AF100, Recommend a lens for narrative, interior scenes

Robert Eldon

Robert Eldon

Well-known member
I've been researching the lens options for the AF100 and am overwhelmed. Out of the following lenses, which would you recommend for doing narrative film making, interior scenes?

Panasonic 7-14mm f/4.0 MFT

Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 MFT

Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8

Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 Pancake

Or are there others that work well for interior shooting?
 
Depends on the interior of course, but I think you'll find the 25 and 20mm are too long. The 7-14 is great for small spaces but you'll need good control of the lighting. I've not used the Tokina but many people here really rate it - that one's probably your best bet, as it will go wide enough and give you a bit of control over DoF. Another option is the SLR Magic Noktor 12mm f/1.6 which is due to be released any time now.
 
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You are telling the story as a cameraman... so choose a lens for your "narrative scene" that works for the story you want to tell.

Maybe there is an "Interior Narrative Scene Lens Rule Book" ...but I have never seen it.

There are no rules .
 
On Down and Dangerous, the Tokina 11-16 was my go to for anything wider than a MS during interiors. Went to a 24mm or 35mm for MSs, and to a 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm for CUs.
 
My suggestion... If you don't already have the stock 14-140 lens, get something like a 17-50mm zoom for the time being. Once you learn more about narrative film making you will gain the experience to be able to choose the right lens for each shot to help tell your story. Maybe invest in some books on the subject to help you along the way.

All the best!

Dave
 
There is no one answer. It all depends on what you want it to look like and how big/small the interiors are.

A lens like the Rokinon 8mm FishEye can be great for cathedrals etc, almost 170 degree full frame view with the AF100 with less distorsion than many other fish eye lenses, but the curved lines may not work for your style.

I often use my 17-40 Canon L lens for interiors, if I want really distortion free shots. I also often use a slider, jib or Stedicam to move around indoors, this makes for dynamic views of interiors, they don't all have to be wide establishing shots. Keeping the camera level in both axis keeps vertical lines straight with wide angle lenses.

For talent in interior shots I like the 24-70 Canon F2.8 L it covers medium to short tele perfectly.

For detail shots I like the Voightlander 25mm f .95, very sharp at f2 up and very SDOF if you keep it open. And the natural light at night is very easy with this lens.

Another tip is to shoot interiors just before sunrise or just after sunset, then it is easy to match interior existing lighting (possible with some help) to the outdoor light. You can get perfectly exposed views out windows and natural looking interiors.

One more tip a lantern light, to compliment natural and existing light, held by an assistant is very good for quick setups of multiple interiors and for lighting talent that is walking around and roaming camera shots.
 
I have done a couple of narratives on location where it got pretty tight. You'll want something like the 7-14 or 11-16 Tokina. I use an Oly 11-22 and it's plenty wide before distorting. After that the 25mm Voigtlander for two shots and MS, and then Nikons 35, 50 and 85mm punching in from there.
 
Well, when you say "narrative" my question is -- what kind of shots? Wide-angle shots? Low-light shots? Normal over-the-shoulder head shots?

I've got most of the lenses on your list, the 20mm/1.7, the 7-14, and the Voigtlander 25mm/0.95 instead of the Leica 25/1.4. And I can tell you that for wide wide angles, nothing touches the 7-14, it's phenomenal, but it's slow and you're not going to get anything remotely resembling a shallow DOF look out of it, so if "narrative" means "shallow DOF" to you, then that's not the one you want. The 20mm is a decent low light performer and can get quite shallow, but it's not very wide. The Voigtlander can get noticeably shallower, but it's tighter still. And even then, neither of them are really suitable for over-the-shoulder portraiture-type shots, they're both a little too wide. For cinematic OTS shots, I think a 30mm or 35mm is a more suitable focal length. But that requires that you have enough room.

I think David's suggestion of a 17-50 is the ideal suggestion. It's not very wide, but it's wider than anything you mentioned on your list except for the 7-14. And it's plenty long enough to give pleasing looks and shallow DOF throughout any reasonable interior scene.
 
Thank you all for the great information. I probably should have defined my application better. I'm looking for a lens or set of lenses that can provide wide shots for inside a small cottage with small rooms and also be used for OTS shots without distortion. I also plan to use lighting but can't set up a lot of lighting, so I was thinking of a fast lens. Shallow Depth of field is not as important to me for these scenes as something that can go wide without distortion, but SDOF would be nice in some instances.
 
TomLenham said:
Depends on the interior of course, but I think you'll find the 25 and 20mm are too long. The 7-14 is great for small spaces but you'll need good control of the lighting. I've not used the Tokina but many people here really rate it - that one's probably your best bet, as it will go wide enough and give you a bit of control over DoF. Another option is the SLR Magic Noktor 12mm f/1.6 which is due to be released any time now.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tom, I'm assuming you refer to 'good control of the lighting' because of the speed of the 25mm f/4.0? I am planning on lighting but will be limited due to the size of the small rooms.
 
Zak Forsman said:
On Down and Dangerous, the Tokina 11-16 was my go to for anything wider than a MS during interiors. Went to a 24mm or 35mm for MSs, and to a 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm for CUs.
Click to expand...

Thanks Zak, this is the kind of info I am looking for. I was privy to watch you shoot a couple of scenes for 'Down and Dangerous' when you were streaming. What lens were you using for those shoots if you remember?
 
David W. Jones said:
My suggestion... If you don't already have the stock 14-140 lens, get something like a 17-50mm zoom for the time being. Once you learn more about narrative film making you will gain the experience to be able to choose the right lens for each shot to help tell your story. Maybe invest in some books on the subject to help you along the way.

All the best!

Dave
Click to expand...

Thanks Dave, I already have a pretty good handle on narrative film making, but that has been with film cameras, the DVX100B and HVX. With the AF100, it's the MFT and variety of lenses and aperture ratings that have me overwhelmed. :)
 
My go-to set of lenses for interiors is:

14mm Lumix f/2.5
20mm Lumix f/1.7
25mm Voigtlander f/0.95
45mm Lumix Leica f/2.8 Macro

In small spaces I've found the 14mm lens a great help. It isn't optically in the same league as the 20mm or 25mm, but at least it is fast and it has got me out of a tight place (pardon the pun) on more than one occasion.

The Voigtlander is gorgeous optically and sees in the dark but it is more comfortable in bigger shooting spaces in my experience.

If I had to choose one lens, I'd probably go for a 17-50 as others have suggested but I'd be wary that 17mm might not get me quite as wide as I need to go. I've not felt the need for anything wider than the 14mm myself so far. I would add something longer than the 45mm for CU and tighter, I'm using the Lumix 45-200 f/4.0-5.6 and turning the gain up to save relighting but that's not a solution I'd particularly recommend. (It was cheap, though!)

Cheers, Hywel
 
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olof said:
There is no one answer. It all depends on what you want it to look like and how big/small the interiors are.

A lens like the Rokinon 8mm FishEye can be great for cathedrals etc, almost 170 degree full frame view with the AF100 with less distorsion than many other fish eye lenses, but the curved lines may not work for your style.

I often use my 17-40 Canon L lens for interiors, if I want really distortion free shots. I also often use a slider, jib or Stedicam to move around indoors, this makes for dynamic views of interiors, they don't all have to be wide establishing shots. Keeping the camera level in both axis keeps vertical lines straight with wide angle lenses.

For talent in interior shots I like the 24-70 Canon F2.8 L it covers medium to short tele perfectly.

For detail shots I like the Voightlander 25mm f .95, very sharp at f2 up and very SDOF if you keep it open. And the natural light at night is very easy with this lens.

Another tip is to shoot interiors just before sunrise or just after sunset, then it is easy to match interior existing lighting (possible with some help) to the outdoor light. You can get perfectly exposed views out windows and natural looking interiors.

One more tip a lantern light, to compliment natural and existing light, held by an assistant is very good for quick setups of multiple interiors and for lighting talent that is walking around and roaming camera shots.
Click to expand...

Excellent information. Thanks for the breakdown of lenses and possible applications. This is what I am looking for.

I hadn't really thought about the sunrise/sunset scenarios. Excellent idea. I will be using ND on the windows during the day by the way.

What exactly do you mean by using a 'lantern light'?

Thanks :thumbsup:
 
hscully said:
I have done a couple of narratives on location where it got pretty tight. You'll want something like the 7-14 or 11-16 Tokina. I use an Oly 11-22 and it's plenty wide before distorting. After that the 25mm Voigtlander for two shots and MS, and then Nikons 35, 50 and 85mm punching in from there.
Click to expand...

I should have specified, but yeah, that is the reason for my post, working in pretty tight locations (small cottage rooms) and using something wide without distortion to get some MS and OTS.

I've noticed the 25mm Voigtlander mentioned a few times. What adapter could be used with that?
 
Barry_Green said:
Well, when you say "narrative" my question is -- what kind of shots? Wide-angle shots? Low-light shots? Normal over-the-shoulder head shots?

I've got most of the lenses on your list, the 20mm/1.7, the 7-14, and the Voigtlander 25mm/0.95 instead of the Leica 25/1.4. And I can tell you that for wide wide angles, nothing touches the 7-14, it's phenomenal, but it's slow and you're not going to get anything remotely resembling a shallow DOF look out of it, so if "narrative" means "shallow DOF" to you, then that's not the one you want. The 20mm is a decent low light performer and can get quite shallow, but it's not very wide. The Voigtlander can get noticeably shallower, but it's tighter still. And even then, neither of them are really suitable for over-the-shoulder portraiture-type shots, they're both a little too wide. For cinematic OTS shots, I think a 30mm or 35mm is a more suitable focal length. But that requires that you have enough room.

I think David's suggestion of a 17-50 is the ideal suggestion. It's not very wide, but it's wider than anything you mentioned on your list except for the 7-14. And it's plenty long enough to give pleasing looks and shallow DOF throughout any reasonable interior scene.
Click to expand...

Barry, when I mentioned 'narrative' I meant making a movie (cinematic) as opposed to some documentary or ENG type work. And all of the above for shot's. It sounds like the 7-14 could work with enough lighting, which is a challenge as I have small spaces.

I'll check on the 17-50 but am concerned about the speed of the lens.

Thank you for the informed reply. :thumbsup:
 
You don't need any adaptor for the 25mm Voigtlander, it is native micro 4/3. (Ditto the Lumix lenses I mentioned above).

Cheers, Hywel.
 
Hywel said:
My go-to set of lenses for interiors is:

14mm Lumix f/2.5
20mm Lumix f/1.7
25mm Voigtlander f/0.95
45mm Lumix Leica f/2.8 Macro

In small spaces I've found the 14mm lens a great help. It isn't optically in the same league as the 20mm or 25mm, but at least it is fast and it has got me out of a tight place (pardon the pun) on more than one occasion.

The Voigtlander is gorgeous optically and sees in the dark but it is more comfortable in bigger shooting spaces in my experience.

If I had to choose one lens, I'd probably go for a 17-50 as others have suggested but I'd be wary that 17mm might not get me quite as wide as I need to go. I've not felt the need for anything wider than the 14mm myself so far. I would add something longer than the 45mm for CU and tighter, I'm using the Lumix 45-200 f/4.0-5.6 and turning the gain up to save relighting but that's not a solution I'd particularly recommend. (It was cheap, though!)

Cheers, Hywel
Click to expand...

Thanks, this is the kind of information I was looking for. The 17-50 seems to be a popular choice for this application but I can't find information on it? Is the 17-50 a panasonic lens? After searching, I see there is a Tamron and Sigma lens? Is there a MFT version of the 17-50mm?
 
There is no native 17-50 mm fast zoom (it is something we've been suggesting to Panasonic since the camera's release).

I believe people are using Nikon mount lenses with an adaptor (Canon mount lenses are a pain because there's no physical control over the aperture).

So when people talk about a 17-50 mm I think they are referring to lenses like the Nikon 17-55 mm f/2.8 G DX or Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 or Sigma 17-50 mm f/2.8 lenses, all used with a Nikon mount adaptor.

Cheers, Hywel.
 
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