Narrow depth of field lens, for Olympus E-450...help???

[maldon007]

So I am very new to anything other than point/click. I understand I would want a low f# (I think) but other things... focal length... auto/manual... Not a clue. As well as, what fits the camera (E-450) and WORKS with said camera...

The wife wants a lense maybe similar to the one we have (olympus 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6), but able to do the narrow depth of field stuff... and maybe a bit more zoom... AND not cost $1000.

Please give me a hand! It's for christmas, so don't tell her!!!

-Don

 

[o hey tyler]

From what I've seen, you are at a severe disadvantage. Olympus lenses appear to be very pricey, and they also have the smallest sensor found in DSLRs (that I know of).

The only one that I have seen that will give you a small amount of depth of field and not break the bank is the 45mm f/1.8. Which will give you about a 90mm FoV on your camera. The lens isn't able to be zoomed in or out, but it's a fast prime designed for low light.

 

[bazooka]

I don't know anything about Olympus lenses specifically, but in general, depth of field is directly related to aperture, focal length (magnification technically, but we're dealing with only one sensor, so sensor size stays constant), and distance from the camera to the subject.

There is a catch with focal length though: if you compose the subject the same way, it doesn't change the dof any appreciable amount. However, it gives the illusion that the dof is shallower because your field of view is narrower so you are compressing your subject on a smaller slice of the background. So the background is going to look more out of focus on a 200mm lens than it will on a 50mm lens at the same aperture IF you compose the subject in the frame the same way (magnification).

So the least expensive way to get your background to appear more out of focus is to use a longer lens and recompose.

 

[maldon007]

So... I will have to use an Olympus lens? I was under the impression any 4/3 lens fits... but again, I am a supernewb.

bazooka, let me try to understand... If I used a 200mm lens, and zoom to fill half the screen with say, a face... the equally distant background will be more fuzzy, than with a similarly filled screen, if the lens is 50mm (at the same f-stop/distance from subject)?

 

[maldon007]

Would this be of any use? I assume not, since it is so cheap

Olympus zuiko auto-s 1.4 f=50 mm excellent condition lens | eBay

 

[bazooka]

So... I will have to use an Olympus lens? I was under the impression any 4/3 lens fits... but again, I am a supernewb.

bazooka, let me try to understand... If I used a 200mm lens, and zoom to fill half the screen with say, a face... the equally distant background will be more fuzzy, than with a similarly filled screen, if the lens is 50mm (at the same f-stop/distance from subject)?

Correct. This is not because the DoF is narrower, but because your field of view is 4x narrower, so you are zooming in on the out of focus area (the background) causing it to appear more out of focus. Even if you recompose the subject, assuming the background is far away, you're still roughly magnifying the background 4x while the subject stays the same (because you re-composed).

Using a narrower aperture or getting the subject closer to the camera will give you an actual narrower depth of field. Lenses with narrower apertures cost more, and getting the subject closer means you have to zoom out, which means the background becomes less magnified, which means it still appears to be as in focus as it was, even though it's technically further outside of the dof. It's confusing, but with some practice, it becomes clearer.

 

[Ron Evers]

Would this be of any use? I assume not, since it is so cheap

Olympus zuiko auto-s 1.4 f=50 mm excellent condition lens | eBay

That is the lens you want & someone stole it. Really!

Tyler, the E-450 is a 4/3 camera not a micro 4/3 the 45/1.8 is made for.

 

[bazooka]

Would this be of any use? I assume not, since it is so cheap

Olympus zuiko auto-s 1.4 f=50 mm excellent condition lens | eBay

That lens would give you a very soft oof background if you can get the subject close to the lens. The Canon 50mm 1.4 is an EXCELLENT portrait lens for the 1.6 crop. However, you should read some reviews on that specific lens to see what people are saying. That price makes it sound similar in quality to the Canon 50mm 1.8 which is a glorified piece of plastic which takes very soft (bad) images when used wide open (at f/1.8) but is quite capable stopped down a bit.

And I do not know if that lens fits or not... I simply do not know Olympus cameras or lenses. Some quick googling should answer that question.

 

[o hey tyler]

Would this be of any use? I assume not, since it is so cheap

Olympus zuiko auto-s 1.4 f=50 mm excellent condition lens | eBay

That is the lens you want & someone stole it. Really!

Tyler, the E-450 is a 4/3 camera not a micro 4/3 the 45/1.8 is made for.

Oh thanks for the heads up Ron. I figured it was mountable on both.

 

[scorpion_tyr]

You can get a shallow depth of field a few different ways. A large aperture (small number ie 4, 3.5, 2.8, 1.8, etc) is the easiest way if you already have or can get a fast (large aperture) lens. Other ways are to increase the distance between the subject and the background, increase the focal length (higher # mm's = shallower depth of field). The most most effective way to do this is to decrease your distance from your subject. Getting closer will decrease the DOF. This is why shallow DOF becomes a problem with macro work. So to get a really shallow DOF, get your subject as far away from your background as possible, zoom in all the way, get as close as you can, and then open the aperture up as far as it will go. Hope this helps.

 

[maldon007]

Thanks a lot guys, I think that lens comes up now/then... So I should be able to grab one. I think the wife may actually want a high dollar lens, but this one may let her play a bit & be sure, before dropping a wad.

While I'm here, can anyone steer me towards a phography 101 course? As in, maybe a thread or utube that can teach me a few basics?

Thanks, Don

 

[enzodm]

Thanks a lot guys, I think that lens comes up now/then... So I should be able to grab one. I think the wife may actually want a high dollar lens, but this one may let her play a bit & be sure, before dropping a wad.

fact is, zooms with large aperture are expensive, but you could find a prime (fixed focal length) like the one you linked that allows you (your wife) to play with shallow DoF. Here a list of 4/3 lenses: Four Thirds | Four Thirds | Products(Lenses) (it seems also SIgma is producing a 50/1.4).