M2 users- advice re: wide angle and long lenses

L

Lenilenapi

Carbonite Member
I'm wondering what lenses to buy for the M2 I have on order for an HVX200.

So far I've purchased a great bunch of mid-range fast Nikkor lenses
28mm f2
35mm f1.4
50mm f1.4
85mm f1.4
105mm f1.8
and 135mm f2

i figure this covers the current HVX lense's range from about the widest at 4.3mm (28mm) to halfway out the zoom at about 22mm (135mm). This should cover alot of normal shooting where i would gain greatly from the decreased depth of field.
I'm wondering if i should bother getting anything longer - (150- 300mm) or wider like a 24, 20 or even an extreme wide angle.

My question for you experienced M2 users is-

1. On the longer end, the HVX (without a Redrock) will already begin to give me lower DOF (depth of field) so is that enough by itself?
Do you find the extremely low DOF of a 35mm longer lens useful?
I could get a zoom like a 50-300 f4.5 that would cover a lot of ground in exteriors but I don't want to bother if its not a big change from say the standard HVX lens at f2 (which I could achieve with ND.)
(Other choices might be an 80-200 or just a 180 or 200 prime.)

2. The opposite question is for the wide end. Does the increased DOF of a 24 or a 20 make the affect of using the Redrock negligible? Or is it still better looking (depth of focus wise) than say an HVX with a wide adapter?
 
I asked this same question in another thread, but can't find it now. The answer I got was basically, 135mm is probably good. After that, you can use the HVX lens, but you'd want to put a pro mist filter on so that M2 and non-M2 footage match up. That seems to do it.

As for the wide lens, I must say, the coolest thing about the M2 is being able to get really shallow depth of field when you're that wide --- something you could never achieve without the M2. The widest lens I have is a 24mm. But a 28mm probably would have been fine. Your lens kit looks good (way better than mine --- that 28mm f1.4 is expensive! Yikes!).
 
You misread my lens kit above. I didn't spring for the 28mm f1.4 either.
I just looked at a 24 and really liked the field of view. I may go for that.
Did you find that you noticed the lower DOF on the 24?
It's also wider than the HVX lens which is cool.

I also looked at a 180, 200's and 300's.
a Tokina 2.8 80-200 looked pretty good and was reasonable at my local camera store. Even the 300's looked great though the faster ones were too big & expensive.
Basically I was drooling for more lenses and I don't even have the M2 yet.
 
Whoops. You're right. I hated you for a moment, but now that you don't have that 28mm f1.4, we can be friends again. I do like the 24mm. It's really wide and even at f4 or 5.6, the depth of field is very shallow --- depending, of course, where you're focused. If there's a great diffence in distance between the background and foreground, you'll have a better shot at acheiving shallow DoF (obviously). I don't know how much difference there'd be between the 28mm and 24mm though. They're cheap enough on ebay, so if you've got some cash burning a hole in your pocket, then I say, "go for it!"

On the longer lenses, I'd say, hold on until you get your M2. Now that I have mine, I can't really see too much need for a really long lens. Although, if you've got the money, it's never a bad idea to have as many tricks up your sleeve as you can afford.
 
I'll probably take that advice re the long lenses. Which lenses do you have, and how have you been using the M2?
Do you, know anything about the Brevis 35 by the way?
 
dolph2000 said:
can't you put a, let's say a 35-200 f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens on it?
Click to expand...
Yes, zooms work also, but but a 3.5-4.5 lens is not going to open up nearly wide enough for you to have enough light in most circumstances.
 
Dolph, Just look around alot.
I've been scouring the web looking at lens reviews (there are links on the redrock board) ebay, craig's list, and especially online vendors. The most I've spent so far is just under $400 with most coming in a little over $200. The 50 is pretty cheap.
The long lenses get pricier as do any fast zoom. The zooms in particular seem to vary in quality alot so read those reviews. I haven't bought any yet.
The fast zooms (2.8) are very expensive but also sharp.
 
Can someone school me on whether I need to worry about types of lenses (i.g. AF, AI, AIS, etc), or will the 35 adapters work with any of the lenses equally well regardless of their being fully manual or automatic?
 
I just finished 4 days with the Nikon F2.8 80 - 200mm and now I want to own one badly! What a great lens. I hated to take it back to the rental house.

My other favs were a NIKON AF 35-70mm f/2.8 D and the NIKON AF 20 - 35mm f/2.8 D

Primes slowed me down on setups and framing... love the zooms.
 
get a wider lens. i am very very happy with my 17mm. it looks great. the fied of view is wide but with minimal distortion. This is shot with the 17mm.
this is super soft cause its from a low quality trandsfer to beta. (dont ask me why the editing company uses an offline editing system....)



long lenses would be usefull because it does look slightly different than standard lens. the fov is what your looking for, the characheristics of the lens itself.
 
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Hey what do you know we've got nearly the same setup lealani. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

I'd say the only lens you're really missing is a wide 24 F2 or a 16 F2.8.
 
Mr. Blond,
Yeah I'm starting to lust for the 24. I think that's next.
Do you have anything longer than the 135?
If not do y0u niss it.
What are you doing with your M2?
 
Yup I've just bought a 24mm F2 myself.

I own nothing longer than my 105mm in a prime, but I do own a Nikon zoom 80-200 F4.5, slow but will do for outdoor shooting, plus I see no need to zoom in that far for anything other than scenery.

What I'm doing with my M2 currently is waiting for it to arrive lol.

After toying with all of the lens on my Nikon F2 I don't see me needing anything longer than my 105 or maybe a 135, so I definitely think you're safe with your lens set.

Upon receiving my M2 I have clients waiting for a commercial, music video, a feature, and another possible feature as well.
 
Looks like we're on the same page.
Same lenses and waiting for delivery.
If I get mine first, just send those clients up to the Bay Area.
 
I put my 50mm 1.4 and 55mm 1.2 up for sale after buying the legendary 50mm 1.2. It is an absolutely beautiful lens, fast and sharp even when wide open.
 
Nice skateboard vid. I like the style. Is that a 35 adapter? Why the vinetting and the strobing on one shot? Keep focusing in mind, but other then those nit pic things, you're looking good, keep it up.
 
Lenilenapi,

The 50mm 1.4 from what I keep hearing has too much breathing when rack focusing, and is too soft when wide open.

Everyone I've spoken to says that in the 50mm market, the 50mm 1.2 is the cream of the crop, sharp, contrasty, even when wide open.
 
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