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Short DOF with studio lights

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dizzynoodle

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I know there are severalk combinations... but i lwould like to use my 28-135 achiev very shallow DOF using 2 prolinca lights with softboxes... just a test of the gear here....

I can't seem to go faster than 1/60 or maybe i could !

I always get a serious overexposures when ever stop wider than f8.

I know an ND filter could help or just rip out my 70-300 and go back, i guess--dizzynoodle
 
dizzynoodle said:
I know there are severalk combinations... but i lwould like to use
my 28-135 achiev very shallow DOF using 2 prolinca lights with
softboxes... just a test of the gear here....

I can't seem to go faster than 1/60 or maybe i could !

I always get a serious overexposures when ever stop wider than f8.

I know an ND filter could help or just rip out my 70-300 and go
back, i guess
--
dizzynoodle
Click to expand...
Do the prolinca's allow you to turn down the power. Most lights allow 1/2 or 1/4 power.

Or move the heads further from the subject - Double the distance = two stops.

In any case, changing the shutter speed will make no difference since the flash time is normally much faster than the shutter time.

--Tony [email protected] Photo website : http://www.digifotoinfo.co.uk
 
Prolincas only have a full and half setting (unless you have the 500s which have 1/8th settings). Obviously you need to turn this down to the lowest you can.

To diffuse the lights further you can point them AWAY from the subject and use the reflected light back from the walls. This will introduce more issues though, such as colour cast (if the walls are coloured) and direction of light (if you were going for a specific effect).

Another really good way of diffusing them is to get white plastic bin liners, and tape them to the outside of the softbox. You'll need to switch off the modelling lights unless you like the smell of burning plastic in the morning (smells like .... victory). Each layer of bin liner should lose you around 1/2 stop, so use multiple layers until you've lost enough light. The light will still be neutral and diffused.
dizzynoodle said:
I know there are severalk combinations... but i lwould like to use
my 28-135 achiev very shallow DOF using 2 prolinca lights with
softboxes... just a test of the gear here....

I can't seem to go faster than 1/60 or maybe i could !

I always get a serious overexposures when ever stop wider than f8.

I know an ND filter could help or just rip out my 70-300 and go
back, i guess
--
dizzynoodle
Click to expand...
 
Hi Dizzy,

this is a common problem.

Eveyone goes for big power in their heads, everyone says 'oh yes, go for the biggest you can get'...

Problem: too much power, appertures of F16,F22,F32 and you can't get narrow DOF.

That's why I went with 3 x 250 heads, and not 500s.

I love the control that gives me.

My friend went for 500s, and wouldn't listen.

Now he's always saying they're too much, running them at half power and pulling them away from the subject.

He wishes he'd got 250's or a 250/500 head mix.

Chris.
dizzynoodle said:
I know there are severalk combinations... but i lwould like to use
my 28-135 achiev very shallow DOF using 2 prolinca lights with
softboxes... just a test of the gear here....

I can't seem to go faster than 1/60 or maybe i could !

I always get a serious overexposures when ever stop wider than f8.

I know an ND filter could help or just rip out my 70-300 and go
back, i guess
--
dizzynoodle
Click to expand...
-- http://[email protected]
 
I'm looking for an excuse to go for 250W !!! It suits my budget very well :) You know the situation i'm in... I thought i would try those prolincas fro my friend... but after all i'm shooting at home in a 6 m X 4 m room [right now at least]

The kit i would end up buying would be used for location shoots where i could be shooting 5-6 people groups, that's what makes me what to have power at hand when i need it... man life should be easier than this, shouldn't it ?--dizzynoodle
 
I agree slowig down the shutter speed lwill only capture more ambient light, but speding it up over 1/200 or so will give underexposed parts of a frame, flalsh speed can't keep up [sync] with the high shutter speed

Thanx for your help

I'll try the light out again today :)
Tony Collins said:
dizzynoodle said:
I know there are severalk combinations... but i lwould like to use
my 28-135 achiev very shallow DOF using 2 prolinca lights with
softboxes... just a test of the gear here....

I can't seem to go faster than 1/60 or maybe i could !

I always get a serious overexposures when ever stop wider than f8.

I know an ND filter could help or just rip out my 70-300 and go
back, i guess
--
dizzynoodle
Click to expand...
Do the prolinca's allow you to turn down the power. Most lights
allow 1/2 or 1/4 power.

Or move the heads further from the subject - Double the distance =
two stops.

In any case, changing the shutter speed will make no difference
since the flash time is normally much faster than the shutter time.

--
Tony Collins
[email protected]

Digital Photo website :
http://www.digifotoinfo.co.uk
Click to expand...
--dizzynoodle
 
Dizzy,

The lens you are using is wide open at 28mm and f3.5.

Why not keep your lights and buy a 50mm f1.8 and shoot at f1.8 or 2.0?

Or buy Sigma 20mm f1.8 if you are inclined to the wide.

Steadman
dizzynoodle said:
I know there are severalk combinations... but i lwould like to use
my 28-135 achiev very shallow DOF using 2 prolinca lights with
softboxes... just a test of the gear here....

I can't seem to go faster than 1/60 or maybe i could !

I always get a serious overexposures when ever stop wider than f8.

I know an ND filter could help or just rip out my 70-300 and go
back, i guess
--
dizzynoodle
Click to expand...
 
I thought the whole point was he had too much light. Shooting at F1.8 will overexpose even more.
Steadman Uhlich said:
The lens you are using is wide open at 28mm and f3.5.

Why not keep your lights and buy a 50mm f1.8 and shoot at f1.8 or 2.0?

Or buy Sigma 20mm f1.8 if you are inclined to the wide.

Steadman
dizzynoodle said:
I know there are severalk combinations... but i lwould like to use
my 28-135 achiev very shallow DOF using 2 prolinca lights with
softboxes... just a test of the gear here....

I can't seem to go faster than 1/60 or maybe i could !

I always get a serious overexposures when ever stop wider than f8.

I know an ND filter could help or just rip out my 70-300 and go
back, i guess
--
dizzynoodle
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
he meant i could go for weaker lights and compensate for it by using a faster lens.

Thanx stead, i've got the 50mm 1.8 in any case ;)
Asif. said:
Steadman Uhlich said:
The lens you are using is wide open at 28mm and f3.5.

Why not keep your lights and buy a 50mm f1.8 and shoot at f1.8 or 2.0?

Or buy Sigma 20mm f1.8 if you are inclined to the wide.

Steadman
dizzynoodle said:
I know there are severalk combinations... but i lwould like to use
my 28-135 achiev very shallow DOF using 2 prolinca lights with
softboxes... just a test of the gear here....

I can't seem to go faster than 1/60 or maybe i could !

I always get a serious overexposures when ever stop wider than f8.

I know an ND filter could help or just rip out my 70-300 and go
back, i guess
--
dizzynoodle
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--dizzynoodle
 
yes, they come as 12x12 gels among other sizes, just like light balancing, or color filter gels. check out bogen, cine-gel, roscoe etc.
 
dizzynoodle said:
The kit i would end up buying would be used for location shoots
where i could be shooting 5-6 people groups, that's what makes me
what to have power at hand when i need it... man life should be
easier than this, shouldn't it ?
Click to expand...
If you want a lot of power sometimes and a little other times look for something with more power range (I now know you can't get White Lightnings and the like in your area, but as an example they shoot down to 1/64 in th eUZ series and 1/128 or 1/256 (forget which) in the X series). Either that or get some much more serious diffusion, but that makes the modeling light less useful (even with digital it is nice to know pretty much where the light is pointed!).
 
dizzy

i dont think thats a very good decision

It is better to go with more power. Just make sure they are variable output. That way you can turn them down on demand but you still have full power if nessecary

I use a set of Novatron 600 VR's which are really nice. A 3 head set with all the standard stuff runs you about 1K which isnt too bad.

With 250's you'll soon run into a situation where you dont have enough power and then you need to get bigger ones anyway

Mike

--Michael SalzlechnerStarZen Digital Imaging http://www.starzen.com/imagingE-10 / D30 Photo Albums http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1605723
 
This shot was a pain:

http://www.pbase.com/image/1006638/medium

I wanted a limited DOF shot and I swear, I kept turning down and turning down and turning down until I got 2.8. (the white background didn't held matters either) I use two 500w/s Novatron monolights, and I've never wished they had more power. I bought them just because I thought it would be nice to have the power "if I need it", but if I had it to do over again, I'd go 300 or 250.
 
Make sure when you buy your own that you get lights that can be dialed down. My Bowens Esprits 500s will dial down to 1/32, giving a five stop range.

That's also an advantage of most monolights vs power packs. A lot of packs will not give you that range of control over each head.

Dialing down also means faster recharge cycles. I typically use the 500s at 1/4 power and almost never have to wait for the lights to recharge.
 
another approach is to shoot with all the juice you want then selectively blur in photoshop. you'll get a different and more flexible level of control over the amount of blur that way. also, you can then have plenty of ambient light to help you focus accurately.

jackson
 
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