Islandographer
Member
Hello all, firstly thanks to anyone that takes the time to read through this post!
Finally, after 5 years of studying media production in the UK, I am about to start my own venture into the world of video production. I've spent weeks, if not months, trying to figure out what camera would best suit me. At University we worked with Sony EX1s and I found them a joy to work with. On the other hand I couldn't help but think how less "cinematic" they looked compared to what others were doing with their DSLR cameras. After looking into the possibility of buying a DSLR myself I decided against it - I find the FS100 a great happy-medium between the choice of DSLR and standard ENG type cameras. Amazing visuals but with more conventional features I'm used to.
One issue is really bugging me though, despite reading dozens of threads on here about the subject: lenses. It occurred to me that I'm just not as clued up about them as I'd like, and despite all the reading I've done I'm having a hard time deciding on what I should get.
I've opted for the FS100 model which doesn't come with the stock lens - after factoring in the cost of the camera, a decent bag and some budget steadycam, tripod & slider equipment I'm left with roughly £400 on lenses. This probably seems ridiculously low but it's all I have in the mean time - I obviously intend to add to my collection further down the line. If it is indeed too low then I may consider leaving out the steadycam equipment which would take my budget to £600 - but ideally I'd rather keep it.
Just to give a quick outline of the type of work I aim to be doing - I'll be working on a Greek island full of amazing scenery - and I'll mainly be looking to produce advertisements and small scale events in between my own personal projects. As someone who's worked with ENG cameras throughout the last 5 years I just don't know where to start in terms of lenses.
My thinking is to get 1 cheap e-mount lens: I'm considering the Sigma 19mm or 30mm lenses which go for around £100, or the Sony SELP 1650 which can be bought for around £150 on ebay. My thinking is that as I'll be using cheaper adapters for other lenses it'd be best to have at least 1 basic e-mount lens to fall back on - hopefully I'll be able to get a metabones adapter somewhere down the line.
So I'm left with around £250-300 or £450-500 on other lenses (if I drop the steadycam system). I looked into the best budget options and from what I gather Canon FD lenses can be found at relatively cheap prices yet are more than capable. I'd like to have at least another 2 lenses as well as the e-mount lens, so the low prices seem ideal. My first criteria would be one with a decent zoom in order for getting good shots when I'm up in the mountains. Otherwise I'm open to pretty much anything that suits my budget.
I feel a little guilty coming on here asking all these questions, but from what I've read the community on here seems very friendly. This is a massive investment for me and I've stayed up for nights on end reading through countless reviews to the point where I just don't even know where to begin. So again, thanks for reading through all this and I appreciate any comments at all!
Finally, after 5 years of studying media production in the UK, I am about to start my own venture into the world of video production. I've spent weeks, if not months, trying to figure out what camera would best suit me. At University we worked with Sony EX1s and I found them a joy to work with. On the other hand I couldn't help but think how less "cinematic" they looked compared to what others were doing with their DSLR cameras. After looking into the possibility of buying a DSLR myself I decided against it - I find the FS100 a great happy-medium between the choice of DSLR and standard ENG type cameras. Amazing visuals but with more conventional features I'm used to.
One issue is really bugging me though, despite reading dozens of threads on here about the subject: lenses. It occurred to me that I'm just not as clued up about them as I'd like, and despite all the reading I've done I'm having a hard time deciding on what I should get.
I've opted for the FS100 model which doesn't come with the stock lens - after factoring in the cost of the camera, a decent bag and some budget steadycam, tripod & slider equipment I'm left with roughly £400 on lenses. This probably seems ridiculously low but it's all I have in the mean time - I obviously intend to add to my collection further down the line. If it is indeed too low then I may consider leaving out the steadycam equipment which would take my budget to £600 - but ideally I'd rather keep it.
Just to give a quick outline of the type of work I aim to be doing - I'll be working on a Greek island full of amazing scenery - and I'll mainly be looking to produce advertisements and small scale events in between my own personal projects. As someone who's worked with ENG cameras throughout the last 5 years I just don't know where to start in terms of lenses.
My thinking is to get 1 cheap e-mount lens: I'm considering the Sigma 19mm or 30mm lenses which go for around £100, or the Sony SELP 1650 which can be bought for around £150 on ebay. My thinking is that as I'll be using cheaper adapters for other lenses it'd be best to have at least 1 basic e-mount lens to fall back on - hopefully I'll be able to get a metabones adapter somewhere down the line.
So I'm left with around £250-300 or £450-500 on other lenses (if I drop the steadycam system). I looked into the best budget options and from what I gather Canon FD lenses can be found at relatively cheap prices yet are more than capable. I'd like to have at least another 2 lenses as well as the e-mount lens, so the low prices seem ideal. My first criteria would be one with a decent zoom in order for getting good shots when I'm up in the mountains. Otherwise I'm open to pretty much anything that suits my budget.
I feel a little guilty coming on here asking all these questions, but from what I've read the community on here seems very friendly. This is a massive investment for me and I've stayed up for nights on end reading through countless reviews to the point where I just don't even know where to begin. So again, thanks for reading through all this and I appreciate any comments at all!
The best bang for your buck in the zoom category is the 35-105 f3.5. It should be less than $100 and has a macro function as well. The real gems are the primes however. The 50 1.4 is a great bargain for around $85, and the 50mm 1.8 is ridiculously cheap and still looks great. It feels like a toy, but for $25 what do you expect? If you want to put together a super cheap set I'd be willing to offload some of my doubles for less than market value. I've also got some zooms that you may be interested in. Send me a PM if you are interested. Good luck dude.
