New Strobes, wide aperture possible?

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

07/12/2010 01:31:30 PM · #1

I recently treated myself to a new set of 3 strobes, i already know how to use them and i know about the general set up, but...

I would like to get more DOF from my photos; but when shooting at 1/200th (sync speed) and to compensate shooting at f/8-f/9, depth of field is pretty much non-existent. I have tried setting my camera to iso100 and lowering the strobes to minimum power also but no attempts are getting even close to my dream f/1.8 without the image becoming completely blown.

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

07/12/2010 01:33:54 PM · #2

If you want more DOF you need higher f-stops than f8/9, like 11 or 16. f1.8 would give you less DOF than f8/9.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

07/12/2010 01:37:24 PM · #3

sorry i phrased that wrong, i want a lower depth of field - like what you would get with f/1.8

MilesW

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

07/12/2010 01:39:33 PM · #4

A neutral density filter would do the trick if you can't move the strobes further away from the subject.

scalvert

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

07/12/2010 01:40:03 PM · #5

Strobes are powerful gizmos. You'll need to use ND filters for shallow DOF.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

07/12/2010 01:42:39 PM · #6

okay thanks guys, i thought ND filters would be the only option. I was just hoping for an alternative on-camera or during setup. What opacity of ND filter would i need to get it down 8-ish f/stops?

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

07/12/2010 01:43:27 PM · #7

You could also try putting translucent screens in front of the strobes.

JamesA

Nikon D800

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G

07/12/2010 01:45:59 PM · #8

Originally posted by TomCubis:

okay thanks guys, i thought ND filters would be the only option. I was just hoping for an alternative on-camera or during setup. What opacity of ND filter would i need to get it down 8-ish f/stops?

an 8-stop teeheehee

MilesW

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

07/12/2010 01:46:46 PM · #9

ND grads are normally advertised along with their stop reduction e.g. //www.warehouseexpress.com/search/?q=neutral%20density so it should be easy to pick the right combination.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/12/2010 01:47:18 PM · #10

Originally posted by GeneralE:

You could also try putting translucent screens in front of the strobes.

That would soften the light too much in some cases, but that would be okay over softboxes

Citadel

Nikon D7500

07/12/2010 01:48:36 PM · #11

I think if you use Pocket wizards you might be able to use high-speed sync:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=URYVtbDUrDI&feature=channel

eta: not sure about the details using high-speed sync. The strobes themselves may need to support it. In the link provided above I believe he is using Canon speedlights (if I remember correctly)

Message edited by author 2010-07-12 13:51:41.