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Brian Duke · November 9th, 2005, 01:49 PM

Hey,

What is a good F-stop to keep your lighting at? A pro grip I believd told me he keeps it at around 4. Is that correct? Any feedback appreciated.
Duke

Glenn Chan · November 9th, 2005, 02:33 PM

The iris/f-stop is one factor that determines the depth of field in the picture.

If you want a shallow depth of field (defocuses the background; it may look good, or not) then try to keep the iris open / keep the f-stop low.
Shallow DOF makes maintaining focus more difficult. For studio productions deep DOF may be nice... i.e. The Price is Right (game show)
Sometimes deep DOF is desireable... i.e. Citizen Kane, lets you see everything in the background.

In terms of image sharpness, the lens will be sharpest away from the extremes.

Adam Keen · November 9th, 2005, 06:13 PM

There really are no rules for this. Lens generally provide a "better" image when away from widest and narrowest aperture. It depends on the look and effect you're going for.

Charles Papert · November 9th, 2005, 07:45 PM

It's a bit of a stretch for a grip to announce that he is maintaining a stop; the DP and the gaffer are the two folks responsible for metering (and the DP passing on the exposure to the camera department). The grips will assist in maintaining the stop via nets, bounces etc. as required by the DP.

November 9th, 2005, 01:49 PM	#1
Brian Duke Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hollywood, California Posts: 899	Light meter and HDV Hey, What is a good F-stop to keep your lighting at? A pro grip I believd told me he keeps it at around 4. Is that correct? Any feedback appreciated. Duke

November 9th, 2005, 06:13 PM	#3
Adam Keen Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 49	There really are no rules for this. Lens generally provide a "better" image when away from widest and narrowest aperture. It depends on the look and effect you're going for. Last edited by Adam Keen; November 9th, 2005 at 09:36 PM.

November 9th, 2005, 07:45 PM	#4
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	It's a bit of a stretch for a grip to announce that he is maintaining a stop; the DP and the gaffer are the two folks responsible for metering (and the DP passing on the exposure to the camera department). The grips will assist in maintaining the stop via nets, bounces etc. as required by the DP. __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

November 9th, 2005, 02:33 PM	#2
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	The iris/f-stop is one factor that determines the depth of field in the picture. If you want a shallow depth of field (defocuses the background; it may look good, or not) then try to keep the iris open / keep the f-stop low. Shallow DOF makes maintaining focus more difficult. For studio productions deep DOF may be nice... i.e. The Price is Right (game show) Sometimes deep DOF is desireable... i.e. Citizen Kane, lets you see everything in the background. In terms of image sharpness, the lens will be sharpest away from the extremes.