# How do I make a blurry background with a compact digital camera?



## Sergyhunt (Apr 14, 2012)

Hi,

As the title says really! I know it's to do with the arperture and the shutter speed, but I just can't figure it out!

Thanks


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## SCraig (Apr 14, 2012)

Compact digital cameras generally aren't capable of doing that very well, if at all, because of the size of the sensor.  It's too small.


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## Lowrider (Apr 14, 2012)

I would have thought it had more to do with the lack of appeture controls.  The closest you can get is to set it for portrait and snap away.


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## rexbobcat (Apr 14, 2012)

Lowrider said:
			
		

> I would have thought it had more to do with the lack of appeture controls.  The closest you can get is to set it for portrait and snap away.



Not really. Video cameras have lenses that go down to f/1.4 or f/1.6 and their DoF is comparable to that of compact cameras. 

That's because of sensor size. My compact would go down to f/2.8 but it seemed to have the DoF of a lens of the same focal length stopped down to f/16 lol.

I could only blur backgrounds when I was within 2 feet of the subject


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## Sergyhunt (Apr 14, 2012)

Well I can adjust my arperture from 3.3 to 6.6 & shutterspeed from 1/4000 to 60. =s


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## Sergyhunt (Apr 14, 2012)

It's a Panasonic TZ20 if that helps!


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## SCraig (Apr 14, 2012)

Sergyhunt said:


> Well I can adjust my arperture from 3.3 to 6.6 & shutterspeed from 1/4000 to 60. =s


It does not matter because you cannot change the size of the sensor.  Here Is A Link to a tutorial on the subject however I just tried it and it says it is dead.  It is not, their server is down for maintenance.  It won't work now but it should later.


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## MTVision (Apr 14, 2012)

Sergyhunt said:
			
		

> It's a Panasonic TZ20 if that helps!



Get close to subject - put A LOT of distance between The subject and the background. Choose the largest aperture you have which would be 3 or whatever you mentioned above (largest aperture = smallest #)


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## 1000_Islander (Apr 14, 2012)

It depends. As others have noted your camera is not ideal for getting 'burred' backgrounds. 
Your Lumix TZ20 is a very good camera with a 16x Leica lens. You can achieve some effect by shooting at the long end (near 384mm) and close to a subject, as in a portrait of someone, while using aperture priority with the widest aperture (f3.3) selected.
Beyond that you can simulate the 'effect' in the image editing stage.


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## Sergyhunt (Apr 14, 2012)

MTVision said:


> Sergyhunt said:
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Which pretty much gave me the picture below. So is this the only way i can achieve it? 
I thought there might be a better way without poking my lens in the subject!

View attachment 6329


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## Vtec44 (Apr 14, 2012)

Macro mode!


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## Dao (Apr 14, 2012)

It is going to be a little hard.  But you can at least try.
- Subject to camera distance: Shorter the better.
- Subject to background distance: Longer the better.
- Aperture: Wider the better (smaller the f number).
- Focal length: Longer the better.

So base on the above, try your best and see.  In certain situation, you maybe able to do it.  i.e. Photo of a coffee mug with background hundred feet away.


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## paigew (Apr 14, 2012)

Yes, use macro mode  It has a little flower symbol.


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## Kolander (Apr 14, 2012)

With Photoshop


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## TCampbell (Apr 14, 2012)

You want a camera with a larger sensor and preferably a long lens -- especially with low focal ratio.  Laws of physics come into play here.The three things that contribute to this are:  (1) larger physical sensor sizes. (2) lower focal ratio (f-stop), and (3) longer focal lengths.If you really want this, think about getting a large camera -- such as an entry level DSLR -- as your next camera.


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## EchoingWhisper (Apr 15, 2012)

SCraig said:


> Compact digital cameras generally aren't capable of doing that very well, if at all, because of the size of the sensor.  It's too small.



Depth of field normally depends on the lens, so it's more appropriate to say the size of the lens is too small, though the size of the sensor do have a significance too.


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## EchoingWhisper (Apr 15, 2012)

TCampbell said:


> You want a camera with a larger sensor and preferably a long lens -- especially with low focal ratio.  Laws of physics come into play here.The three things that contribute to this are:  (1) larger physical sensor sizes. (2) lower focal ratio (f-stop), and (3) longer focal lengths.If you really want this, think about getting a large camera -- such as an entry level DSLR -- as your next camera.



Contrary to popular belief, longer focal lengths doesn't really add much to Bokeh at the same magnification.


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## enzodm (Apr 15, 2012)

DoF Calculator: Depth of Field Table 
Put the real focal length, not the 35mm equivalent. You camera has a 4.3-68.8mm zoom (and this is the reason why it is imprecisely  told that the small sensor size influence DoF: because to have fields of view similar to usual camera, focal length should be very short, and short focals are not good for shallow DoF).


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## TCampbell (Apr 16, 2012)

EchoingWhisper said:


> TCampbell said:
> 
> 
> > You want a camera with a larger sensor and preferably a long lens -- especially with low focal ratio.  Laws of physics come into play here.The three things that contribute to this are:  (1) larger physical sensor sizes. (2) lower focal ratio (f-stop), and (3) longer focal lengths.If you really want this, think about getting a large camera -- such as an entry level DSLR -- as your next camera.
> ...


Now you're changing the issue.  Longer lenses dont have the same magnification unless you crop.  Technically the DoF does not get narrower and the bokeh doesn't get stronger because the lens is "longer". Really it's the true angle of view becoming narrower that does this.  That means you can crop in on a short lense to make it seem like a long lens and the magnified view magnifies everything... including blur.  If you do this, you're also simulating a smaller sensor -- so the issue is a little more complex.  But the simple answer is that if you shoot with a longer lens at the same low focal ratio then a short lens, and you don't crop either, then the shot with the longer lens will have a narrower DoF and more intensified bokeh.


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## EchoingWhisper (Apr 17, 2012)

TCampbell said:


> EchoingWhisper said:
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> > TCampbell said:
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If your subject size on the sensor is constant, DOF will be the same.


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## EchoingWhisper (Apr 17, 2012)

TCampbell said:


> EchoingWhisper said:
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> > TCampbell said:
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Equivalence Read this.


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## pisicel (Apr 17, 2012)

Dao said:


> It is going to be a little hard.  But you can at least try.
> - Subject to camera distance: Shorter the better.
> - Subject to background distance: Longer the better.
> - Aperture: Wider the better (smaller the f number).
> ...



Also, if you cannot set aperture, you may try days with less light so the aperture would automaticly open more.


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