XL1s Shallow DOF?

[noob]

Can anyone give me advice on how to get shallow DOF with the XL1s? I love the DOF with the pd150 and wanted to get similar results with the XL.

 

I've only got the standard 16x lens ... I've tried turning the ND up and overlighting, but it just looks grainy.

 

Would appreciate any assistance.

 

 

 

Nooooob

[Jay Gladwell]

I'd be curious to see what you're doing to get a grainy image from overlighting! If you're overlighting, you're heading in the opposite direction. You're trying to open the aperture to get less depth of field, not close it down.

 

Too, you need to have the lens zoomed out as far as you can, based on your space constraints. Trying to do this inside is difficult at best, unless you're shooting in very large rooms.

 

What exactly is it you're trying to shoot, and where--interior or exterior?

 

Jay

[Phil Connolly]

The XL-1 has the same size CCD as the PD150 so for the same focal length lens the depth of field will be exactly the same.

 

Not sure as well why the image is grainy - although the built in ND filter is about 6 stops and you need a lot of light to use it in doors - is the ND filter making the gain kick in? It may be an Idea to invest in a mattbox and a set of ND filters so you can fine tune your f stop setting and light levels.

 

I've got acceptable shallow depth out by shooting close to wide open and at the end of the lens - but it is a nightmare trying to keep it in focus with the standard lens and viewfinder

 

I find that if I'm shooting with a bog standard XL-1 set up, I need all the DOF I can get to give me a fighting chance of keeping in focus.

 

The mini-35 adapter would be another way to get a shallow depth look on this camera.

 

Phil

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

What lens are you using, and at what zoom position? Wide lenses on video cameras are often so wide - particularly the 3x wide angle EOS zoom Canon made for the XL1, which is very wide indeed - will tend to hide artifacts due to depth of field. Zoom in, and it all becomes a lot easier to manage - if you can simultaneously deal with the long-lens look.

 

Phil

[Guest AshG]

First thing, keep the aperture WIDE open. Then shoot with the lens partially zoomed (making it longer). While in theory all 1/3" CCD cams have the same potential DOF, the Canon cameras with their longer lenses (16X or 20X) actually provide the shallowest DOF. Best case for a shallow DOF is to move to a 2/3" cam...

 

 

 

 

ash =o)

[Paul Bruening]

Hey now,

 

Like these guys have said. The rules for lenses are still the same even though video is inherently deeper DOF. The longer the lens the shallower the DOF. The more the iris is opened the shallower the DOF. In practice on my XL1s, that means that DOF really only becomes noticable on facial close-ups with the longer lens setting and NDFs on the front of the lens stopping it down to the limit. You lose stoppage on the lens by zooming in but it's the best you can get from it.

 

By the way, getting rid of the auto lens and getting a manual lens makes everything go better. The servo rings on the auto lens makes it dang-near useless.

[Jay Gladwell]

By the way, getting rid of the auto lens and getting a manual lens makes everything go better. The servo rings on the auto lens makes it dang-near useless.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have to disagree. The auto lens serves me very well. It's like any other instrument. It takes practice to learn how to "play" it well. Many simply don't have the patience to learn how, so it then becomes the object's fault, not the user.

 

Jay

[Dimitrios Koukas]

Can anyone give me advice on how to get shallow DOF with the XL1s? I love the DOF with the pd150 and wanted to get similar results with the XL.

 

I've only got the standard 16x lens ... I've tried turning the ND up and overlighting, but it just looks grainy.

 

Would appreciate any assistance.

Nooooob

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

First of all disable the auto gain fixture , this will make your filtration work.So your shallow DOF.

Dimitrios Koukas