's going up.
Click to expand...

I should not have said the term 'light'. A better word choice would have been 'expose'. You should expose for at least the maximum aperture of the slowest part of your zoom range.

Even with the slight wording error, how you still did not understand that, I'm a little confused. Oh well. If lighting or if using all natural light, either way you want to expose your image to at least the maximum aperture of the slowest part of the zoom, usually the long end. That way when you zoom in or zoom out, the image should keep the same exposure.
 
Lol my bad. I seriously thought you meant light as in use lights. I've been told that by someone else, and have been trying but it still changes. Since it's in the daytime, I got lots of light so I can go up to f11 if I want but it still changes.
 
ironpony said:
Lol my bad. I seriously thought you meant light as in use lights. I've been told that by someone else, and have been trying but it still changes. Since it's in the daytime, I got lots of light so I can go up to f11 if I want but it still changes.
Click to expand...

Shouldn't. What are you using again?
 
I have a 75-300mm lens on a Canon T3i. When I set it to f11 or any aperture from 5.6 and above, and zoom in, the aperture gets darker during the zoom then goes back to being f11.
 
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