Tracking Shot Help (DSLR+Lens)

[Caleb Benjamin Wheeler]

I am executing a 3-minute unbroken tracking shot for a music video using a Canon 5D Mark III and a MoVI M5 house with a ring handle. The music video takes place at a house party moving from interior to exterior. Plenty of choreography in each frame and following two main characters. I want depth of field but with soft focus so as to limit the use of pull-focus.

 

Does anybody have an specific suggestions as to what lens would be best for this criteria? I'm thinking a fixed lens like a 35mm f/1.4 Zeiss or a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 but those are my only leads. NEED HELP.

 

Thanks.

[Satsuki Murashige]

What do you mean by 'soft focus'? Are you going for deep depth of field with an overall diffused look? Moderate depth of field with a lens blur on the edges of the frame? Or just shallow depth of field?

 

Deep depth, diffused look. Stop down the lens to f11 and use a diffusion filter in front of the lens.

 

Medium depth, blurred edges. Stop down to f5.6 and put a clear filter on. Smear a very light coating of Vaseline or KY around the edges of the filter. Don't stop down too much or you'll start to see the smear.

 

Shallow depth. Open up to f2.8 and put a remote follow focus system on the camera. If you can get a Zeiss CP2 or Canon CN-E cine prime lens in EF that actually has focus witness marks, that would help out your 1st AC a lot.

[Satsuki Murashige]

If you need more depth of field but can't stop down, then I would suggest using a wide lens on a smaller sensor camera like a GH4, or even a BlackMagic Pocket Camera.

 

A 12mm lens on a Super 16mm sized sensor like the Pocket Cam would give you the same horizontal field of view as a 35mm on a Canon 5D.

 

Depth of field difference @ f5.6:

5D/35mm: 7'2-16'8 @ 10'

Pocket/12mm: 4'6-inf. @ 10'