5D Lens Choices

Jamison

Jamison

Well-known member
Hey everyone I am getting close to buying new lens for my 5D but I had a few questions. I was thinking about selling my 24m-105mm L lens for a Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. And then saving the extra $600 bucks and getting 2 good prime lenses.

So here are my questions:

1. Should I trade in the 24mm-105mm f4 L for Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS ?

2. Which is better a Nikon 50mm f1.4 AI or a Canon EF 50mm f1.4 also can the Nikon even fit on the 5D body?

3. Is the Telephoto EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Autofocus Lens a good choice?

Lastly just so you get an Idea on what I do, I do mostly Narrative work and music videos. Okay hope that helps.
 
The Canon 85mm f/1.8 is awesome. The 50mm f/1.4 is also excellent, since you're on Canon, I'd stick with Canon as opposed to getting a Nikon lens + adapter...the only reason you might want to do that is because an AI Nikon 50mm f/1.4 would be a true manual focus lens and it's certainly easier to pull focus on lenses designed to be manually focused than it is to manually focus EF lenses.

The 24-105mm f/4 L is an excellent lens - no doubt about it...the 28-135 is a little bit cheesy, the build quality is very light...it's still okay optically for the most part, nowhere near as good as the L - especially with regards to chromatic abberation & distortion - but we're probably splitting hairs as it's a more than usable lens and on video the flaws will be minimized.

I can understand that it's nice to have the convenience of a zoom, but as slow as most of these are, I wonder how useful they are for narrative/music-video style filmmaking - I find primes force me to compose better and more interesting shots than I do with zooms.

I might go a different route if I were you, get rid of the zoom altogether, pick up:

1. Sigma 20/24/28mm f/1.8
2. Canon 35mm f/2
3. Canon 50mm f/1.4
4. Samyang 85mm f/1.4 (manual focus lens in EF mount - sharp at f/1.4, and cheaper than the Canon)

Or some combination of the above. But that's me :)
 
Interesting I will look into those, thanks for the feedback very very informative! Just curious on why you wouldn't want to use a zoom lens? Also the reason why i am a bit weary of getting those is because none of them have any Lens stabilization and I am one of those who loves handheld..Stabilization is a big big plus for me which is why i hate how none of those primes have IS on them..

I also like to be zoomed in and get that nice depth of field even though I know you will most likely get more DOF as those f-stops open up much more then my 24mm-105mm f4L

Interesting choice though
 
Last edited:
tackleqb said:
Interesting I will look into those, thanks for the feedback very very informative! Just curious on why you wouldn't want to use a zoom lens? Also the reason why i am a bit weary of getting those is because none of them have any Lens stabilization and I am one of those who loves handheld....any ideas?
Click to expand...

Oh, I've got nothing against zooms by and large, but I think I'd find an f/3.5-5.6 a bit limiting overall, so when it comes to zooms I bite the bullet and get the f/2.8 constant versions - funny that it's even more important/ideal to have a constant aperture zoom when you're filming moving pictures and lighting the set - say you've got a great shot that works at f/3.5 - and you've got just enough light at f/3.5 for it to work - but then you need to get in tighter, compose a really nice looking shot but the fastest you can go is f/5.6 and you can't get it lit just right for f/5.6 - that's really where I'm coming from, I want to know that all my lenses can get either the same or very close in terms of wide open apertures, so when I'm on set I know that I can just choose by focal length and not have to worry about whether my lenses are all fast enough and/or making me relight the scene - hopefully that makes sense. I do keep a superfast lens always available just in case the location calls for it. Fast lenses also give you additional composition/style choices with regards to depth of field whereas you're going to be pretty limited by a 3.5-5.6 zoom - you're not going to have just a ton of control on a lens like that. It's not the lenses fault, it's just not designed with that in mind.

I personally don't use IS lenses so I really can't comment on that, except that from most of what I've read, IS on lenses while you're shooting video can be problematic/jittery - but if you're finding that it works for you, then you're probably fine - that said, if you get really wide lenses you need IS less, on a 20/24mm lens on a full frame Canon 5D you may find you don't need it at all, even when handheld.

All in all, for a filmmaking project, you're always sort of limited by the slowest lens you have (if you use that lens on the shoot anyways), so I'd just say keep that in mind, but ultimately you should use the experience you have and trust your style - if you've used zooms in the past like your 24-105 f/4 L and have gotten good results, you'll probably feel much more comfortable having that option.

I guess what we should really be asking is what you are looking for in your next lens kit - what is it about your current setup that isn't working for you, what do you find yourself needing when you're on a shoot that your current zoom isn't doing for you?
 
Well with my 24mm-105mm lens I don't think it opens up enough, like in low light situations it is not so good but i know thats because it only stops down to f4 which is a considerable difference from lets say an f1.4 but more importantly I like how I can get back far enough and get that nice depth of field but I don't feel i get that enough, basically my main concern is shooting low light and sitting back far enough from the subject to get a nice DOF picture.

Also I don't like how the 50mm and the other primes get jittery when you are doing handheld, I don't know how you don't find this a problem because all the footage I have seen from the 85mm, 50mm are very very jittering with handheld shots.

So basically, doing handhelds, getting a good shot in low light, and getting a nice depth of field shot from sitting far away << for example scenic shots or taking a shot of two people having a conversation while you have your camera set up about 15 yards out. I dont think a 85mm or 50mm will do this let alone your 20/24/28
 
Gotcha - well keep in mind what you're talking about is shallow depth of field, not just "depth of field shot." The reason you're having to back up so much and zoom in to get the nice shallow DOF is because the lens you are using has such a small wide open aperture, things change very quickly when you get a lens that opens up more - you should be more than able to accomplish shallow dof 2-shots with the 85mm f/1.8 wide open, and even the 50mm wide open while being much closer than you are right now - 15 yards is very far away from a subject.
 
Forget the Canon 50/1.4. It's not sharp until f2.5, has a poor focusing ring and is far surpassed by many old manual lenses. The Sigma 50/1.4 blows it out of the water in terms of optics if you want AF lens and there are many vintage 50mm's which are more adapted for video purposes.
 
thisisapocalypse said:
Gotcha - well keep in mind what you're talking about is shallow depth of field, not just "depth of field shot." The reason you're having to back up so much and zoom in to get the nice shallow DOF is because the lens you are using has such a small wide open aperture, things change very quickly when you get a lens that opens up more - you should be more than able to accomplish shallow dof 2-shots with the 85mm f/1.8 wide open, and even the 50mm wide open while being much closer than you are right now - 15 yards is very far away from a subject.
Click to expand...

yeah thats what I was thinking, DARN! those 3 stops make the world of differnce don't they! haha I just wanted someone to confirm it for me, thank you so much, you very knowledgeable I think I am going to go with your set up, looks like a nice affordable set you got going. Hey you think I can get a link to the adapter you use for your sigma 85mm? Cause if I go with that one I am going to need a mount right?
 
yoclay said:
Forget the Canon 50/1.4. It's not sharp until f2.5, has a poor focusing ring and is far surpassed by many old manual lenses. The Sigma 50/1.4 blows it out of the water in terms of optics if you want AF lens and there are many vintage 50mm's which are more adapted for video purposes.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't I need an EF mount for this one as well as the sigma 85mm f1.4? If I get one EF mount can I use it for both lenses? Sorry for all the questions I am a bit technically challenged on lenses, I am learning though
 
tackleqb said:
Wouldn't I need an EF mount for this one as well as the sigma 85mm f1.4? If I get one EF mount can I use it for both lenses? Sorry for all the questions I am a bit technically challenged on lenses, I am learning though
Click to expand...

Sigma builds lenses with Canon EF mounts. I do a lot of documentary/event coverage type events, and I highly recommend using the 24-105mm. Yes, it is not great in low light situations, but it is so versatile. For most situations, I can get enough light to get a good image. The f4 also becomes a blessing because its easier to maintain focus in comparison to a 1.4 lens. The construction of the lens is also great. I used to use a 24-70mm but I feel that extra telephoto to 105mm is real nice.

Don't get the 28-135mm. If you are afraid of bad low light with an f4, the f5.6 is so much more worse.

I have a canon 50mm 1.4. It used to be my favorite lens for video because of the great low light and nice depth. But after extensive usage, the AF does not work anymore. I have a couple other friend's who experienced the same thing with their 50mm. It's not a huge problem since I'm focusing manually with video anyway, but it reflects its' construction quality. The lens ring is not the best as someone also mentioned.

I don't have the sigma equivalents, but I have had 2 sigmas. Both had their own set of problems. My 15mm fisheye is VERY loud during AF. It literally sqeaks. Image is fine, but it's so loud. My 24-70mm 2.8 died. The focusing stopped working.

So far I have had no problems with my Canon L lenses. The construction is great. Good build quality, doesn't feel cheap.

And finally to address the stabilization. Don't look for lenses with IS. I honestly don't think it will help video as much as it helps photo. Get a shoulder mount. The 5d form factor is terrible to be used as a camcorder. The 5d is not light, and having all the weight on your wrist is no good. 5d on shoulder mount will give you great stability. Another nice option is using a mono-pod. "Stillmotion" which does a lot of weddings shoot with all mono pods or steadicams.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top