mysteryscribe
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2006
- Messages
- 6,071
- Reaction score
- 3
- Location
- in the middle of north carolina
- Website
- retrophotoservice.2ya.com
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
ZaphodB said:That is almost certainly true in many cases, but I don't really see the relevance. The original post wasn't about commercial photography or what the punters want when you're producing prints for other people; someone specifically expressed an interest in achieving shallow DOF. They wanted to know if it could be achieved with any current fixed-lens compact digital cameras, the debate was on whether or not it could, then it turned into one on whether the more shallow DOF attainable with a fast prime could be convincingly simulated in software (and whether it's convenient to do so). Presumably 'pubius' is still interested in achieving shots with a shallow DOF, so I guess he/she cares about how the effect is created
I think the pure question was is there a pns that can get sufficient lack of dof to do what it he wants. I suppose the answer is what do you want to do.
It is my opinion that it is a mole hill trying to be a mountain. The effect can be done with software. I would practice with the software to see if it is satifactory for my desires, if not and he wants short dof he may have to brush up on his math. The chart on the site I listed gives a mathmatical formula for figuring the brands of cameras and which will come the closes to a traditional film cameras. So that he can compare them roughly and make his own decission.
As for the whole depth of field thing, it leaves me cold. The only time I was really concerned with depth of field was when it was a necessary element of what I was shooting. Ie a three row group in the front of a church. Me and all my photographer friends would agree that you wanted as much dof field as possible. Now that might leave some people cold but its not art it's reality.
If I were shooting a shot outside or even in a large room and the background was going to be distracting. I would fuzz it out when I can. It wasn't a big artist issue for me, or my friends, who all were also in the business. We just did what we had to do with Dof...
As for now, If I shoot a picture and get it winds up on a digital file and if the background is distracting, I'll just get rid of it. For me it's the end result. That might seem counter to my using old cameras and trying to do everything in the camera but hey I have always painted out things which bothered me on the photograph. So software is no more to me than an easier touch up brush.
And Mark you are right, we look at photography very differently. That's about the kindest way to put it for both of us.