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Does anyone know if you can you produce shallow depth of field with a micro four thirds camera?

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Posted on July 9, 2009 at 00:53:53
gme109
Audiophile

Posts: 17817
Joined: April 3, 2001
 Hoping to find a compact digital camera that will achieve shallow depth of field. One of the draw backs of all point and shoot digital cameras, is the inability to produce shallow dof. Does this hold true for the newer micro four thirds as well?
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RE: Does anyone know if you can you produce shallow depth of field with a micro four thirds camera?, posted on July 9, 2009 at 06:50:34
Tubo
Audiophile

Posts: 375
Location: So. California
Joined: June 9, 2004
 In general, yes.

The GetDPI Workshop Forums has a lively discussion on 4/3 cameras and lenses. You have to register but it is free.

 

shallow depth of field is the product of a fast f/2.8 lens- the toys of which you seek come only as f/5.6, f/8, posted on July 12, 2009 at 18:06:07
Joe M
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Posts: 11980
Joined: September 27, 2001
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a fast lens and a normal or longer focal length......, posted on July 28, 2009 at 18:31:31
danj
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Posts: 3286
Location: Near Salem, Oregon
Joined: December 11, 2001
 If you must get the 4/3 system, a longer focal length will give a shallower depth of field at any given aperture than would a shorter focal length. However, there are other problems that telephotos exhibit that you may not like, notably foreshortening and the requirement to use a tripod on many shots.

There are many resources on the net and many books that have tutorials or give lessons on lenses. CNET has a very good article on the micro 4/3 and how the camera with that sensor will behave compared to those with different sensors. A little research should answer all your questions.

If you have a "portrait" mode on your compact digital that will likely give you shallowist depth of field of the normal (non-macro) shooting modes.

 

RE: Does anyone know if you can you produce shallow depth of field with a micro four thirds camera?, posted on August 2, 2009 at 00:33:10
Pam1
Audiophile

Posts: 3
Location: Nebraska
Joined: July 9, 2009
 Micro or regular 4/3 produce the same dof and 2x crop factor. The Oly 50mm f/2 macro makes really nice portraits and shallow dof shots when not taking pics of bugs etc. and has a decent bokeh too. When I shot 35mm film with a 50mm f/1.4 I always used to have problems with too shallow dof... like portraits with one eye in focus while the nose and other eye were fuzzy, but then insanely low f-stops were the only way to get decent shutter speeds with Kodachrome 25 etc. Dslr's do a pretty decent job up to about ISO 400 or even 800+ for ordinary prints so there isn't as much need for such low f-stops anymore. Still, you're going to need a lens that goes down to f/2 or 2.8. Those cheap f/5.6 zooms aren't going to do the trick on any dslr.

Play with putting various lenses in a dof calculator and you should get some idea of what you can do http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

 

Not true Joe, posted on September 29, 2010 at 16:15:11
gme109
Audiophile

Posts: 17817
Joined: April 3, 2001




Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH


Panasonic makes several fast lenses for their line of micro 4/3 cameras, plus you can pick from a slew of other lenses as well.




G1 + Canon FL 35/2.5





GF1 with Carl Zeiss Planar T* 45mm f2 -- ISO 100 -- f2 -- 1/640




G1 + Sankor 135/2.8

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RE: Not true Joe OK you caught me. But a very Few at that, posted on December 27, 2010 at 06:21:40
Joe M
Audiophile

Posts: 11980
Joined: September 27, 2001
 I own the Cannon S95 with a fast f/2 - same sensor as the G series G11, G12. But these cost over $400. Close to the cost of a entry level DSLR.

 

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