| Author | Thread |
|
|
03/10/2006 08:57:14 PM · #1 |
What I'm trying to get with my camera is that effect where you have the character in the foreground clean but the background blurred. Could someone help me?
Thanks a lot in advance :)
Best regards |
|
|
|
03/10/2006 09:11:58 PM · #2 |
Shallow depth of field... Big f/stop (smaller number like 2.8, 3.6 or 4) and then make sure your subject has plenty of distance away from the background.
With a P&S I would always make sure I was closer to the subject than the subject was to the background to get a nice blur. Something like make sure the background was twice as far as I was from the subject...nothing scientific it just worked for me.
dSLRs (I seen your other thread) are easier to control the dof.
Edit:
Try this with your cam... put a glass at one end of your kitchen/dining room table, put a bottle or something else on opposite end of the table. Sit on the end with the glass and focus on the glass, keeping the other object in the frame and take the shot. When you look at the shot on your monitor the background object should be nice and out of focus.
This will give you an idea as to how you, the subjects and the backgrounds positions work together.
Message edited by author 2006-03-10 21:19:23.
|
|
|
|
03/10/2006 09:20:30 PM · #3 |
I assume you are wanting to take a
shallow depth of field image like:
Though I don't have one, but a quick look over at Steve's Digicam review & features of the F700, shows A mode (Aperature-Priority) and set the f/stop to it's lowest number, like f/2.8 at 35mm for example, but that number depends on the focal length selected and will change as it is zoomed to it's 105mm max.
|
|
|
|
03/12/2006 12:41:49 PM · #4 |
BradP: yes it's that kind of shallow depth of field I'm looking for :). Beautiful pic by the way ! :D
On the link you gave me BradP, they talk about something called Bracketing, what's that?
awpollard: Thank you so much for your explanation! I had found out a few days ago that I need a big F/stop to do what I want but I didn't know about the fact that the background has to be that far away, I'll test it again doing what you said :)!
Also, the more I'm looking into photobooks, catalogs and everything, looking forward to buy a dSLR, and the more I don't get what is (in fact) a dSLR, what's the difference with other digicams like mine ? (a part from the fact that you can change the glass)
Thanks again for your help guys :)
Best regards to both of you!
Message edited by author 2006-03-12 12:46:52. |
|
|
|
03/13/2006 12:38:55 PM · #5 |
It worked :)!Awesome ! Thanks again guys ! Even though the background wasn't very very blurred, but I guess that's because it wasn't far enough (it was a house on the other side of the street).
I took the pic in Aperture Priority mode, can I get this effect in Full Manual too? Or any any other mode of the cam?
|
|
|
|
03/14/2006 06:24:48 AM · #6 |
Here is what I get with my cam in Aperture Mode: Photo
Unfortunately the fact that the background was more far that in my first attempt didn't blur it more :(
Do you know why? Did I do something wrong?
Thanks in advance
Best regards
|
|
|
|
03/14/2006 06:31:53 AM · #7 |
Camera Make: FUJIFILM
Camera Model: FinePix F700
Image Date: 2006:03:14 12:02:13
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 7.7mm (35mm equivalent: 17mm)
CCD Width: 17.01mm
Exposure Time: 0.250 s (1/4)
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO equiv: 200
Exposure Bias: 2.00
White Balance: Manual
Exposure: program (Auto)
Well your aperture was correct, I guess using the longest zoom might help. you only used 17mm |
|
|
|
03/14/2006 06:55:46 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by bluenova:
Well your aperture was correct, I guess using the longest zoom might help. you only used 17mm |
That camera gives 35mm at the wide end (not 17mm) - but bluenova is right in saying that using a longer focal length (zoom in) will give the impression of a shallower depth-of-field. |
|
|
|
03/14/2006 07:14:52 AM · #9 |
Oh ok, thanks.
I'll try it tonight when I get back home lol.
By the way, how did you get all these infos :) ?
Best regards |
|
|
|
03/14/2006 07:18:06 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by Smasher:
Oh ok, thanks.
I'll try it tonight when I get back home lol.
By the way, how did you get all these infos :) ?
Best regards |
I have the exif plugin for firefox, but your camera software should also give you the exif data.
Just noticed that you used: Exposure: program (Auto) Or 'P' on your camera.
You should use: 'A' or Aperture priority and set it on the lowest setting which on your camera is F2.8
Message edited by author 2006-03-14 07:30:10. |
|
|
|
03/15/2006 03:56:31 AM · #11 |
The f/stop was at 2.8 but I might have been in P mode yeah. What would switching to A mode change if in P my f is 2.8? Also, what would it change concerning the DOF?
Best regards |
|
|
|
03/15/2006 04:45:28 AM · #12 |
Originally posted by Smasher:
The f/stop was at 2.8 but I might have been in P mode yeah. What would switching to A mode change if in P my f is 2.8? Also, what would it change concerning the DOF?
Best regards |
If you had more light, then in 'P' (auto) mode your camera might not use F2.8, as it sets the Shutter speed and Aperture automatically, It choose F2.8 on it own cause there wasn't much light. But in 'A' you can set the Aperture manually and the camera will automatically set the shutter speed. In 'S' you can manually set the shutter speed and the camera will automatically set the Aperture, in 'M' you can set everything yourself. |
|
|
|
03/15/2006 08:17:52 AM · #13 |
another thing u can try to get that background (really) blurred
is use the macro-mode
ofcourse its not what its actually meant for but it might work
good luck |
|
|
|
03/15/2006 08:34:49 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by messerschmitt:
another thing u can try to get that background (really) blurred
is use the macro-mode
ofcourse its not what its actually meant for but it might work
good luck |
That's how I got this effect using my coolpix;
 |
|
|
|
03/16/2006 08:28:10 AM · #15 |
Thanks for your help everyone :)
I thought of using the macro mode yeah but didn't try it yet, I'll test and see.
The Starbucks picture is nice, is your digicam the equivalent to mine?
|
|
|
|
03/16/2006 08:48:48 AM · #16 |
Originally posted by Smasher:
The Starbucks picture is nice, is your digicam the equivalent to mine? |
Mines a coolpix 990. It'd be roughly similar in terms of focal lengths, sensor size, and aperture etc. Yours has more pixels. |
|
|
|
03/16/2006 08:49:49 AM · #17 |
Macro mode will help. Some cameras simply can't manage a shallow DOF.
There is actually a physical reason for this.
DOF gets shallower as your focal length gets longer.
With a big telephoto lens, you can get your Depth of Field to ridiculously tiny slices.
So your camera has a 38-105mm zoom lens (or something in this range, I just made the numbers up by looking at the camera profile 3-4x anyways), so why can't it get the same DOF as a DSLR using a similar focal range kit lens?
It's all about the crop factor.
DOF is a function of lens characteristics.
A DSLR with a 1.6x crop (the majority of DSLR's use 1.5x or 1.6x crops) will be much closer to normal film standard type effects of DOF than a P&S camera which features 5-6x crop.
By means of example, my S2 IS says it has a 36-432mm zoom. What it means is that this EQUIVALENT measurement comes from a 6-72mm lens. WOAH. So when I'm zoomed in to 300mm, I'm actually only at 50mm in the lens for DOF calculation purposes.
Oh.
One of the things I liked about going to a big zoom camera was the fact that my S30 had terrible Macro capabilities (partly user fault there). Having a lot more zoom range allows me to get some rather passable bokeh.
It seems to me that recently, cameras have better macro modes than my S30, but these are the physical limitations we have to work with.
If I've made any claims that are wildly inaccurate, please feel free to correct me.
If you want to check some of the photos taken with your camera, and see what users use it, click on the name of the camera.
You will find images such as  .
Message edited by author 2006-03-16 08:51:59. |
|
|
|
03/17/2006 08:08:02 AM · #18 |
Yeah I just read last night in the How to take good photos with exposure by Bryan Peterson that focals from P&S cams are Different that the ones from dSLR, and so they don't have the same DOF than dSLR (sadly).
I also read that they have bigger DOF than dSLR, by that I mean that a f2.8 of a P&S cam is equal to a f11 of a dSLR. (I don't think I explained it correctly sorry lol, but I'm at work and I don't have the book, which I recommend by the way!)
Best regards |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 06/16/2025 04:54:35 PM EDT.
