Shooting video in a smallish room.

[CREATIVE!11]

Hi guys,

may seem like obvious questions to experienced among you but I'm trying to figure out what my best next steps are.

I have a canon 550d with a Tamron 17-50 f2.8. Now I've realised because of the size of space I'm recording in I'm not really getting enough "bokeh" effect with this lens unless I set the lens to 50mm and then do it but it's zoomed in far too close to my subject (Someone playing guitar) and it looks like their face is smashed right up close too the camera.

Now I was considering a 50mm f1.8 to try and find for that video effect I'm looking for.

Would a 50mm lens be the same "Size image" as my Tamron when it's set to 50mm? seems obvious I know but I don't know about this, because if it is the same then it's going to be zoomed in too close to the subject and not give me any room to manoeuvre and I'll have to be stood RIGHT against the wall to get them fully in shot. If that is the case I'm a little stuck for ideas... cause of course what then makes it worse is the fact a 550d is cropped sensor so cuts quite a bit of the image out as it is.

Any suggestions or help? hope what I'm asking makes sense.

 

[Nexus]

A 50mm f/1.8 is going to be exactly the same as the 50mm mark on your 17-50, effectively an 80mm lens on your camera.

You are trying to achieve shallow depth of field and isolation of a subject, but that isn't possible when you are in a confined space and using a wide angle, as I presume you are right on the 17mm mark. If you go more telephoto with your 17-50 and ensure your subject is away from any background directly behind them, this is easily achievable.

However, ultimately you won't be able to achieve this at all if the room is too small. In which case you either need to use a full frame camera or find a different location to shoot in.

 

[geuben]

Shoot in a different room?

If that is not possible can you rearrange the room so you can shoot through the doorway or something? If you want to use your lens at 50mm you will need to get further away from your subject.

 

[CREATIVE!11]

A 50mm f/1.8 is going to be exactly the same as the 50mm mark on your 17-50, effectively an 80mm lens on your camera.

You are trying to achieve shallow depth of field and isolation of a subject, but that isn't possible when you are in a confined space and using a wide angle, as I presume you are right on the 17mm mark. If you go more telephoto with your 17-50 and ensure your subject is away from any background directly behind them, this is easily achievable.

However, ultimately you won't be able to achieve this at all if the room is too small. In which case you either need to use a full frame camera or find a different location to shoot in.

Ahhhh damn, hoping that wouldn't be the problem.

I knew a cropped sensor would add to the problem of a small room but getting a full frame isn't an option it'll just be way outside my price bracket.

Would another lens help like a sigma 18-35mm F1.8? it will give me the 17mm setting on my Tamron whilst giving me the extra aperture. Would that help? I can't really move the subject further away or myself so I'm stuck for options.

I just don't want to buy another lens, and it'll only slightly increase the bokeh effect. So would f1.8 make that much of a difference?

 

[Nexus]

With all due respect to you, I don't think you understand how depth of field works, especially as you keep calling it bokeh. What you are trying to achieve is a shallow depth of field, bokeh more refers to how pleasing the blur level that a shallow depth of field renders, as not all lenses are equal in that regard.

As I said in my previous post, the wider you go with the focal length on your lens, the deeper the focus is, meaning that pretty much everything in the image front to back is in focus. Even with a larger aperture lens like f/1.8 you still can't get around the fact that optically the wider you are the less you are going to be able to achieve the effect of a shallow depth of field and isolated subject that you require.

You need to use the longer end of your lens at 50mm, if you can't get all of your subject in, with distance between you, the subject and the subject from a background like a wall, you need to move to somewhere you can shoot it like that, or you just won't be able to create what you are looking for.

I'd recommended picking up a photography book or two which might help you out.
Understanding Exposure or the Scott Kelby series may be of use.