Camera Focusing (Need help!)

shockimpulse

shockimpulse

First off, I have a Canon XL1 s and I must say I'm quite a noob. I mean, I try to study film on my own but its times like these when I need help from this site because my school doesn't offer help with film.

So I have two main problems/inquiries that revolve around camera focus.

1. My canon XL1 s does the strangest thing. I was on vacation this weekend, just testing out the ol' cam. I tried turning the dial to get the depth of field going, and to focus on my father. So, the objects in front of the camera turned blurry and he was the only thing focused. All good. But then, it automatically went back into making everything focused. It seems whenever I use manual focus to try and blur out everything or focus on depth of field, it works, then when i stop turning the dial, it goes back into making everything sharp.

2. Go to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arpLaUZeL6k

Skip to :34 seconds. Notice how the main character is so sharp and defined while the background is all blurry. I have a canon xl1 and i've been trying to do it with the manual focus but it just doesn't seem to quite get it. any tips or help?

I posted that question on Yahoo Answers and I got this answer:

"Essentially, you need to take a shorter exposure with a wider apreture. This narrows the Depth of Field, keeping only a small part of what is in your lens to be in focus.

And THEN, manually focus only on what you want to be kept sharp."

So, I don't understand what the person means by "take a shorter exposure with a wider apreture". Yeah, I'm a noob. So if anyone can help with one or both of my problems, that'd be great. And if anybody knows a site or a video or anything that can help me study and understand manual focusing and depth of field, referrences would be nice!
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Yeah, I didn't know what rack focusing was in the other thread, and I didn't know this was rack focusing either. Although, I still don't understand how the video I linked is rack focusing. It's not transitioning between 2 people.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
shockimpulse said:
Yeah, I didn't know what rack focusing was in the other thread, and I didn't know this was rack focusing either. Although, I still don't understand how the video I linked is rack focusing. It's not transitioning between 2 people.
Click to expand...

It's not.

But you asked what rack focusing was.

The video you linked is just shoots of a guy in focus while the background is out of focus.

Simply focusing on the person should leave anything tih in a certian distance behind him, out of foucs.
[With the right lense, not yours]
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You are asking about is the area that is in focus - called the
depth of field. DOF. It’s a combination of the focal length, the
f-stop and the subject distance. Most video cameras have lenses
that keep just about everything in focus. You can have a branch
in the foreground, an actor ten feet away and a tree in the
background and all will be in focus. What you want to see is a
very narrow DOF.

I’m not much of a tech guy and I’m no teacher so I’m no good at
the numbers and the “how it works”. All that talk of numbers and
f-stops confuses me, too. I’ve read all about it and I have a
basic understanding, but I can’t explain is well. Others here can
talk tech much better than me.

Better lenses can do what you want. Either have the subject (the
actor) in focus and everything else out of focus or focus from
one subject to another. This is simply the are that the lens
keeps in focus - the depth of field.

There is nothing in the XL1 manual that will help you get a better
DOF with the stock lens. That lens just isn’t good enough.

There are options - as you have already read. You can get an
adaptor. This is the only solution for anyone with a fixed lens
camera. You have the option of renting a better lens. Canon make
amazing lenses and there are several lenses that you can put on
an XL series camera.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Well, apparently the Canon XL1 s doesn't have the option to input numbers.

And thank your directorik, you've given me a much better insight into my problem. And it seems my lens are the main issue, eh?

Anyone who handles cameras&tech know what kind of lens would be right for this job? Suggesting both a cheap one, despite the quality, and suggesting any priced one, for its best quality, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for the help so far CDCosta and Directorik!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top