out of focus at DVinfo.net

Jan Vanhoecke · June 16th, 2011, 06:34 PM

Hi, like many of you, i have a T2 for filming weddings.
But how can i use it with a stabiliser, 30 cm movement brings everything out of focus?
What lens do i need for walking around with a stabiliser, and maintaining nice bokeh when shooting standing still? Or do i need to change lenses all of the time?

Edward Carlson · June 16th, 2011, 09:31 PM

There are three things that affect depth of field: focal length of the lens, f-stop, and subject distance. A wider lens will have more depth of field, a higher f-stop (smaller aperture) will have more depth of field, and a subject that is farther away will have more depth of field around it. To maintain focus while on a stabilizer, you either need more light, a wider lens, to stay farther away, or have someone pulling focus remotely.

John Wiley · June 17th, 2011, 02:59 AM

Using a wide-angle lens is the best way to fix this problem. Apart from giving you a deeper DOF, WA will also make your steadycam work look a lot better as the wider angle will make any bumps or wobbles look less noticable (not that I think you don't know what you're doing with a steadycam; it's just that at weddings you need every bit of help you can get!)

Something like the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 or the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 will work great.

If you use Magic Lantern, you can also look at the lens data to help plan your shots. You can quickly and accurately check out where your DOF near and far points are and work out how far away you need to be to keep everything on in focus. This a great feature of ML and I use it regularly when setting up steadycam shots.

June 16th, 2011, 06:34 PM	#1
Jan Vanhoecke Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Kaapstad South Africa Posts: 64	out of focus Hi, like many of you, i have a T2 for filming weddings. But how can i use it with a stabiliser, 30 cm movement brings everything out of focus? What lens do i need for walking around with a stabiliser, and maintaining nice bokeh when shooting standing still? Or do i need to change lenses all of the time?

June 16th, 2011, 09:31 PM	#2
Edward Carlson Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: North Hollywood, CA, United States Posts: 807	Re: out of focus There are three things that affect depth of field: focal length of the lens, f-stop, and subject distance. A wider lens will have more depth of field, a higher f-stop (smaller aperture) will have more depth of field, and a subject that is farther away will have more depth of field around it. To maintain focus while on a stabilizer, you either need more light, a wider lens, to stay farther away, or have someone pulling focus remotely.

June 17th, 2011, 02:59 AM	#3
John Wiley Trustee Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Byron Bay, Australia Posts: 1,155	Re: out of focus Using a wide-angle lens is the best way to fix this problem. Apart from giving you a deeper DOF, WA will also make your steadycam work look a lot better as the wider angle will make any bumps or wobbles look less noticable (not that I think you don't know what you're doing with a steadycam; it's just that at weddings you need every bit of help you can get!) Something like the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 or the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 will work great. If you use Magic Lantern, you can also look at the lens data to help plan your shots. You can quickly and accurately check out where your DOF near and far points are and work out how far away you need to be to keep everything on in focus. This a great feature of ML and I use it regularly when setting up steadycam shots. Last edited by John Wiley; June 17th, 2011 at 04:37 AM.