will the 35mm adapter help with over exposure??
 

i'm shooting with and xl1 and i run into problems when i shoot outside shots. everything is dull and flat due to the optics in the camera. when i have in overblown background due to me adjusting exposure for the foreground it is very ugly. if i had a 35mm adaptor that would allow me to pull the background out of focus in these situations, would that help? i'm guessing that a blown out background that has been pulled out of focus might even look cool.

managing light is not so different with video from photo and sharp or blurred background is no difference when too much light is coming into the lense. Then the miniDV35 will not help for this.
you can try neutral filter (there is usually a ND filter already available in video camera but unfortunately for DOF, it is after the lens) or increase the shutter speed.
The inconvenient of having to much light in the background is that the foreground looks dark.
Most of camera have a backlight feature to fight this problem.

thanks
 

i have the xl1 so i do not have this back light feature. i think for the music videos that i am shooting i can frame them up so that i can use a mask in post. i can then use a darkened feathered mask making sure nothing in the foreground moves into to the mask. i'm assuming that if i pull it off right it should add some seperation and dimension to the shots. i might have to get used to the type of shots that this would work and not work for.

Backlight and other "Idiot Buttons"
 

Backlight button on cameras does nothing more than open the aperature a bit more but no more than what is already possible for the cameras lens. In other words the only advantage it has over just opening the aperature yourself is that now all you have to do is push a single button. When your shoting on the fly it may make things alittle faster but if your not just open the aperature yourself. That way you can fine tune it to your needs.

Of coarse you could always use the "I thought ahead and brought a $2 piece of foam core" button... but thats only available on the really really really really expensive cameras.

As far as your question...

As long as you have some detail left in the background after exposing for your subject throwing it out of focus with a Mini35 adapter might give the depth your going for. At the very least your audience's eye is more likely to look at the subject if the background is out of focus. Also if you keep everything in focus you might find your audience preoccupied trying to make sense of whats in your overexposed background.

cool
 

i apreciate all of the feedback. i have a better understanding now. thanks everyone.