I just started experimenting with my new canon gl2, can anyone give me any advice using the manual controls... I'm trying to get a shot with good depth of field, but when I use manual focus.. it's either blurry or it's not.. I wanted to do one of those shots, where and object upclose is in focus, and then the background comes into focus as the object goes out of focus, but i can't get it to work.. Any advice?

On 1/3 inch chip cameras its harder to do this then with 35mm. I can explain why if you want but for now I will just answer your question. Zoom in more and movie your camera back farther. Also watch your Fstop and make sure its as low as you can get it. Again if you want the scientific reason for this I will explain it, just request it.

Have fun.

On 1/3 inch chip

I wish!! Aint we got only 1/4 chipsets?

Actually, Jenna, you got it front to back. It is BAD or rather "short" depth of field you are after. This was something that tripped me up too! So with this short or narrow DoF you can do exactly what Alan says. And yes keep the iris WELL big!! Of course this means, in certain circumstances, that you will overexpose. So, you can either increase the shutter speed - less time for light to impinge on the chip/s thus reducing the overall exposure OR, better yet, use the internal Neutral Density filter. And if that aint dark enough you are starting to get into the realms of additional ND filters etc etc . ..

Can you believe it, there once was a time that Hollywood would break its back to get EVERYTHING in focus, from near to afar? Ho hum . .. how things have changed.

Hope this helps.

- g

. .and as if by magic!

I've attached 2 examples: Far and Near Focus. I've "thrown" the focus while capturing.

It was a very VERY bright day. I could open up the iris completely; I slapped on extra NDs to bring back exposure within limits; I used a polariser to get that real neat saturation without all the OTHER light bouncing about and I think this demonstrates just what this small chip camera can do with "some" extras.

Do I want a bigger chip camera? Ah, yes. . . .

hmmm . . can't seem to get the DISTANT focus to load up here . .

Well! I have just deleted and then RE-uploaded the distant focus sample. But NOW I can't see the near focus example?

It is as if only one sample can be "seen" as an attachment and thus only THAT one viewed?

I have checked and BOTH samples are uploaded. I can see this from within my "posting" advance DVInfo menu. However, both are stubbornly reluctant to display as attachments - you get either ONE or the OTHER!

Chris! Help!!!

- g

I see themn both...pretty pix.

I see themn both...pretty pix.


Thank you Cole. I just hope they demonstrate what you can do with the setup I explained?

As to attachments . .. WOW! - Now THAT is service!! I didn't see them before? What HAS Chris done here? Was that you Chris?

- g

Yes, I see both pictures too.
Very nice pictures, Graham!
And they really demonstrate the focus changes.

Yes I do believe the GL series has a 1/4 inch sensor. I am used to talking about my XL2 which has a 1/3 inch, but the same idea applies. Actually it will make it even harder to get this type of effect. You could always go out and blow 3000$ (or so) on a mini35 and spend more money on lenses.

Have Fun.

Grasie,

I got both pictures nicely. Great demonstration of depth of field for anyone who wants to know how to get that look.

I always use both nds and a polizer, I really like the look.

where did you find flowers in bloom like that this time of year??? We still have bits of snow about and threats of snow tonight!!!


dale

where did you find flowers in bloom like that this time of year???
dale

Thanks Dale.

Ah! That was in a previous high Summer!! LOL!


The XM2 is a remarkable camera. But sometimes it needs a little assistance - extra NDs and Pola being part of the tool-set extension.

Very nice colors! Obviously, I need to work with my camera more...

And get a polarizer!

Bob T.

Never, Ever leave home without your polarizer...I even use it indoors quite often to help eliminate glare and richen the blacks of an image.

I never thought of using my polarizer indoors. Don't you need a lot of available light? Probably wouldn't work well for a wedding ceremony, eh?

Travis,

Using a circular polizer you make the effect lighter and lose about one stop. It cuts glare but it also warms the color and presses the blacks as mentioned. I pretty much leave it on all the time, unless you have a real light problem, and then there is not much helping that other than lighting.

I always shoot 1/60 in frame 16:9 and adjust aperature to suit for almost everything from event video and outdoor wildlife.

the xm2/gl2 is a terrrific camera!!! that is why it is still so useful and not having been rreplaced.

I'll have to run some tests here at home and maybe try that out for an indoor ceremony.

How are you liking shooting in 16x9? I currently shoot 4x3 (with the 16x9 guides on) and just use a mask from photoshop to simulate a 16x9 view. I've heard that shooting in 16x9 on the GL2 reduces resolution. Your experience?

Travis,

You loose pixels by not using the entire chip, so instead of 1.7 megabytes you get proportionally less. that doesn't change the resolution of the actual picture, only the size of it.

If I am wrong about that someone please enlighten me.

The xl2 has 16:9 chips, so it has less when you use 4:3, but that does not make the picture grainer/noisier.
Try out shooting a subject in 4:3, then in wide screen, print them up and have a look, or play them on a wide screen tv.

I recently bought a 50 inch plasma and ran wide with gl2 and xl2 footage, both used the entire screen, my friends setting and watching did not really notice any difference, though I could tell cause i was looking for detail, etc.

the more i shoot with my gl2 the more I love it.

I just finished a skating video (in 4:3 as that is what the skating club wanted) and one section of it is shot with the lights out and skaters with lights on their feet, really quite amazing look. I'd be glad to post it if anyone wanted to see it.

Graham, would you mind telling me which polarizer you use?

A link or precise model name / number would be extremely helpful.

Graham, would you mind telling me which polarizer you use?

A link or precise model name / number would be extremely helpful.


You have email. - g

I just finished a skating video (in 4:3 as that is what the skating club wanted) and one section of it is shot with the lights out and skaters with lights on their feet, really quite amazing look. I'd be glad to post it if anyone wanted to see it.

I'd love to see it.

Me Too!!!!


.. . please?

Graham, thanks so much! Unfortunately I had my old email address registered, but it's now been updated. If you could shoot me a mail again, this time I'll pick it up :)

Thanks again!

Same here. Would have posted last night but the forums were moving like a snail . . .

Here is the clip,

I had to reduce it down to a few seconds with no audio. the entire session was 4 minutes 28 seconds sanf took 50 mega bytes.
Of course it is in half resolution as well, but I think you will get the picture.

Excellent Dale! - I bet the club was pleased? That in even MORE slomo and set to music, used as background behind credits or whatever, is fabulous material indeed. And that with our 'umble XM2 - huh?

Thanks for sharing - g

Nice! Do you remember what settings you were using for the shoot?

Travis,

I white balanced to the ambient light, I then went to manual setting the shutter at 1/30 so I would get more blur in the lighted skates, I adjusted until I liked the darkness level. I have red up a notch or two in the preset.

I liked the footage right out of the camera. However, in Post I dropped brightness to -20 and made contrast 150. I then applied a gausian blur to the clip to make the light streak better. The full 4 minutes at full resolution looks really nice. Definitely one of my better pieces of event type footage.

Thanks for the info.