F5: Best All Round Lens for Sony F5/55

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Surf_Shooter

New member
As i shoot surfing, meaning mostly during the day, (so I am NOT looking for a high speed lens) i am interested in the best all round lens for the Sony F5/55.
I know the Sony 40 FZ Mount 14X Power Zoom Lens looks perfect but I am worried about the fact that lens when zooming goes in & out that it will pick up salt spray when shooting in a boat in places like Teahupoo in Tahiti OR Shipsterns in Tasmania where the lens can get sprayed big time by the spit/spray from inside the tube/barrel.
I am on a budget and I am not fussed by considering prime lenses. I have a Fujinon XA17x7.6BERM 17x 2/3"
with doubler and believe a adapter could work BUT interested in any other options.

Regards Tim Bonython

www.surfingvisions.com
 

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It's going to be tough to find a "high speed" lens with great range. If you're shooting outdoors, does it need to be a fast lens? I'm also guessing you will be handheld, so that rules out beefy PL zooms. And lots of salt spray. Eek. Your best bet may seriously be a cheapo Canon 18-135 or 28-300 and an Optitek adapter. It's a pity to throw that glass in front of a great camera, but it's also risky to throw a great camera in the front of salt spray - but you already know that!

I was on a shoot a few years ago where we strapped the camera to the back of a boat. Red One, Optimo 24-290, and a Perfect Horizon stabilized head. It was a PITA. We weren't chasing waves and the salt spray was still unavoidable. I'd be hesitant to throw expensive glass at those conditions.

What type of system have you used in the past?
 
I think that Sony lens would be perfect for you.

No other lens is going to have that range for the price. You're working outdoors so the stop isn't going to kill you. Not sure why you need fast lens for outdoor work. But regardless, I still think this is your best choice.

A second option would be a pair of Red short zooms, the 18 or 17-50 + 50-150. But the 18-50 still has the problem of taking in air when zooming.

I'd get the Sony and work on a way to protect it from the spray. You're going to have to do that with any lens anyway.
 
Sorry guys. And thanks for coming back to me. No, I forgot to put (I am NOT looking for a fast lens) due to that I am shooting mostly during the day. And Taylor, I am shooting with a P2 HPX500 or here in Australia due to the PAL system its a HPX502 Plus the HPX 202.
 
AH yeah, no response your Q here Tim, just recognised the name and wanted to say welcome to the forum mate. Let me know if you need anything.
 
You may want to consider the FS700 with the SELP18200 stabilised lens. I just did a Tour de France TVC and we had to shoot heaps out the back of a Hyundai van.


The autofocus ( and face recognition) with the stabiliser worked really well for shooting a moving target from a moving camera platform. Plus you could shoot your surf action at 240 frames in-camera. Everything has a trade-off though and the image quality/codec won't be as good as an F5/F55.
 
Just out of curiosity , why not shoot with a traditional 2/3" camera? I forget the numbers, but both Panny and Sony make much better cameras than the HPX500. then you can have the virtues of higher depth of field and a lens with a servo zoom that's designed to be beat up. in fact you already have the lens. Unless you need 4K ( which your not getting with F5 anyway) I don't see the advantage of a large sensor.
Otherwise I would second the FS700 with the 18-200 idea though you'll need a better viewfinder like an Alphtron probably. You do need to keep the 18-200 stopped down to aprox 6.8 or so so that it doesn't ramp through the zoom.

lenny
 
If you need the zoom range you're used to with the Fuji 17x, then there is no 35mm equivalent. Better to get an HDx35 adapter and use the lens you already know. If you only need a somewhat telephoto zoom and wish to retain the servo control you are used to, I would suggest the Fuji Cabrio 85-300.
 
HDx35 adapter is one the most useful items I have ever purchased. It adds an entirely new work mode to 35mm sensor cameras. ENG and documentary style shooting. Those of us who have used the likes of 16mm film and more recently D600s, Varicams and F900s know that focal length flexibility is a must have. But, you got stay light and not break your back. An ENG/EFP lens keeps us moving, especially when getting close ups or cutaways.

We've used a few HD ENG/EFP lenses in front of our F3 via the HDx35 adapter. It is very important to use good lenses. You can even wire up the zoom servo if you wish.

This is the great thing you get with the whole erector set camera trade off. Yeah, you just don't pick these things up and go anymore. BUT you can build to suit. Our F3 has three work modes...cinema 35mm primes via PL, nikon photo zooms via Optitek adapter and EFP zooms via the HDx35.

8mm to 450mm (with extender) and at a weight of 7 pounds. HOW ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO DO IT?
 
That sounds like a good idea.... But raises something I'm curious about - Does the HDx35 work like a Metabones speed booster but in reverse - i.e do you get the DOF of the 16mm lens?
 
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