Imagine you were photographing this bride onto 2¼" square film in a Hasselblad, you'd get soft fore and backgrounds, right? Now you pick up your phone and take a 5 mp still of the bride, and everything's sharp right to infinity, again - right?

What you're seeing is this: it's all about chip sizes, and therefore focal lengths. So the smaller the chips, the less likely it is that you'll get the differential focus effects you're after.

So you can't say, 'with video it can't be done'. It can be done with an EX1 (½" chips) but probably not with a PDX10 (1"/5 chips).

Your HV30 is a goodie - it has 1"/2.7 chips - bigger than in an XH, HMC, Z or FX.

tom.

Hi Terry,

Thanks for lead on twoneils. I ordered one today. Also ordered a Nikon 50 F1.4. Should be fun!

Follow-up...
 

Just a follow-up:

I bought a twoneil adapter - no achromat so there is a little vignetting. I actually like the look - I often add a subtle vignette anyway. I sent my HV30 away for the FlipHack while I waited for the adapter to arrive as well as purchased a 50mm 1.4 off of ebay for $60. My father-in-law crafted a bracket so I can mount the camera upside-down on a tripod or monopod. Short movie of that here, using the adapter and lens a day after the adapter arrived:

~ Flip it ~

Ace little film Joel. That adapter sure makes your little HV look like $15000 on screen - and that's what matters.

Thanks Tom! Its a fun little rig. And at 24 fps and 1/24th shutter the low-light sensitivity is pretty good. I've got to watch out for dust though. There's a piece that shows up a lot. I did order the achromat lens - will hopefully make the edge-to-edge sharpness better and lessen the vignetting at the expense of a longer lens.

Just a shot of the configuration:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/attachmen...1&d=1239808363

I use my XH-A1 as main cam. Then an HV30 as B-roll cam. A second HV30 mounted on Merlin steadicam. Both HV30 works well.