DIY DOF

Do it yourself depth of field adapter.

There are many articles online detailing how to craft these, such as http://www.ehow.com/how_4748289_build-mm-depth-field-adapter.html

I've seen some examples of cheap DOF adapters on YouTube, and I wanted to try my own. I snagged a 35mm lens from my grandmother, who just happened to have one attached to a vintage-looking camera stashed away in her closet. I used a scrap of plastic grocery bag as my screen on which to project the image that comes through the lens. A few cardboard tubes and some duct tape later, I have a working prototype. It isn't very good quality, mind you, but this project for me was more of a proof of concept rather than a performance rig. I'm happy that I could achieve the results I did with only household materials.

The idea is to use a 35mm lens in front of a digital video camera to give the video a filmier look and feel and more depth of field (DOF). The lens inverts the image onto a screen (usually ground glass, but thin plastic in my case) which the camera is focused on. Since the image is recorded upside down, it must be flipped in post-production.

I had to perfectly space the lens from the grocery bag for the image to be clear. I kept shaving off bits from the end of the cardboard tube until it was exactly the right size. The tube is too narrow; a bright circle appears in the center of the image and the periphery is dark.

I rigged up a simple wooden base to steady the contraption. It looks pretty silly. I had fun making it. I had even more fun not spending hundreds of dollars.

Until next time,

Jordan