How do I make the picture clear while the background blurry using digital camera???

Question

I have a Lumix Panasonic DMC-LS2 Digital camera (Thought to specify the model)....
So i was wondering how can I make the background as blurry as possible but keep the target picture clear...like for e.g pictures of a football game where the player is clear but the background audience are blurred.
What mode should I use....
Other details:
-5.0 mega pixel
-3xoptical zoom
-MEGA O.I.S Optical Image Stabilizer ( I dont know what that is).

Here's a sample I found on the internet of the same camera:
http://www.photographyblog.com/images/reviews/panasonic_lumix_dmc_ls2/sample_images/panasonic_lumix_dmc_ls2_24.JPG

Hope this details can help you help me out...

p.s
m not so good with vocabs related to camera's and dumb when it comes to camera's....so I'd appreciate if u can help me in details and being specific...
Thank you very much in advance

Here's some details of the camera
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/ls2.html

Answer 1

Your camera has Macro mode (the little flower symbol). With a regular point and shoot, thats the only way you'd be able to get a shallow depth of field.
What that Macro mode means is that it will focus on whatever's closest to you and you can get really close to something and keep it in focus.

There are 3 things that affect depth of field:
1) Aperture
2) Focal Length
3) Subject Distance

Since your camera can't do number 1...you'd just have to do 2 and 3: Zoom in and get close.

If you still can't do it like that..then buy a digital SLR. (digital rebels are good to start with.)

=)

Answer 2

You probably can't, especially in that situation.
What you are asking about is called depth of field.
If you have a lens that can be openned way out (big, low f/ number) then the area that is in focus is shallow, so you can focus on one limitted area and have the rest blurry. One way to do this with automatic cameras is to set the shutterspeed fast (like 1/250 of a second or more) when light is moderate.
Or you can force the lens opening large with manual settings and let the camera go fast.
So look for manual settings to force lens opening or shutter speed
The problem is that requires a ratio of how far it is to the object vs how far to the background and football players on the field are too far away - when you focus on them the depth includes the background.
In many sports situations, the background is blurred because the camera is following the object (panning) so it is not changing on the exposure, while the audience is ignored. Many older digitals (like mine) take long enough to do the exposure that panning becomes impossible.
Your image stabilizer, which takes the images collected by the detector and moves them so they line up in the final image works to remove blur.
I just looked at your example picture and it is perfect for background blur and has nothing to do with sports - the flower is within a few inches off the lens and the background is several feet back.

Answer 3

It's going to be darn hard to "de-focus" too much using a digital camera while keeping the main subject in sharp focus. The smaller the sensor, the greater depth of field you will have. Generally speaking, the smaller the camera, the smaller the sensor. Your LS2 has the smallest sensor generally used in point and shoot cameras - the 1/2/5" size. Most of the pictures you take with a digital camera are quite sharp from near to far distances and there is a reason for that which I will explain.

While we speak in terms of the 35 mm equivalency of digital lenses, don't forget that the digital sensors are usually smaller than a full-format 35 mm frame. Most of the more popular point and shoot cameras (including yours) have the smaller sensors. It's only about 5 mm wide and 4 mm high. The lens on required to cover that angle of view is an ACTUAL 6-17 mm zoom lens. At these focal lengths, the background is going to almost always be in pretty sharp focus.

In other words, if you WANT to defocus the background, you are going to have to work pretty hard at it. You would have to zoom to the longer end of the lens and set the aperture open as wide as it will go, if your camera even allows you to control the aperture, and get pretty close to your main subject while having the background a fair distance away.

The bigger the sensor, the easier it will be to achieve pleasing bokeh. This means moving to a dSLR, which all have sensors about 20 times bigger than the typical P&S digicam. If you want to really go for brokeh (very bad pun intended), you can get a Canon 5D and you will get exactly the same effect you are accustomed to in a 35 mm camera, since the sensor is the same size as 35 mm film.

Here is an example with a point and shoot camera, although it does have the larger sensor (1/1.8") that makes it easier to blur the background. (Yours with a smaller sensor would be harder.) Even though this is macro mode and f/2.8, where the background should blur the most, it's not terribly blurry because it's relatively close to the subject.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/872732755/

Here is an example with a point and shoot camera, so it CAN be done. The background is much farther away,though.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/843563558/

Compare that to this image, though, which has a similar subject-to-background distance. The SLR has the obvious advantage.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/408446616/

Answer 4

As the 3 answers above said, you just can't do it with that camera. With a 3x optical zoom, you'd have to be on the field to really get any good image of the players. The shutterlag inherent to this type of camera will frustrate you as your camera snaps the picture moments AFTER you've pressed the shutter button.

That's why you'll see more and more people going to DSLR cameras. They CAN do everything that a point & shoot CAN'T.

For example, here are some football pictures I took from the 56th row of the stadium. The first set were taken with a Nikon D50 and a Nikon 75-300mm lens.
http://www.spmsportspage.com/images/college/football/2007/California-45-Tennessee-31-09-01-2007/DSC_0065_GHYoung.html

Here's some taken with a Nikon D70 and a Sigma 28-300mm lens.
http://www.spmsportspage.com/images/college/football/2007/California-42-Louisiana-Tech-12-09-15-2007/DSC_8135_GHYoung.html

IF you want to take images like that, you'll need to upgrade your photo equipment.

I hope this is somewhat helpful.

Answer 5

Telephoto lens with the aperture wide open. In other words, long lens with the opening in the lens as big as possible and the camera in the aperture preferred mode. Or, you can use a very slow shutter speed with the lens aperture closed down but pan the camera with the action of the players -- if you do it right -- it will freeze the players but totally blur the background -- this needs practice to do it right.

Answer 6

Optical zoom of 3x probably isn't enough for you to take a good pic of a football match. In other words, the whole image will look like "focused", and won't be blurry.

If your cam also has manual controls, go for a large aperture (or a small f number) and high shutter speed like 1/1000 s or 1/2000 or even faster, if the cam allows it.

If you can switch lenses, then go for a zoom lens using which you can easily achieve the blurry-background effect.

Answer 7

2 ways. if the object is moveing then u put it on a slower shutter speed and follow the person. the person will be clear but the background wont be. U can also use selective focus ive seen pic with it but i dont know how to use it. U can also do that on photo shop if u have it.

Answer 8

no way as ur camera flash light can't reach too far,u r advised to use other spotlight to make the background clearer.