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Dabb
PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:56 pm 
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Hi,

I didn't want to make a new thread so decided to edit my original thread and keep my original posts here.

Basically I want to try a bridge camera and see if they're any better than a compact superzoom. I was looking at the FZ28 as it goes for a relatively affordable budget price and the options seem to be good enough for what I need.

However, I would prefer a 16:9 screen as I like to take photos in 16:9. Do any of you have any budget recommendations for that?

Thanks once again!

Quote:
Dear Camera Labs,

I currently have the Powershot SX210 and I've owned the Lumix TZ10. I've been doing a lot of reviews for a website lately and I've found that I want a narrow depth of field so that I can take "nice" pictures with the subject in focus and everything else blurred.

With the SX210, if I set it to Aperture mode and get the smallest f number, I can get a half decent result (I can blur the background if I shoot the picture at an angle of the subject, meaning I can only get the side view), I can't get a "close-to-perfect" result (I can't get get a blurred background from a sort of birds eye view on the subject).

I do understand that superzoom compacts are a jack of all trades and master of none but I'm a student and I simply can't afford to buy lenses for a DSLR, let alone buy a DSLR. I can only afford one camera so buying multiple cameras for different tasks is out of the question. Also, I don't like carrying tons of gear with me, hence going for a superzoom compact.

Many thanks,
Dabb


Last edited by Dabb on Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:22 am, edited 4 times in total.

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oldCarlos
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:18 pm 
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Hi Dabb.
I'm sure you'll get some advice/ideas re cameras, from the guys on here with experience, but what sort of subjects are you shooting?
Can you isolate the subjects more from the BG & take pics from closer in?

Also, have you considered some of the computer software progs?

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Maestro
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 2:18 am 
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Unfortunately, you can't get around physics. The best you can do is look for the largest sensor with the largest aperture (smallest "f" number) lens you can afford and are willing to carry around. Something like an S95 will give you a slight bump over your SX210 because of the S95's slightly larger sensor (1/1.7 vs 1/2.3) and slightly larger max aperture (f2.0 vs f3.1) for around $300. But keep in mind that this will be nowhere near even a Canon XS + 50mm f1.8 which can be had for around $500.

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mirageii
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 9:25 am 
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To increase out of focus backgrounds without spending on any more tech.

Use widest aperture possible

Use longest focal length possible

Increase the subject to background distance while keeping the camera to subject distance the same.

Shooting in the park often facilitates nice green backgrounds that are far away.

Just a thought

mirageII

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Rorschach
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:07 am 
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I have to agree with Maestro in that you have to set realistic expectations. The small sensor will have a noticeable effect on how shallow your DoF can be though I think mirageII's tips are really good advice on how to make the most out of a camera with a smaller sensor.

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Dabb
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 12:12 pm 
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Thanks for all the replies!

The problem is the things I am taking pictures of are earphones, I want to get a sort of birds eye shot of them whilst blurring out the rest of the surrounding, I understand that there isn't actually much background here because of the birds eye view. I can get a half decent "blur" when I do a side on view/capture with mirageii's tips, that's what I did originally.

I guess this is a good example:
http://www.ilounge.com/assets/images/re ... e700/3.jpg
http://www.pocket-lint.com/images/dynam ... 52dd54.jpg
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Leo
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 12:29 pm 
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Have you thought about using a piece of glass? I was able to get a shot of a ball look as if its falling at a high speed by suspending it on a pieve of glass about 2 meters above the carpet.

Little tricks you can use to fool the observer - remember, photography doesnt always have to show what is in the picture.... :P

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Dabb
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 2:08 pm 
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Leo, thank you very much! That is a brilliant idea! Unfortunately I don't have a big glass sheet but I used some plastic packaging that I had and the effect works quite nicely! Amazing!
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Ruben123
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:42 pm 
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Close-up filters are perfectly for these situations... ;)

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Rorschach
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:16 pm 
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+1

If you're doing a bird's eye view with a compact, the DoF will be so deep that whatever surface you're resting the subject on will almost certainly be within it. A closeup filter would work like a macro lens and reduce the DoF so the table or surface would be out of focus when you're focusing on the headphones.

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Dabb
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:30 pm 
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Umm, may I ask what the close up filter is? Is it this:
http://www.digitaltoyshop.co.uk/MACRO_C ... _t2109_121

Does that mean I can just buy a magnifying glass and it'll do the trick?
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Ruben123
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:11 pm 
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That's right, but Id look on eBay for much cheaper offers.

You should look if your camera could use macro glasses though!

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Dabb
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:10 pm 
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What exactly should I be looking for? As you can see, I'm quite the photography noob.
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Rorschach
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 2:11 am 
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On eBay I'd just use keywords such as "Macro" and "SX210" and the results should show compatible filters.

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Dabb
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 7:07 pm 
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I'm afraid there aren't any results for that.

Is there a sort of newbie DIY solution that I could do?
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