DOF while shooting portaits

<p>Hi there<br>

<br />I have a question concerning to depth of fieldm while shooting portraits with extension tubes. I would like to get image like this, i.e. eyes, nose should be sharp and the rest of the image is blurry (see attached picture). I know what is DOF and how its work, but I need your advice of how to make a photo with this effect. I tried to set diafragm to f.8 and focus more close to the camera and I got eyes out of DOF :(<br>

</p><p><i>Mod: Image removed. Per the photo.net Terms of Use, do not post photos you did not take.</i></P>

<p>You are leaving out a lot of important information. What camera and lens are you using? In general terms, for shallow DOF you need a moderate telephoto lens at a large - ish aperture. With MF, a 150mm lens typically gives good portrait results. You say you set your lens to f.8. I have to assume you mean f1.8. That is an extremely large aperture for MF. If that is what you are actually doing, it is no wonder you get parts of the face out of focus. Also, you say you are moving close to the subject, which tells me you are using a wide angle lens. No, that is never what you want to do. That will create a distorted face. Again, a lens in the 150mm range with an aperture of 2.8 or even 3.2 should give you a good portrait. Always focus on the eye that is closest to you. Getting the EYE in focus is the most critical part. A nose slightly soft is not as big a deal as is eyes out of focus. </p>

<p>You'll get better portraits with a lens longer than 80mm. Extension tubes are for close-up work.</p>

<ol>

<li>Measure your subject distance</li>

<li><a href="http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html">hit</a> DOF calculator</li>

<li>find out what you 'll need for 10cm/4".</li>

<li>Figure out on what you should focus.</li>

</ol>

 

<p>We can't view your example photo now. Normally the DoF needs to be enough that the eyes are the most accurately focused and other features well enough focused to look sharp, and background very out of focus. As mentioned above, 80mm lens at close focus distance is going to give an unnatural look, quite unflattering (unless you seek a comical look). The 150mm is a good length for portraits, both for pleasant perspective and also for unsharp backgrounds.<br>

I'm wondering if the example that we can't see was taken with a camera like the Rolleiflex SL66 which allows the lens to be tilted. This enables different parts of the negative to be focused on different distances (an angled plane). This is usually used for near-far compositions such as landscapes, with very sharp foreground at the bottom of the picture and very sharp objects in the distance at the top of the frame. Sometimes this effect is also used for some extreme out of focus zones in portraiture. I have seen some examples on the web: I'll try to find them.</p>

<p>Do a google search for "portrait tilt lens" for some examples. This might be what the OP was looking for.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>for shallow DOF you need a moderate telephoto lens </p>

</blockquote>

<p>DOF is a matter of magnification and f-stop, not of focal lenght.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Extension tubes are for close-up work.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>This is correct and so they are only useful for the portrait of a eg mouse</p>

<p> </p>

<p><em>DOF is a matter of magnification and f-stop, not of focal lenght.</em><br>

Is magnification not a function of focal length?</p>

<blockquote>

 

 

<p>Is magnification not a function of focal length?</p>

 

 

</blockquote>

 

 

<p>magnification is a matter of focal lenght and object distance,<br>

if you shoot a head with a say 200mm lense and a 100mm lense at the same distance the head from the 200mm is larger, if you go nearer with the 100mm untill the heads are of equal size in the finder you have same magnification and same DOF.^^</p>

 

 

<p>Then your statement should have been <em>DOF is a matter of magnification, which depends in part on focal length, and f-stop. </em>I wouldn't question Steve Parrott's original statement, which you quoted only in part.</p>

<blockquote>

 

 

<p>Then your statement should have been <em>DOF is a matter of magnification, which depends in part on focal length, and f-stop. </em>I wouldn't question Steve Parrott's original statement, which you quoted only in part.</p>

 

 

</blockquote>

 

 

<p>magnification is a known word and so doesnt need explenations, next I have to write to which things the word f-stop depends and so on, regressus infinitus,^^<br>

and I quoted him "for shallow DOF you need a moderate telephoto lens" and I said its not the lenght but the magnification.^^<br>

I dont find my statement uncorrect or unfair.</p>

 

 

<p>Just open up your lens to a open aperture is how most photographers get shallow depth of field. (i.e. f2.8 rather than f22)<br>

Photography 101. <br>

503CW, 80 Planar<br>

<img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5632/30622983010_513984c6cd_z.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Dear collegues, I carefully read all your messages and came to conclusion, that there is a <a ><strong><em>misunderstanding..</em></strong></a><br>

Unfortunately image I posted was deleted, so may be that's the reason.</p>

<p>So, I use Hasselblad or Pentax 67 with standard lens i.e. 80 or 105 mm with extension tubes. Also I know what is 'proper portrait lens' :)<br /><br />I attached my picture made with hasselblad 80mm lens and extension ring. And now I try ti explain what I want :)<br>

<img src="http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/922/U57h0D.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>If you have a look on the photo you'll see that eyes are sharp (supposed to be :)) and in the same time nose is blurry. <br>

My question was how to make nose and eyes sharp? How to realize this on practice? <br>

PS I read post about DOF calculator, so its not so handy to use on location</p>

<p>Use the depth of field preview switch on the lens to see if everything you want to be in focus is acceptable. If you're using extension tubes then you will need to stop down to f11 or smaller to get both the eyes and nose in focus because 80mm without extension tubes at closest focus distance (0.9mm IIRC) will still only give you +/- 5cm of depth at f11 so adding extension tubes is only going to decrease the depth of field. If you're using a *lot* of extension tubes, or long ones then you might be reducing the depth too much to ever get both the eyes and nose in focus.</p>