Aperture Control on Sony HDR-HC1

[Jacques]

Hi to all...

I am a newb here, and that includes new to video as well. I come from a still-photography background, and therefore look at exposures only in the form of the holy trinity, i.e. ISO, Shutter, and Aperture.

Having acquired this camera, I am confused about what to do about aperture control. Not so much in the sense of exposure, but in controlling Depth-of-Field.

My biggest issue is as follows:
I got this camera specifically to photograph presentations and classes I present at my Photo School. My problem though, is that I want myself in sharp focus, but need my hands, and specifically the equipment I sometimes demonstrate on to be in sharp focus as well.

Now apart from getting someone to constantly focus in and out on me, and then back to the equipment I am demonstrating on, how can I effectively increase the DOF on the camera?

I cannot find any dedicated aperture controls on the lens, or the camera for that matter.

Are there specific techniques used in this type scenario?

Would it help to switch the cam to "landscape" mode? Will this decrease the aperture and effectively increase DOF?

Thank you in advance for any feedback on this.

Kind regards
Jacques

 

[Kim Welch]

I apologize for the delay in responding, and thank you for posting. Small-sensor camcorders like the HC1 give deep depth of field, so even wide open it's hard to blur backgrounds. To get shallower focus, open the iris as far as the camera allows (an ND filter helps keep exposure right), zoom in toward the telephoto end, and move the camera back while placing your subject far from the background. Many photographers in your position later moved to cameras with larger sensors for this reason. I hope the shoot went well!