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Vlog recording with a DSLR / AF issue
Hi,
I just started using the Canon Rebel T5i w/ a 40mm pancake lens to record my crafting video podcast. And I really love the image quality!
However, I would appreciate some advice on how to work with the Auto focus. Obviously, the lens will refocus with every move I make, but is there something I can do to prevent it from refocusing so much?
To give you an idea of what I’m going for:
The framing is basically, medium shot / talking head + a few close ups of things I’ve crafted.
I would really like to continue using this particular lens, but if there is one that you think would be better suited for my purposes, I’m open to suggestions!
Many thanks for your help!
K
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3 Replies
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Simple, take the lens off auto focus and focus everything manually. If you set your f-stop (iris) before you shoot to something like f8 you are basically guaranteed to have the shot in focus – you will just have to make sure you have enough light though because at F8 the iris isn’t letting a lot of light in. I would put the camera on a tripod, of course, and then pre-focus on something that is right were your head and body will be. When shooting by myself I’ve used things like a broom as a focus target to give me something to focus on before removing it from the scene.
At f8 you won’t have the background of the shot blurred but that may not matter to you.
(Also, there are ways to connect your Canon camera to a laptop with a long USB cord which would allow you to see what the lens is seeing and even control the settings on your camera using your computer – so you could stand in your “spot” and hold the laptop to set up your camera if you are following me)
So basically you need to learn about how to operate your camera in a manual mode where you set the focus, shutter speed, ISO and F-stop by yourself so that you have full control.
Do the same for the close ups.
Steve Crow
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Thanks very much for the advice, Steve! Very helpful.
Will definitely try that.
I kind of knew MF would be the best answer, but was hoping there was a loophole. 😉Thanks again!
K
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No problems Kristin…best of luck on your new video series
Steve Crow
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