Depth-of-field adapter
camera adapter
A depth-of-field adapter (often shortened to DOF adapter) is used to achieve shallow depth of field on a video camera whose fixed lens or interchangeable lens selection is limited or economically prohibitive at providing such an effect. A DOF adapter could theoretically be used on a multitude of platforms, although it is most useful on prosumer digital camcorders where high resolution is a capability but the sensor size is still small enough to elicit use of the adapter. The term 35mm adapter is common, since most designs use a focusing screen the size of a 35mm film frame (24×36 mm) and interface with lenses designed for 35mm cameras. The use of adapters has decreased largely due to the video function available on newer DSLR cameras. DOF adapters have been developed for use with smartphones, allowing DSLR lenses to be used with phone cameras.
How it works
A DOF adapter focuses an image onto a translucent screen (similar to how one would look at a focused image through a system camera's viewfinder) located between an external lens and the camera's main lens. The camcorder can frame this intermediate screen by focusing in macro mode. The principle is similar to pointing a video camera at a movie screen. The lens attached to the adapter now takes the job of the camcorder's focusing and aperture mechanisms. The camcorder's only responsibility at this point is to record what is being projected onto the focusing screen (called "back focus").
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