bobbydvideo

I have a question about "depth Of Field" on my CANON HF G60 video camcorder. I need a tutorial on this subject and can't find one anywhere. I just purchased the camcorder.

I also have a CANON R6 and have no problem with BOKEH on this camera.

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

Have you checked Canon's website for specs on the camcorder?

bobbydvideo

Yes I did. Like I stated. No tutorials. At least I haven't found any.

13 Loc: I am only responsible to what I say..not what

Youtube

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=+CANON+HF+G60+video+camcorder

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Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Sounds like you're asking about DOF and not bokeh. Here's the specs on your camcorder: https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/details/camcorders/consumer/vixia/vixia-hf-g60

Canon lists the sensor as 1 inch but if you look at the equivalent focal lengths they publish for the lens and the difference between total versus effective pixels the actual usable sensor area is less by about 1/3. (Crop factor is about 3).

So to do DOF calculations that would give you an idea of what to expect you're looking at a CoC value of .005mm. DOF Master will allow you to enter CoC values directly in place of the sensor/film format: https://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html So you can run some normal use scenarios for yourself -- see example below.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

It's the lens, not the camera.
It's not that it's out of focus or how far it's out of focus, it's the quality of that out of focus area- most easily noticed in specular highlights.
Ways to describe the out of focus areas in a photo- or bokeh:
creamy, smooth, swirly, nervous, distracting, donut shaped (as with mirror lenses)...
https://photographylife.com/what-is-bokeh

sirvive Loc: South Louisiana

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

You might find something useful here. They list the G50, but there must be similarities with the G60.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=CANON+HF+G60

russraman Loc: New York City

Try an online search using key words: "background blur in photography"

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

What are you TRYING to do?

Depth of Field (DoF) is the amount of out of focus blur, as well as where it tapers off ahead of and behind the subject. It is effected by the distance, lens aperture and lens focal length. Shorter focal lengths and smaller lens apertures reduce background blur, making more of the image sharply defined. Longer focal lengths and larger apertures make for stronger background blur, shallower depth of field. Distances are a consideration, too... with both greater distance and very close distances making DoF become shallower, blurring to be stronger.

Bokeh is the quality of the blur effect caused by DoF. Bokeh is somewhat subjective. Some people prefer a very smooth bokeh, while others appreciate the "swirl" effect certain lenses render. Highlights in out of focus areas can exhibit an "onion" effect... or look like a donut. Some people consider these poor for bokeh.

Notice that DoF isn't directly effected by sensor size. However, because lens focal lengths have to change depending upon the sensor format, DoF most certainly is indirectly effected by format.

A so-called full frame sensor like the R6 uses is 36mm x 24mm. In comparison, the so-called 1" sensor used in the G60 is very small... 13.2mm x 8.8mm.

The G60's zoom lens is approx. equivalent to 25 to 400mm on full frame. However, the actual focal length range of the lens is 8.3 to 124.5mm. The maximum aperture of that lens is f/2.8 at the wide and and f/4.5 at telephoto end of the zoom. But a super short focal length like 8.3mm and a small aperture will make for huge DoF... basically everything will be sharp from your toes to the horizon! Depending upon the working distances, it may be possible to get some pretty good background blur effect at the telephoto end of the zoom range. But it will probably never be as strong a blur as you can get with your full frame camera.

Very roughly speaking.... compared to DoF and background blur with a lens on full frame:

- APS-C sensor will act like one stop smaller... an f/2.8 lens will render DoF similar to f/4 on full frame.
- Micro 4/3 sensor will act like two stops smaller... an f/2.8 lens will render DoF similar to f/5.6 on full frame.
- 1" sensor will act like three stops smaller... an f/2.8 lens will render DoF similar to f/8 on full frame.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

That's incorrect. Sensor size is a direct determinant of DOF. See the illustration below.
The lens focal length is the same.
The f/stop is the same.
The subject distance is the same.

The only parameter changed is the sensor size and as a result the DOF changed.

(Download)

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

Experiment with various fstops.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I looked on YouTube, and there is some discussion about how to use the camera, but not enough. It seems like an excellent, popular camera, so I'm surprised there aren't detailed tutorials. DOF is all a matter of aperture. The larger the opening, the less DOF.

My son is considering a new camcorder. His Sony dates from 2012, and he uses it almost daily.

bobbydvideo

Thank you. Been playing with it. I like the camera.