FS7: 18-35mm Sigma vs. 35/1.8 Sony + 16mm Samyang for Run/Gun/Event

see-mann

see-mann

Active member
Hello

i will have a shooting of an event next week: about a kitchen studio, intern/extern, happy people talking, eating etc. typical run/gun stuff. Low Budget, 1 person, but of course nice pictures are expected ;)
Ok, in my bag is:
FS7, 35mm 1.8 Sony + 16mm Samyang, a monopod (just in case...).
-> 35mm Sony with oss could be great handheld, i want to shoot mostly like that. The 16mm has no oss, but could be ok for handheld, too...
Now i am wondering how a 18-35mm Sigma would work instead of those 2 primes...
F1.8 on the Sigma is great, but it's much heavier with the Nikon adapter than my 2 primes and has no oss.
On the other side, it could stay on the camera the whole shooting... I don't have a 18-35 Sigma yet, that's why i am posting this thread...

Rainer
 
it depends :)
I would neither want to change lenses nor shoot without stabilisation. Also the step from 16 to 35mm is huge. You will miss a great focal length range. Don't you have other lenses in the bag like the 18-110, 24-105 with speedbosster?
 
Clermond said:
it depends :)
I would neither want to change lenses nor shoot without stabilisation. Also the step from 16 to 35mm is huge. You will miss a great focal length range. Don't you have other lenses in the bag like the 18-110, 24-105 with speedbosster?
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ah, i forgot my 50mm. Ok, years ago i did a similar film for that company. That was with the Nikon D800, 20mm, 50mm and a very few shots with a tele. That was full frame. They liked it very much. It was completely improvised - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35jgCSk_9r8
With the FS7 now in my bag i thought it would be a similar working in S35 with the 16mm and 35mm and a few shots in 50mm or tele.
I also have a 18-200 Sony, 28-300 Nikon, 20mm Nikon, 50mm Nikon, 50mm Samyang, 35mm Samyang but i doubt i will get similar results with the zooms and their f3.5 upwards..
Clermond said:
I would neither want to change lenses nor shoot without stabilisation.
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that's exactly the point :)
 
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Tamron 24-70 2.8 has stabilization and with speed booster its equiv to 18-50 f2. Focuses in the Nikon direction but you seem used to that anyway. A good doc handheld fast lens. 18-35 is a great lens and do you stabilization when your that wide?
 
Clermond said:
btw the Sigma is APS-C only, you cannot use it on your full frame Nikon.
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i know. The last clip i did with the Nikon, this time i will use the FS7. If i would buy the 18-35, it would be the Nikon mount - i already have a Nikon-Sony adapter.
The 18-35 i also could use on the Nikon D800 in APS-C, you can change the cropping in the camera (3 steps from full frame to aps-c)
 
LennyLevy said:
18-35 is a great lens and do you stabilization when your that wide?
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depends on the project... yes, with a FS7 and its weight it should be possible to handheld the 18-35... well, changing 2-3 lenses the whole shooting or another 700 Euros for another lens... (don't tell my wife..) And don't forget, the 1.8 35mm Sony has oss, autofocus (well..) and is light as a feather vs ca.800g Sigma + ca.200g adapter.
 
I personally would steer clear of primes for the most part of this project. It’s nice to have a shallow DOF but it doesn’t beat being able to get a 2 shot, close-up on faces and details in a couple of seconds without changing position. I would go for a 24-105 range of lens for this. I’ve used the Canon which was fine. The cheapo Sony 18-105 is lightweight and great, focusing is a bit of a bugger but it is a lens that I can take with me that could get me out of trouble in this instance.
 
epicdream said:
I p The cheapo Sony 18-105 is lightweight and great, focusing is a bit of a bugger but it is a lens that I can take with me that could get me out of trouble in this instance.
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only if you use it with lens correction in HD. If you shoot in 4K in these narrow spaces will look horrible with the distortion.
 
Clermond said:
only if you use it with lens correction in HD. If you shoot in 4K in these narrow spaces will look horrible with the distortion.
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Yes, that’s true, but I still use it. So long as you know the limitations you can work around them.
 
Clermond said:
only if you use it with lens correction in HD. If you shoot in 4K in these narrow spaces will look horrible with the distortion.
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that and and the focusing was the reason i've sent it back the same day...

I fully understand all your arguments and opinions and it differs not much from my experience.
Because i still don't have a perfect solution, i guess i will limit my gear as much as possible - limitations often can give you more creativity. That's what i learnt in all those filming years. Too much gear just gives you headache and will waste your power.
35mm 1.8 - i can get some close-ups but it's also wide enough to show the environment. The oss will help to get rid of the monopod/tripod, the autofocus will help to get in focus instantly (by push) and its weight makes the whole setup more handy.
The 16mm Samyang, 50mm Nikon and 18-200 Sony will be in the bag as a backup (at least, its a paid shooting and you never know..)
 
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Does low budget mean no budget? Because even though you said a lens f/3.5 is too slow, it would appear the 18-110 f/4 could do your right if 1) you have the budget to rent 2)if you can light it up some more. Worse case scenario, if the shot is important and it's too dark, throw the 35mm. Or if you have a DSLR with you, put the 35mm on that as a back-up to the shot.

If you are shooting in a similar setting as your video, which I assume you are according to your description, then can you throw up some lights in a corner(s) that you won't be aiming at. Get some cheap Lowel totas and burn the place dow... I mean, get some light thrown everywhere. I'm sure there may even be cheaper alternatives than the tota (think work lights). Or improvising by turning on more of the lights in the location (if they are okay with it), seeing if the client/location has some tasteful lamps they can put out to help light the stuff, or replacing some of their bulbs with bright wattage lights, or even moving some of the subjects (food or people) into better light without interrupting the "flow" of the event.

In all honesty, hopefully your client understands with event footage/shoot that isn't adapted to fit your needs will have a little more grit then a cooking show on HGTV. Don't set the bar too low for yourself in what you ask for from the client... if they don't want to pay or adapt to make a better video, they get what they pay for and they may expect more for less next time. Before someone tears into me, I understand the OP may need the work or doesn't want to hose the client, but at some point he can only bend so far. I think your selection of lenses you have should do okay, otherwise that 18-100 or some other suggested a 24-70 (Tamron or even Canon with an adaptor) could work.

Good luck.
 
Ok, shooting is done - i had more time than expected and enough time to change lenses. It was a 2-day shooting for 2 films - first there was an event in the evening, outside with BBQ, very dark but ok with F1.8 to 2.8 and 4000 ISO. I've shot almost everything with slomo and used a lot the 1.8 35mm Sony. Also i used the 50mm Nikon 1.8, more than i expected. Very seldom the 16mm, if at all that evening. The other day i had to do an improvised corporate film about the kitchen company with interviews of the employers and we visited 3 customers at home. I used all 3 lenses. Did i miss the 18-35mm? Well, i shot a lot handheld those 2 days and the oss of the 1.8 35mm Sony was very helpfull. 16mm Samyang has no oss, but was ok handheld. The 50mm was another thing - I was able to do some nice shots handheld, but you can see the difference, the lack of oss. For the interviews i used a tripod. So below the line i would say, the 35mm Sony 1.8 with oss did a very good job and i did not miss the 18-35 Sigma on that shooting.
 
Update: today i replaced the 50mm Nikkor with the 50mm 1.8 Sony. I am sure the oss will be very helpful for future projects of that kind of shooting and i won't need an adapter (Nikon - e mount)
 
I like the tone color and the timbre. But unfortunately he is sluring some words and sometimes he swallows endings of words. Either it should be the owner by himself when it doesn't matter or it should be a pro. my 2cts.. bad sound can tear down the visuals. I would not respect his choice. :)
 
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