Tilt-Shift Videos, Cool Stuff

[Roberto Lequeux]

While this effect can be done with a tilt shift lens, I bet the visual technique used in this video is done using a post process similar to this one.
http://www.tiltshiftphotography.net/photoshop-tutorial.php
The reason I doubt this is done on a tilt shif lens is because of the amount of blur that was achieved. Being that far from the subject the lens would have to be focused near infinity. With the focal plane near infinity there is no way that the foreground and background would be that far out of focus,
What sells this video is
A: the shallow depth of field on a scene that by physics standards should be deep
B: the speed increase of all the objects in the scene. Big things move slow, little things move fast.
C. the angle that he shoots these videos is always from above, looking down, making the viewer effectively larger than the scene.
I think the guy did a brilliant job at selling the illusion, but I guarantee it is not a tilt shift lens.

Hey thank you very much for the breakdown!
I too thought it might be at least augmented because at times the amount of blur was too much and didn't look 100% right. But of course it works very well for me.

A. Good point I see.
B. Do you mean the ships? And the helicopter? If so I can see what you mean.
C. Indeed! Very good point. Thanks for pointing it out.

These are indeed done with tilt shift lenses. Not in post. At least according to the comments that I read a few weeks ago under the Vimeo postings. There are usually subtle visual clues, depending on what is in focus in the frame, that can help you determine if something was just blurred in post or if the focal plane has actually been shifted. I have a set of TS lenses for my Canon and also shoot with view cameras which have full movements, and the effect is exactly as seen here.

The effect is created by tilting the lens back, thus shifting the focal plane. So instead of your DOF being from front to back or close to far, it is nearly up and down (for the sake of simplification) allowing for selective focus within the frame. Someone mentioned this not being possible since you'd be focused at or near infinity, so the DOF couldn't be that shallow. But when you shift the focal plane, you won't be focused at infinity to get those objects in focus. As you rack focus with the lens tilted back the area of sharp focus actually moves up and down in the frame, not front to back. The opposite effect of unlimited DOF is created by tilting the lens forward, as is often done by landscape photographers.

The helicopter piece was staged, also. Keith mentioned the skill of the pilot keeping the Helicopter steady as he was shooting the time lapse which takes a lot of time.

Someone posted some test shots in the footage section a while back of the Cambo X2 system on the RED which is a view camera front. And there is also the Century/Clairmont tilt shift system and I think an Arri system also. All of them will allow this kind of effect.

I see. I am very interested in those pricey wide shift lenses but to be able to get tall buildings from up close. I know too little about them but if it was done optically even more cudos to the author.

I could see the hovering heli being staged, and I guess it was so. But did he say the whole thing was staged?

 

[DCC Erickson]

An optical illusion?

An optical illusion?

Why are there so many dark-haired people on the beach?:biggrin5:

 

[Roberto Lequeux]

Cause you live in Minneapolis. Move out of Minnesota and you might notice the world isn't as blond as you think.