5D lenses..? The Ultimate kit...

I haven't been paying too much attention to the scarlet, but from what I've heard, they will offer both Canon and Nikon lens mount capabilities that will provide full electronic control.
 
I think my kit will be:

70-200 2.8L IS II
24-70 2.8L IS II (unreleased but coming soon)
100 2.8L macro

Both of these lenses break new IQ standards for Canon's "L" line. In the resolution chart, the new Canon 70-200 2.8L IS II is comparable to Zeiss to my eyes. It's a significant improvement over the old 70-200 2.8L IS I. I know primes are the conventional wisdom, but I'm not so sure that's true anymore. Yaitanes also mentioned that they used 70-200 and the 24-70 in House. Saves alot of time when changing focal lengths and the glass in these zoom is just superior.

Also, everytime you dismount the lens, you introduce the possibility of getting dust on your sensor. In stills this is not a problem. It's easily taken care of in post, but I think video is another story. I'm not proficient with editing software, but I don't think it can be easily remedied. I think with the new photoshop software, you may be able to clone out a dust fleck and apply it to succesive frames, but not absolutely sure on that. So, if you're not sacrificing IQ, I think it's better to keep a lens mounted that can change focal lengths without dismounting it. If I were shooting a feature, I would be paranoid as hell about taking the lens off and the possibility of dust getting into the mirror box.

Someone mentioned Hurlbut is using Nikon. I believe if that was the case, he is now using Canon glass since he's found a good follow focus system (Bartech, I think) that works well with it.
 
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f64manray said:
I think my kit will be:
Also, everytime you dismount the lens, you introduce the possibility of getting dust on your sensor. In stills this is not a problem. It's easily taken care of in post, but I think video is another story. I'm not proficient with editing software, but I don't think it can be easily remedied. I think with the new photoshop software, you may be able to clone out a dust fleck and apply it to succesive frames, but not absolutely sure on that. So, if you're not sacrificing IQ, I think it's better to keep a lens mounted that can change focal lengths without dismounting it. If I were shooting a feature, I would be paranoid as hell about taking the lens off and the possibility of dust getting into the mirror box.
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This really isn't as big of an issue as you make it out to be, unless you're shooting in some sort of crazy sandstorm. After all, video and film people have been using removable lens systems for a long time now. It's not like this is suddenly an issue with DLSRs.

Zooms are probably still better for more run and gun shooting when you don't have as much time to worry about switching lenses.
 
handsome pete said:
This really isn't as big of an issue as you make it out to be, unless you're shooting in some sort of crazy sandstorm. After all, video and film people have been using removable lens systems for a long time now. It's not like this is suddenly an issue with DLSRs.

Zooms are probably still better for more run and gun shooting when you don't have as much time to worry about switching lenses.
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It's not as much of a problem with film but it's still an issue that I imagine any focus puller could elucidate on. They just clean the gate, plus any dust that gets on the that frame of film will just move along. A film camera gets a new sensor 24 times a second. The 5DII uses the same frame of film for every second you film. I've picked up dust flecks even changing lenses even in clean indoor enviroments. I definitely don't want to do it outdoors. If there is a way to easily take care of this possibility in post, then fine. Don't worry about it. Just saying if you have one superb lens that covers many focal lengths without a compromise in IQ, it's an issue to consider.

At the very least, you might want to shoot some black or other footage and really scrutinize the image with your view finder after changing the lens if you're doing important stuff. Dust on sensors is a common problem that plagues DSLR users. The 5DII has an automatic sensor cleaning system but still there can be problems. You might want to turn off the camera and then back on again after changing a lens so it at least goes through the cleaning process twice before resuming video just as a precaution.
 
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Yeah dust is an issue but my most used lenses are my 24mm and a 105mm. Using 2 L zooms I'd have to change lenses almost as often. So far I haven't found a 24-105mm zoom that doesn't breathe too much. I'd love to just have to carry around 2 lenses but it's not worth it if I can't pull focus. The other issue is that I like my kit to be future proof. The only thing I have to upgrade is the DSLR. If Nikon brings out a DSLR better than the 5D I'm ready to shoot with it.

Weatherproofing and faster run and gun framing are the only advantages of L glass. I'm shooting my feature with the ai nikkors and I'm looking into sensor cleaning options. I've only blown 1 shot due to dust on the sensor after shooting 6 shorts and 9 commercial vids.
 
L glass is also a huge investment for low/no budget filmmakers. When I bought the D90 there wasn't much left for lenses so the ai nikkors were a good option. There's loads of other equipment like rigs/stabilizers, viewfinders, lighting, sound gear, filters etc where startup money is better invested. If you can afford L glass great but your films will look as good if not better with 30 year old eBay $100 bargains.

End rant.
 
squig said:
If you're mostly shooting films then it's better to stick with primes. Most zooms breathe too much and have short focus throws. Shane Hurlbut has a rundown on lenses on his blog. He uses Nikon ai glass as do I.

F/1.4 can be a lifesaver in dimly lit conditions but you can get by with just one 50mm f/1.4. The old M42 mount pentax takumar gives the new zeiss glass a run for it's money but will only cost you about $100. With a budget of $1000 I recommend the following-

$150 50mm f/1.4 nikon ai
$200 24mm f/2.8 nikon ai
$200 35mm f/2 nikon ai
$250 105mm f/2.5 nikon ai

these are roughly current market value. Remember to budget for a decent ND filter or fader ND and a good quality polarizer. An eBay store virtual village has good cheap nikon to eos adapters. Get 1 for each lens.

Nikon ai lenses have a longer focus throw than the ais lenses, optically they are mostly the same.
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Are these lenses compatible with the T2i also? I'm still trying to decide between the T2i and the the 5D.

Also, do you know how these would compare to the following lenses I've been looking at?

Sigma 20mm F1.8
Sigma 24mm F1.8
Sigma 28mm F1.8
Sigma 30mm F1.4
Canon 50mm F1.8
 
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