Steve'sDigicams

maryccc · Nov 4, 2009, 10:30 PM

I thought this one turned out pretty good. I can't remember what setting it was on but I think it was the green box. How do you get the back ground to blur? I've messed around with spot metering but none of my backgrounds blur.

TCav · Nov 5, 2009, 5:34 AM

In order to get the backgrounds to blur you need to get a shallow depth of field. In order to ddo that, you need to use a large aperture. In this shot, the background is relatively close, and you probably used the long end of the zoom range of the kit lens which doesn't have a very large aperture. So in this type of situation, you're not going to get blurred backgrounds.

maryccc · Nov 5, 2009, 6:30 AM

Whats the difference in the lens I got and this one EF50mm f/1.8 II lens . Is one better than the other?

TCav · Nov 5, 2009, 7:07 AM

The 50/1.8 has a much larger maximum aperture than the kit lens, so it would have a much smaller dopth of field. That's what you would need for blurred backgrounds in that situation.

But a shallow depth of field is a double edged sword. The DoF can be too small. The 50/1.8 wide open shooting a subject at a distance of 5 feet has a DoF of 2.4 inches. that means that if the boy's nose was in focus, his ears wouldn't be. So that's something you'll need to experiment with.

You never mentioned wanting a blurred background before now. We could have cautioned you about this before now if we had known. Do you have any other objectives for your new camera?

maryccc · Nov 5, 2009, 7:36 PM

I got my big lens today and shot a few pics. I had to delete quite a bit but got a few good ones. It was a lot of trial and error adjusting the shutter speed and f thing. What is that called?
Here is a collage I threw together

TCav · Nov 5, 2009, 7:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maryccc

... It was a lot of trial and error adjusting the shutter speed and f thing. What is that called?

"... f thing ..."?

That's the F-number or Aperture. It's the size of the hole through which the lens admits light.

Hards80 · Nov 5, 2009, 7:54 PM

nice mary.

as you progress in you learning, your "keeper rate" will definitely increase. there are a lot of resources online to give you detailed and basic information on using your camera, and of course we are always here for specific answers.

Nov 4, 2009, 10:30 PM	#71
maryccc Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 132	I thought this one turned out pretty good. I can't remember what setting it was on but I think it was the green box. How do you get the back ground to blur? I've messed around with spot metering but none of my backgrounds blur. Last edited by maryccc; Nov 4, 2009 at 10:37 PM.

Nov 5, 2009, 5:34 AM	#72
TCav Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Washington, DC, Metro Area, Maryland Posts: 5,586	In order to get the backgrounds to blur you need to get a shallow depth of field. In order to ddo that, you need to use a large aperture. In this shot, the background is relatively close, and you probably used the long end of the zoom range of the kit lens which doesn't have a very large aperture. So in this type of situation, you're not going to get blurred backgrounds. __________________ The lens is the thing. 'Full Frame' is the new 'Medium Format'. Last edited by TCav; Nov 5, 2009 at 5:36 AM.

Nov 5, 2009, 7:07 AM	#74
TCav Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Washington, DC, Metro Area, Maryland Posts: 5,586	The 50/1.8 has a much larger maximum aperture than the kit lens, so it would have a much smaller dopth of field. That's what you would need for blurred backgrounds in that situation. But a shallow depth of field is a double edged sword. The DoF can be too small. The 50/1.8 wide open shooting a subject at a distance of 5 feet has a DoF of 2.4 inches. that means that if the boy's nose was in focus, his ears wouldn't be. So that's something you'll need to experiment with. You never mentioned wanting a blurred background before now. We could have cautioned you about this before now if we had known. Do you have any other objectives for your new camera? __________________ The lens is the thing. 'Full Frame' is the new 'Medium Format'.

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Nov 5, 2009, 6:30 AM	#73
maryccc Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 132	Whats the difference in the lens I got and this one EF50mm f/1.8 II lens . Is one better than the other?

Nov 5, 2009, 7:36 PM	#75
maryccc Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 132	I got my big lens today and shot a few pics. I had to delete quite a bit but got a few good ones. It was a lot of trial and error adjusting the shutter speed and f thing. What is that called? Here is a collage I threw together

Nov 5, 2009, 7:54 PM	#77
Hards80 Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 4,416	nice mary. as you progress in you learning, your "keeper rate" will definitely increase. there are a lot of resources online to give you detailed and basic information on using your camera, and of course we are always here for specific answers.