DOF with HMC 150

M

moonunit

Member
Hi. I have read that this answer is posted somewhere but I have googled and searched everywhere and I can't find any information on how to get film DOF with my HMC150 - other than get a lens. From what I've read, a little DOF is possible. I'm new to filming and have been using the camera in auto. I know about the Magic Bullet but haven't tried that yet because I was editing with Sony Vegas.

Basically what I want to do is film an interview on a soccer field with a coach, have him close up and have the background blurred. Is this possible to do with my HMC 150?

I know I need to open the iris all the way, right? But then what? Thank you for any help!!
 
Yes that would be possible.

Open up the iris to maximum, and zoom in the lens to maximum telephoto. Move the camera to frame the subject; don't use the zoom to frame him. Put the camera wherever it needs to be, so that at 100% telephoto zoom, you have a frame you like. With the iris all the way open, on an outdoors soccer field, you should have an extremely shallow depth of field. Use the ND filters to help with exposure.
 
WOW! Thank you!! I can't tell you how much that helps me. Thank you!!! I'm wondering, do you have any suggestions about lighting? If I film him outside, is there a time of day that would be better or should I put him in some shade? Thank you again!
 
Lighting outside can be very easy or very difficult, depending on the time of day. High noon is the ugliest time to film; usually the lower the sun is in the sky, the more attractive you can make an outdoor shot. The ideal time to film is called "golden hour", which is about an hour before the sun sets and an hour before the sun rises. If the sun is low in the sky it helps make for more flattering shadows. You can get a quite nice look out of the sun and one bounce card (a silver or white sheet of foam core or styrofoam or a collapsible 5-in-1 reflector). An easy look to make look great would be to set your interviewee up so that the sun is at about a 45-degree angle behind him, and then use a flex-fill or foam core sheet to catch the sun and bounce it onto him to light him up from the other side. So imagine a straight line between the sun and your bounce card, and put your subject between them (with the bounce card obviously quite close to him) and you should be able to make a nicely exposed, suitably soft-light image with a nice edgelight.

Okay, edit to explain (hopefully) better -- imagine the face of a clock, and that your subject is standing directly in the center of the clock. Your camera is positioned at 6:00, at the bottom of the dial, pointed up towards your subject. In this scenario you'd want the sun to be at about 10:00, and your bounce card to be positioned at about 4:00.
 
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