1 reply to this topic

[markwgeiger]

Hello, folks - 

Beginner/dumb question here:  I want to do outdoor portrait shots against a landscape background, sunny day clear skies, with bokeh.  What would be good settings for the zfc with a DX 16-50 lens?

[Merco_61]

What do you mean by portrait shots? Head and shoulder, torso, half body or full body?

How do you define Bokeh?

 

With these questions in mind, I would shoot in aperture priority with the aperture wide open and an ISO selected to get a hand-holdable shutter speed. Remember that hair moves with wind, so you need a faster shutter speed if it’s windy.

You will not get an ultra-narrow depth of field with this lens, but it will be as narrow as possible.

 

To find out and learn how close you can go without getting too close, so you don’t get an unnatural perspective, set the lens to 50 mm and frame for tight head and shoulders. This distance will be as close as you should ever get for flattering portraits. Preferably, take a step back from this distance. 
 

Here is an example:

f/l: 43 mm

A: f/7.1

S: 1/50

ISO: 100

 

I went with the aperture slightly closed down as the wall behind was too close to be fully blurred even wide open. The background looks better sharp than in-between…

 

If you shoot in jpg-format or use NX Studio for your raw conversion, set the picture control to PT for pleasing skin tones.