Posted by mv on 10/02/06 19:12

I guess if one is working with a PD170 the option of using adapters and
lens kits that cost more than the whole damned camera is not likely to
be a reasonable solution. There is a 2 x telephoto adapter from both
Sony and Century Optics that are a reasonable price and would enable
increased depth of field reduction. Nevertheless it is possible to
obtain that shallow field look with some of these methods.

Clearly one has to use the extreme long end of the lens (fully zoomed
in) and the iris fully open. To correct any over exposure resulting from
a fully opened iris add ND filter if this does not meet requirements and
providing you don't intend to telecine to film, use the shutter speed
adjustment to reduce exposure. It's important to have the appropriate
relationship of the camera to the subject(s). Typically with the PD170
one needs to have the camera some distance from the subject(s). For
those always effective focus pull shots it's usually more effective to
have the closest focal point as close to the lens as possible and the
farthest away focal point as far away as possible. They only work well
when both ends of the shot are totally out of focus and also only when
the beginning and end of the pull go from pin sharp to pin sharp, unless
of course it's a simple defocus to pin sharp transition. Any softness
or even the slightest 'focus hunt' is useless and means shooting it
again and again until it's perfect.

This issue is perhaps the greatest weakness of the compact small CCD
with short zoom fixed lens. Nevertheless, using the methods described
above one can still achieve some nice crushed field shots.
--
John Lubran

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