Best Lens for Stedicam Work

M

Mark Kokkoros

Active member
I have a shoot coming up that will require a Stedicam with an AF100. It will be fast-paced with minimal time for me to review takes for focus.

Currently using a Olyumpus 14-35mm 2.0 and I love it. So far it works like a champ in all situations, including for Stedicam. It does not, however have AF which I think would be beneficial in his case.

Most shots will follow an individual, or group of individuals, through a crowd at distances varying from 3 - 6 feet.

Does anybody have experience with an AF lens in a similar situation.

Advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Mark
 
Autofocus on the af100 is not going to give you satisfactory results with any lens on the current market. I'd say set you aperture at 5.6 and try to keep your actor at a constant distance.
 
I used the Glidecam 4000 ( just the stabilizer, no arm, no vest) with the Oly 14-54. Worked out nice, BUT can't do too long of oa shot (3-4 minutes max) , can be really steady on the wide end, the longer lens get a little tough. Would set focus bfore the shot, and fly it...
 
I recently did a shoot with a Glidecam 4000 HD with the AF100 and a Canon 24-70. Wide end was great! I had the aperture around maybe 5.6-8 and it was fine.
 
bgundu said:
Autofocus on the af100 is not going to give you satisfactory results with any lens on the current market. I'd say set you aperture at 5.6 and try to keep your actor at a constant distance.
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Yes, this looks like the most realistic approach at the moment. Thanks to all.
 
I know the canon 14mm 2.8 ii has a hyperfocal distance of 3 feet. not sure how close those others are, but with an electronic canon adapter, you could set that lens at infinity and and not worry about it, no matter the aperture.
 
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I don't care for the auto focus look...it searches too much. Can you shoot wide, at a higher f-stop? You'll have that larger dof.

I have the oly 14-35 and dont like it that much. Very sharp, and fast, but i feel the color and contrast is too flat. I have a red 17-50 and tokina 28-80, both 2.8, that i think looks better. Of course thats just a matter of opinion and the look you like.
 
Really the only way to do pulling focus on these large sensor cameras on a steadicam is with a wireless follow focus. Unfortunatly those get expensive fast.....
 
JPM Photography said:
Really the only way to do pulling focus on these large sensor cameras on a steadicam is with a wireless follow focus. Unfortunatly those get expensive fast.....
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Agreed, So thats why he needs to go wide and stopped down enough to deal with focus issues. darn crop factor, errrr
 
IMHO 14mm is the limit before serious distortion and there are plenty of 14mm options out there, so.... crop factor is not such a big deal.
 
JPM Photography said:
Really the only way to do pulling focus on these large sensor cameras on a steadicam is with a wireless follow focus. Unfortunatly those get expensive fast.....
Click to expand...

I've not had chance to use my AF101 on my stabilizer rig yet, but when i'm using my shoulder mount i use the Lumix 20mm pancake & the Bebob Foxi remote focus controller, which admittedly has a very slight delay but does the job very well as long you learn to pre-empt the distance between you & your subject and adjust the focus about a second earlier than usual (not as great for 'run & gun' stuff). That will be my lens of choice when I finally start flying with a stabilizer.

I decided a while back that i'd rather test my skills & get better at using my remote focus controller instead of shelling out over £1000 for a wireless follow focus which i'd rarely use.
 
maranfilms said:
Agreed, So thats why he needs to go wide and stopped down enough to deal with focus issues. darn crop factor, errrr
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Yup. Thankfully 14mm at 5.6 focused to somewhere about 7-8 feet (a full body shot) will give you upwards of 20ft of acceptable DOF.

Horizons on wide steadicam shots can be iffy though, so just a warning.
 
groveChuck said:
Nice stuff- what settings and Steadicam?
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Hey thanks! I used pretty basic settings I dont remember off hand and I think detail levels were at -3 and chroma -2. My rig is an old glidecam v16 with a fairly modified sled (zacuto parts and such so the battery hanger and monitor are independent and slide back and forth for ballast adjustment)
 
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