Help! I Failed HORRIBLY. What kind of Lens Can Achieve this Look?

V

videonewbie

i could really use some photographer/videographer help.

Im really young so pardon how ignorant i am to things that must be so second nature to u all...i just recently bought my first dslr canon t4i to film self videos and youtube vlogs after working my butt off and saving money for months and well im hitting a lot of bumps in the road

i have two main questions...

Question#1
i want to recreate a video with the same quality as this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YozLTf5J0M&feature=plcp

i was told that i should buy a lens with a low aperture to create a blurred background effect. i ended up buying the 50mm f1.8 lens (someone suggested it to me)

51SgiNeTs7L._AA160_.jpg


but i soon found out that this lens is NOT for taking self portraits or self videos it is way too close on the face

i set up the camera on a joby tripod on my desk about a feet and a half away....this resulted in my face taking up the entire screen ....in order for proper framing i had to sit about 6 feet away from the camera.

the lens that came with the camera is a 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lens

51jc0LKo7KL._AA160_.jpg


and while that one has better framing for self videos, the result is not like what i want because it just looks boring and flat. it doesnt have that same depth as the video above.

is my solution as simple as buying a lens with a smaller focal length ?

---


Question#2 one of the new features on the t4i is the auto focus during video and pictures. however the constant clicking and focusing of the lens makes for a lot of distracting noise. surely this is not optimal for video shooting?

also how is the auto focus on the t4i any different than if i were to just toggle the "AF/MF" tab on the actual lens itself?


---

i just recently started learning about cameras and i have Other random wonderings:

-why would anyone want a slower shutter speed? high shutter speed = less chance ur photos will be blurry correct? but i notice everytime i adjust my shutter speed higher the preview image becomes much darker. why is that?

-even when my camera is in "auto" mode i find that all the photos i take are blurry. on my old camera (powershot) i could simply have the camera in auto mode and if i pressed the shutter button halfway everything would focus, but doing the same action on my new dslr camera results in blurry pics every time.

-i understand the camera powers off after 30 sconds of inactivity but why does the lens constantly "shutter off" in the middle of me adjusting things? its highly annoying. what purpose does shuttering off on its own serve?
any way to modify this?

-the canon 50mm f1.8 lens has a set aperture....so what then would be the purpose of being able to adjust the aperture in the camera's settings?

thanks i am trying to learn as much as i can and any replies would be appreciated
 
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this guy isnt listening to anyone, he just wants a lens that does it all for him, until he realises that he has to produce the image through patience, learning and skill.

best way to get clear lighting.. go outside in natural sunlight that isnt blazing bright. if it is use an nd filter.
 
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8salacious9 said:
this guy isnt listening to anyone, he just wants a lens that does it all for him, until he realises that he has to produce the image through patience, learning and skill.

best way to get clear lighting.. go outside in natural sunlight that isnt blazing bright. if it is use an nd filter.
Click to expand...

No offense Video Newbie, but this guy sounds right :/
 
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examples everyone..

Here is my example of a similar look, using a canon FD 50mm f1.4 lens on a gh2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pok3rcEkRtE

Here is my test video with the t2i and the 50mm f1.8 the shots under the bridge are pretty close
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN_FQTyyKMw
 
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Pull your subject away from the background by 6-12', put the camera 6' from them. Crank the f-stop as low as it will go (4 or 5.8 or so). Zoom in (move the camera back if necessary) so you're using the 55mm end of the lens.

FOCUS ON YOUR SUBJECT'S EYES!

Set the shutter speed to 1/2 of the frame rate your using (1/60 for 30p, 1/50 for 24p).
Set the ISO until the picture is properly exposed using the exposure meter at the bottom of the display. If it doesn't display the little arrow, press the photo shutter button down half way to get it to do so.

You would do precisely the same things with ANY LENS you put on your camera to get a good image.

Composition, Exposure, Focus -- without these 3 basic things, any image will look like crap.
 
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and you should learn to color correct to make those colors more vibrant which will increase your quality. get external audio if sitting a tiny distance from your camera seems like a bad idea to you. Best advice though: stop worrying about what filmmakers worry about if you're gonna be doing Vlogs. You don't need good quality to rant about random things or eat cinnamon
 
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