Video Tutorial: Understanding Depth of Field at FreshDV

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Video Tutorial: Understanding Depth of Field

Published by Matthew Jeppsen October 8th, 2007 in FreshDV, Lenses, News, Research, Tutorials

Depth-of-Field. In simple terms DOF can be defined as “the distance in front of and beyond the subject that appears to be in focus.” Seems simple, right? But the myriad factors that contribute to a composition’s Depth of Field are often misunderstood (and frequently overly-simplified), leaving many filmmakers and photographers with a false understanding of the physics at play. And it goes without saying that when you educate yourself on the factors that contribute to DOF, you gain a greater level of control over your images, whether you are a cinematographer or photographer, professional or novice. A grasp of the basics of DOF become even more essential when shooting with a 35mm lens adapter system for video cameras.

That is why I am pleased to present the following 20 minute primer on the subject of Depth of Field, filled with practical illustrations and explanations of the physics at work in a lens, and simple examples that will help elevate your understanding of the subject. It thoroughly covers the topics of aperture size, focal length, camera-to-subject distance, circle of confusion (CoC), hyperfocal distance, and infinity focus. I believe that you’ll find it a very informative and approachable explanation of a somewhat arcane and confusing topic.

This excellent video tutorial was created by Justin Snodgrass of snodart.com, and is shared with permission here at FreshDV. Justin is a young filmmaker with a passion for screenwriting and storytelling. He has earned accolades for his entries into regular DVXuser film festivals, and current projects include a short film for David Concannon in partnership with DP Tim Young. You can view more of Justin’s work at snodart.com

320×240 streaming flash video, 28MB.

You can download a high-quality version below, and also at Justin’s site.

Understanding Depth of Field - A Practical Primer [19:26m]: Download

(480×360 Quicktime H.264, 112MB. Please right-click, save as)

If you wish to learn more about focus as it pertains to 35mm adapters and production in general, check out our in-depth video series on The Art of Pulling Focus, taught by a seasoned First AC with 30 years of filmmaking experience.

8 Responses to “Video Tutorial: Understanding Depth of Field”

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1 Bebe Rebozo Nov 12th, 2007 at 11:22 pm

Thank you very much for sharing a very informative tutorial on DOF, with some excellent illustrations. This must have taken a lot of time and effort. The quality of your efforts shine through.
2 will ward Nov 14th, 2007 at 3:28 pm

what a wonderful concise explanation. The only thing I would add would be to mention that adjusting the aperture is to increase or decrease the amount of light available to ‘capture’ the image.
3 Kendal Miller Nov 15th, 2007 at 5:47 pm

Good point Will and as such a compensation for exposure must be made somewhere either shutter speed or filtration or something.
4 Frank Pietrantoni Dec 28th, 2007 at 1:02 pm

Another great and informative tutorial. Well done! And thanks!

fp
5 Anon Jan 13th, 2008 at 6:13 pm

Shame the information about focal length is incorrect -

http://www.film-and-video.com/dofmyth.htm
6 Justin Snodgrass Feb 19th, 2008 at 6:11 pm

Hi Anon, you might want to re-watch part 5 of the tutorial and re-read Walter Graff’s article. The tutorial and article are in complete agreement.

-Justin
7 Mike P Apr 17th, 2008 at 9:41 pm

Wow. Thanks for taking the time to produce this. Very informative and well done. I really like the way the narrative matches the visual effects, and how the multiple visual effects on screen interact together in real-time. This makes a difficult topic much easier to understand. Thanks
8 Chris Apr 21st, 2008 at 1:14 pm

Something this helpful deserves mad props. Thanks for the effort, very helpful.