T1i Focusing?

[blacklabs165]

I just got a T1i and have been messing around with it. I have took roughly 1,000 pics in 2 days One shot I have been trying but have had some difficulty doing is the up close shot with one item in focus and the background blurry. To me this really makes the focused item stand out dramatically. In the book it says to switch the settings to AV and then turn the dial in front of the ISO button to the right. I have took a ton of pictures trying to get this look but cant seem to find it. Is there something else that can be adjusted to help?

 

[bigtwinky]

Have you googled?

The three main ingredients in the blurry background are a wide aperture, long focal lenght and distance of the subject from the background.

 

[white]

I just got a T1i and have been messing around with it. I have took roughly 1,000 pics in 2 days One shot I have been trying but have had some difficulty doing is the up close shot with one item in focus and the background blurry. To me this really makes the focused item stand out dramatically. In the book it says to switch the settings to AV and then turn the dial in front of the ISO button to the right. I have took a ton of pictures trying to get this look but cant seem to find it. Is there something else that can be adjusted to help?

Google depth of field and read everything that comes up.

 

[burstintoflame81]

I assume you are using the kit lens. Go to Av mode, turn the dial til you are at 3.5 ( which will require the lens to NOT be zoomed in ) and then get as close to your subject as you can. ( I think that lens has a minimum of 9" ) and then move you and your subject as far from the background as you can. As others said, google "Depth of Field," but this should get you started in the right direction.

 

[Danksalot]

You're getting different advise from everyone here, but the smallest Depth of Field is achieved by zooming in, turning that dial to the LEFT when in Av mode (making the number smaller), and being close to your subject, with the background as far away as possible.

if you have your lens at 18mm (the markings are on top of the lens) with the Av number set to 3.5, more of your picture will be in focus than if you have it at 55mm with an aperture value of 5.6.

This video is great at illustrating all three ways to get this effect:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95Igz6QM7Ag[/ame]

 

[Danksalot]

I know that saying to zoom in, and also saying to move closer to the subject can't both be done without getting much less of your subject in the shot. They are different techniques to achieve the same effect, you don't have to do all three to get the effect. You should know how to use them all, though. Even with the kit lens, you should be able to get a tiny depth of field if you use all these techniques together.

 

[KmH]

, turning that dial to the LEFT when in Av mode (making the number smaller)

Not really. It's making the number bigger because the number is actually a fraction:

f/3.5 = 1/3.5 the focal length
f/4 = 1/4 the focal length
f/5.6 = 1/5.6 the focal length
f/8 = 1/8 the focal length

1/3.5 is a bigger number than 1/5.6.

If more people understood, and explained, lens aperture as a fractional function of focal length, there would be less confusion about focal ratios and how DOF works.

The lens opening at 55mm and f/5.6 is physically larger than the lens opening at 18mm and f/3.5 which is why the DOF of the former is shallower than the latter.

I can guarantee you most people would say the size of the lens opening at 55 mm/f5.6 is smaller than the lens opening of 18 mm/f3.5, but it's not. Do the math.

 

[Danksalot]

, turning that dial to the LEFT when in Av mode (making the number smaller)

Not really. It's making the number bigger because the number is actually a fraction:

f/3.5 = 1/3.5 the focal length
f/4 = 1/4 the focal length
f/5.6 = 1/5.6 the focal length
f/8 = 1/8 the focal length

1/3.5 is a bigger number than 1/5.6.

If more people understood, and explained, lens aperture as a fractional function of focal length, there would be less confusion about focal ratios and how DOF works.

The lens opening at 55mm and f/5.6 is physically larger than the lens opening at 18mm and f/3.5 which is why the DOF of the former is shallower than the latter.

I can guarantee you most people would say the size of the lens opening at 55 mm/f5.6 is smaller than the lens opening of 18 mm/f3.5, but it's not. Do the math.

I appreciate your further explanation of what the Aperture Value means, but on my camera a number is shown. Not a ratio or a fraction. A ratio and a fraction are represented by this number, but they are not what is shown on the screen of my camera.

I understand that a smaller F Number makes a bigger aperture opening, and I know how to calculate the size of the opening. Nonetheless, 3.5 is still a smaller "number" than 22 and my camera shows F3.5 on the screen.

When giving directions like "Turn the dial in front of the ISO button to the Left" I though it best to describe what the OP would actually see, not the theory behind it. Thank you for explaining the part I chose to leave out.

Danksalot

 

[DennyCrane]

The EASIEST way to remember is SMALLER APERTURE NUMBER, LESS THINGS IN FOCUS, LARGER APERTURE NUMBER, MORE THINGS IN FOCUS.

Set your aperture low in AV, get close, make sure the background is a different color than the subject, and have fun.

 

[burstintoflame81]

You're getting different advise from everyone here, but the smallest Depth of Field is achieved by zooming in, turning that dial to the LEFT when in Av mode (making the number smaller), and being close to your subject, with the background as far away as possible.

if you have your lens at 18mm (the markings are on top of the lens) with the Av number set to 3.5, more of your picture will be in focus than if you have it at 55mm with an aperture value of 5.6.

This video is great at illustrating all three ways to get this effect:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95Igz6QM7Ag

Depends the size of your subject and your ability to keep it in frame. If you were 9" from a flower, or a small animal, at F3.5 10 feet from its background, You are going to get planty of blur. There are plenty of ways to achieve this effect. Thats why he is getting many pieces of advice. It doesn't mean that your advice is the only valid one.

 

[mrpink]

Looking for something like this??

this was shot at an f/5.6 and the hotel in the background was all the way across the Detroit River (roughly 1/4 mile)


Keep at it.





p!nK

 

[KvnO]

I think you guys are over-complicating you explanations.

So...

The stuff in the background might be too close to the subject.

OR, you could be too close for the camera to focus properly.

Posting an example of an image you're not happy with would be most helpful.