How to get blur background effect?

[red_ryder]

I'm using a Canon S45 compact digicam. Read from a photography magazine that to get a shallow DOF and blur background effect I need to use apertures larger than f/5.6. So I set the aperture to f/2.8 on aperture priority mode and took some photos of my daughter (standing about 1m from me). Doesn't work, the background and my daughter are all in focus. My camera can't go lower than f/2.8, does that mean that I cannot get a shallow DOF effect from this camera?

thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[+evenstar]

I'm using a Canon S45 compact digicam. Read from a photography magazine that to get a shallow DOF and blur background effect I need to use apertures larger than f/5.6. So I set the aperture to f/2.8 on aperture priority mode and took some photos of my daughter (standing about 1m from me). Doesn't work, the background and my daughter are all in focus. My camera can't go lower than f/2.8, does that mean that I cannot get a shallow DOF effect from this camera?

thanks in advance for any advice!

PnS DOF are usually different from DSLRs due to the smaller sensor

 

[KCLow]

i think at 1m distance you must be using a wide or normal angle setting. Try using telephoto setting (zoom) instead, and try shooting from a greater distance, but of course at whatever is the largest aperture possible at this focal length. Normally, the greater the focal length used, the smaller DOF at similar aperture size. Hope this helps.

 

[user111]

aperture settings on PnS dont really provide any significant DOF effects. for real DOF effects, use SLR and a fast lens

 

[sulhan]

I'm using a Canon S45 compact digicam. Read from a photography magazine that to get a shallow DOF and blur background effect I need to use apertures larger than f/5.6. So I set the aperture to f/2.8 on aperture priority mode and took some photos of my daughter (standing about 1m from me). Doesn't work, the background and my daughter are all in focus. My camera can't go lower than f/2.8, does that mean that I cannot get a shallow DOF effect from this camera?

thanks in advance for any advice!

Hiee...

An additional simple rule....should work...

Take three locations/points...A(you), B(subject), C(Background).......with the help of minimum focus distance......As long as Distance (A to B) is significantly shorter than Distance (B to C) your background should be blurred if focus on subject at location B. Made more obvious blurness when using tele...

Hope this helps...

rgds,
sulhan

 

[Germinc]

Hiee...

An additional simple rule....should work...

Take three locations/points...A(you), B(subject), C(Background).......with the help of minimum focus distance......As long as Distance (A to B) is significantly shorter than Distance (B to C) your background should be blurred if focus on subject at location B. Made more obvious blurness when using tele...

Hope this helps...

rgds,
sulhan

Hi
Will this work with a A95 camera?

 

[Zplus]

Hi
Will this work with a A95 camera?

Yes.

 

[iso100]

yup, try one more time.
use tele end+larger aperture value+make the background which you want to make blur far from the shooting object.

 

[Cactus jACK]

As long as Distance (A to B) is significantly shorter than Distance (B to C) your background should be blurred if focus on subject at location B. Made more obvious blurness when using tele...

i think it also has to do with the A to B distance and the focal length of the lense. the S45 has a 7.1-21.3mmf2.8-4.9 lense... and in order to acheive the f2.8, you would have to be shooting at 7.1mm... i'm not sure of the math or the technical aspects, but i wouldn't imagine that your working distance before you hit infinity (where everything is in focus) wouldn't be very much.

if you try to optical zoom and uitilize the 21.3mm would give you more working room, but your max aperture would be f4.9.

 

[Drudkh]

for compact cams, normal mode is very hard to get shallow DOF. most of the time it works in macro mode, effective at wide and not so much at tele end.

here's something i tried with fujifilm f10, macro mode.

 

[blaine]

won't work well. still need a SLR and a f2.8.

 

[sumball]

You can get blurred background even at f16 or f32. It depends NOT only on the aperture used but also the distant between the camera & the subject and also the subject & the background.

 

[user12343]

hey, you using i-Audio's MP3 player???? :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

for compact cams, normal mode is very hard to get shallow DOF. most of the time it works in macro mode, effective at wide and not so much at tele end.

here's something i tried with fujifilm f10, macro mode.

 

[latmo]

I'm using a Canon S45 compact digicam. Read from a photography magazine that to get a shallow DOF and blur background effect I need to use apertures larger than f/5.6. So I set the aperture to f/2.8 on aperture priority mode and took some photos of my daughter (standing about 1m from me). Doesn't work, the background and my daughter are all in focus. My camera can't go lower than f/2.8, does that mean that I cannot get a shallow DOF effect from this camera?

thanks in advance for any advice!

Photoshop > Select the subject > Do a invert selection > Lens Blur > Done

 

[Drudkh]

hey, you using i-Audio's MP3 player???? :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

yup, G3 kicks ass!

 

[singscott]

PnS DOF are usually different from DSLRs due to the smaller sensor

The joke on me :embrass: +evenstar is right

 

[singscott]

aperture settings on PnS dont really provide any significant DOF effects. for real DOF effects, use SLR and a fast lens

Aperture settings on PnS does have DOF effects, as on all type of camera and lens. It may harder to get the desire affect on PnS. I have to change the post due I have wrote the wrong imformation on the previous post. Sorry to user111 :embrass:

 

[singscott]

Let me get a few fact right here before the things get out of hand and misinformations start flying. What affect DOF are as follow:

1)focal length of the lens

2)distance from the camera to the subject

3)the size of the aperture or the setting of the f-stop

It is the same for all camera. A DOF of a 90mm lens in compact or DSLR or 35mm or medium format or large format is the same. May be this link can help http://www.azuswebworks.com/photography/dof.html or http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Optical/Depth_of_Field_01.htm
:sweat: :sweatsm: :sweat:

 

[singscott]

I'm using a Canon S45 compact digicam. Read from a photography magazine that to get a shallow DOF and blur background effect I need to use apertures larger than f/5.6. So I set the aperture to f/2.8 on aperture priority mode and took some photos of my daughter (standing about 1m from me). Doesn't work, the background and my daughter are all in focus. My camera can't go lower than f/2.8, does that mean that I cannot get a shallow DOF effect from this camera?

thanks in advance for any advice!

Use your biggest aperture (F5.6) and use your tele lens to frame but try to go closest that you can get to frame the subject.

 

[+evenstar]

Again DOF is not affected by the camera or film size you use la:dunno:

Try using a FF camera and a 1.6x camera. Shoot the same subject with the same framing with the same lens, setting, etc. You'll see that the background blur of the FF camera is better...