I'm still waiting for one of the ole' regulars to jump in an yell "Arpil Fools!" However, it ain't spring any more.
if your shooting a sit down interview with some one in doors with no lights and the picture in your view finder is to dark and it says ?open? than you put up a light or turn the filter so the says 5.8 or some other number, other than open?it dues not really matter if you use auto or manual. Are you still confused?
EXREMELY! If the vetrans who have been shooting video for the networks for over ten years can't figure out what you're asking, you're either...
A: Too brilliant for them to understand (doubtful).
B: Having trouble articulating what you mean (by your typos and wording I would belive that English is not your first language) or...
C: You haven't learned any thing about F stops after shooting for ten years.
What kind of camera are you using (and please don't say "A video camera")? I mean what model, or at least can you tell us if it's a palmcorder, a broadcast camera (DVC PRO, Beta SP, etc) a prosumer camera (S)VHS, Hi8...? I don't know many cameras that tell you to "open." My SX will say "Low Light" if I need to gain up or open the iris. What I really want to know is if you have a broadcast style lense with the F stops marked on it, or some other kind of set up where it just tells you in the viewfinder or some thing.
Widescreen and Focusthis answered your question really. Once you understand the concept of
depth of field, you learn to manipulate the light with filters, shutter speeds, teleconverters, gain, etc, to get the image you want.
The reason these people are making fun of you is that there is
no optimal F stop for shooting everything. That's why lenses have irises that offer a range of apetures. The best F stop is the one that will give you the image you're looking for.
If you want a low depth of field in order to focus the viewer's attention on the one thing in focus in the shot (your interview subject, a golf ball, etc), open up the lens to a low F stop and adjust the camera until it's exposed right. If you're shooting some thing like a landscape where you want every thing in focus; close the iris down to the highest F stop you can, and adjust the camera accordingly. If you're following action and can't keep the subject in focus with out at least some depth of field, but want to lose the deep background, try for an F stop between maybe 8 and 5.6.
Many of the folks on this board are local news shooters who don't have the luxury of time to think about what F stop they want to use. They let the circumstances (the available light) dictate the F stop. For example, if you're shooting a road accident you generally want a high F stop so the viewer can see all the details. Hence you use the filter that will get you the most light (but not so much that you're over exposed, and of couse one that is for the proper color temperature), close down your iris as much as you can, and go for it.
Some lenses, especially the cheap ones, are a little soft at the extreme ends of the iris range (wide open, or closed down). However there is no usiversal rule for all lenses. I wouldn't worry about that much unless you can.
What is it that you like about F4 or F8? I like ~F3 or less for most interviews, but at least F11 for most landscapes depending on what I want to see in the foreground. One of my staple shots for a golf package is to get super tight on the ball so that it practically fills the screen, with as little DoF as possible, and a shutter speed of around 100 or 125. It makes for a great nat pop shot when they whack it and you see the tee flip in the air, etc. Campaign signs on the lawn I susally go for a mid range F stop like 8 or 5.6 so the viewer's attention is foused mainly on the signs, not the house behind it...
[ November 01, 2004, 02:31 AM: Message edited by: 2000lux ]
