I'm not even 100% sure if I'm using the correct terminolgy here, but I'd love to be able to film scenes with a depth of field, such as the image below:



Now, I don't have any fancy equipment, just a Sony MiniDV DCR-HC45. I believe it has a 30mm thread.

I know the quality won't be half as good as the image above but I just need to be able to film with a depth of field.

Please bear in mind I'm not even sure if I'm on the right track with what I'm saying but is there any way to shoot the shots like above with additional lenses? Will the lenses required even fit my MiniDV?

If so, does anyone know of any lenses which would work?

You are on the wrong track in the wrong country going the wrong way in the dark.

Its not just dof - that is a still pic taken by a master on a great camera.

SO give up.

Well maybe not - the best you can do to get shallow dof is learn to operate the camera manually - shoot with the aperture fully open - low f number - stand back - tripod pfref - zoom in a bit - fiddle.

Thankyou.

Like I said, I don't expect that quality.

I'm not bothered about quality, I just need to be able to achieve that depth of field.

However, thanks for your advice.
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Depth of Field adapters are available - but they're not cheap. There are also instructions as to how to make them freely available on the net. Google "35mm adapter"

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Tim

There are some things you can do to try and achieve a shallow depth of field but with your camera it's not going to be brilliant results.

One way is to have you main subject as far away from the back ground as possible. Shoot with your iris open (low F number) as vertovian said. If it's to bright, increase the shutter speed or fps. Zoom into your subject as much as you can and the background will be well out of focus.

If you plan your shots ahead of time to try and duplicate the above you will get something like the look you are after.

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Every thing said by me should be taken with a pinch of salt. Unless you have high blood pressure, then I would recommend a salt substitute.

Also - light your subject well - this draws attention more to subject - often the main aim of shallow dof.

It is worth saying that dof is a very creative tool used by directors for very specific reasons.

For years it has been part of the language of nearly ALL hollywood show case fodder - but it is salient to point out that this was done at first cos they had no choice - early colour film had an asa as low as 4 ( four ) so stupidly bright lights and wide ( low f) open lenses were a must to expose the film enough - and as a corollary - shallow dof.

In europe where cinema and the market was less driven by technical ' innovation' and more by artistic values you will see very deep dof much more often and shallow rarely if at all - very rarely in the extreme Hollywood way.

Its value as a creative tool is VASTLY over rated by home vidders.

You're a complicated guy, you go mooking around upsetting half the forum and then post an insightful interesting post like this.

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Every thing said by me should be taken with a pinch of salt. Unless you have high blood pressure, then I would recommend a salt substitute.

I just am being myself - not trolling as the mods appear to think.
I think fast, edit fast, type fast - often bluntly and yes rashly - but if I do find I cause real distress I apologise as that is never my intent.

Film is my thing. Watching, making, reading, studying - hence I have buckets of bull er intersting facts - about film. I may be terse but it is also clear to me that there are egos biiger then mine involved in all this. Lols.

I also dont get what the big deal is - I am just a mook with a camera.

You could say we are all just mooks with a camera. Except my hair isn't quite as silly as your video example of a mook. lol

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Every thing said by me should be taken with a pinch of salt. Unless you have high blood pressure, then I would recommend a salt substitute.

Silly hair? Now the gloces are off - each time i ask for something different my barber refuses - he says it suits me.

It is exactly the same as a character in one of my four star films ( five is top ) - Mongol dir sergie bondrov - charcter name - Jamukah, Honglei Sun

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