General T3i: Which lens for Interview with Shallow DOF?

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payal_choksi

Well-known member
hi all,

can you all please suggest me a lens which i can use for interviewing people? my main requirement is, i need a nice blurry background and want my subject to stand out from the background. will canon 50mm 1.8 give me a good result with t3i? Further, i want to frame my subject to mid close shot to medium close up.

kindly help.

thanks all

:)
 
Hi,

the 50mm 1.8 is always a good choice, but if you want to shoot close ups, i would suggest a 85mm 1.8 - so you will get more space between you and your subject and also very nice bokeh!

Don't forget some VariND's do get shallow DOF...

regards
 
Use a zoom lens with a constant aperture of 2.8. At 50mm and 2.8 you can get some nice bokeh, lighting, and framing are also very important
 
50mm on a crop-frame sensor is pretty ideal for head-and-shoulder interview shots, allows enough space between the camera and the subject without being miles away. Anything between 35 and 105 will be suitable, depending on how much of the background you want to include in the shot - longer focal lengths will exclude the surroundings and decrease depth of field, whereas shorter lengths will have a greater depth of field and show more. I did an interview with a 35mm recently because I wanted to show the subject in front of a city skyline, but if you're working in a cluttered indoor environment, longer lengths can work out better for cutting out distractions. If a really creamy blurred out background is vitally important to you, an 85mm 1.4 is the ideal solution, although something like a 105 or 135mm f/2 could also work well.
 
I highly recommend the Nikkor 85mm f/2. The bokeh is beautiful. Below is a still from a short film I shot, in which I used the Nikkor 85mm f/2 (in this specific shot). Though it's from a narrative piece, the shot is obviously similar to interview styles.

mdbMr.jpg
 
Kyran,

I like the image that you put up...very nice lens. I have a 50 mm and the kit lens 18-55mm. Would Macro Lens enhance the DOF?
 
Thank you.

Macro would enhance the DOF, but the results are not that of what you desire. (Assuming it is a shot like mine above.)
 
KyranFord said:
I highly recommend the Nikkor 85mm f/2. The bokeh is beautiful. Below is a still from a short film I shot, in which I used the Nikkor 85mm f/2 (in this specific shot). Though it's from a narrative piece, the shot is obviously similar to interview styles.

mdbMr.jpg
Click to expand...
That Nikon looks beautiful. You recommend any other vintage glass?
 
skatepreme said:
That Nikon looks beautiful. You recommend any other vintage glass?
Click to expand...
Cool to see you on DVXuser as well.

The 85mm f/2 truly is a beauty. I have a full set of Nikon MF lenses and I absolutely love them. After customizing them for filmmaking, they're a pleasure to work with. Attach an adapter and simply use EOS rear caps, use a 52mm-77mm step-up ring with a 77mm pinch-cap (these have small spaces between the pinch levers that you can label the focal length and F-stop with-- makes it more convenient.), and you can even attach snapping lens gears to leave on. I haven't done the long-term gears yet, but I plan on it when I can afford them. As for recommendations on vintage glass, any Nikon AI or AI-S lenses.. I don't typically mess with Non-AI, as they're not as sharp as the newer ones, and I really just don't like the build of the focus rings. I guess AI'd are all right, but I don't mess with those either, as they had to have been repaired at some point, therefore been known to break or malfunction easily.
 
85mm focal length, then take your pick. The canon f1.8 is surprisingly good, but I love my contax zeiss f2.8
 
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