Best lens T2i for low lighting

F

FieldDog1

Member
Hi I am making a short horror movie with my T2i and need to get a lens that is great in very low light situations. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
Canon 50mm f1.2 or f1.4 or f1.8. There are also other brands of lenses you can fit to the camera with an adapter that'll do wider or longer at similarly low apertures.

Another idea would be to see if you can't beg/borrow/steal/buy a light or two.
 
Sigma 30mm 1.4 for Canon mount. No need for adapters or anything like that. It's a really fast lens with a great, versatile focal length. 50mm on a cropped sensor is far too telephoto for most practical uses. Trust me.

The Sigma 30mm is about $430 on B&H.
 
i would still recommend lights to avoid noise at high iso. I used 50 1.2 for this short in an alley with street lamps that gave me enough light to play at 1.8 so I wasn't dealing with a thin sheet of focus at 1.2.
 


Here's a low light ISO test I did for MARIANNE.
Password: Mareld

Sorry about the Swedish commentary, but it's good for watching how much light these lenses catch.

It's shot with a 7D with these lenses: EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, EF 50mm 1.2L II and EF f/1.2L II
ISO 400 and every step up to 1000.
I just shot the bridge, because that was the view and angle I wanted in the actual shot.
As it turns out, we'll shoot earlier at night so the test is kind of reduntant for me right now though.

But these are great lenses. Get them if it's in your budget.
 
If you have little money to spend, check out a local camera shop or a Calumet if you have one near by and rent your lenses.

Pick up after 3:00pm on Friday and return Monday morning and only pay a one day rate.

So you could get multiple fast primes for $10-$35 each.

Good luck and congrats on making your project!
 
jshbckr said:
Sigma 30mm 1.4 for Canon mount. No need for adapters or anything like that. It's a really fast lens with a great, versatile focal length. 50mm on a cropped sensor is far too telephoto for most practical uses. Trust me.

The Sigma 30mm is about $430 on B&H.
Click to expand...

A review praising that lens:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Sigma-30mm-f-1.4-EX-DC-HSM-Lens-Review.aspx

IF that's out of your price range, the 1.8/50mm from Canon is very nice - retails for about 120 bucks:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.8-II-Lens-Review.aspx

I have it and I love it - great bang for the buck.

john
 
jdv said:
A review praising that lens:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Sigma-30mm-f-1.4-EX-DC-HSM-Lens-Review.aspx

IF that's out of your price range, the 1.8/50mm from Canon is very nice - retails for about 120 bucks:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.8-II-Lens-Review.aspx

I have it and I love it - great bang for the buck.

john
Click to expand...
I agree that the 50mm is a great lens.

Be aware that it has a very shallow focus ring that makes it hard to use a traditional follow focus, but other than that it is the best bang for your buck.

You can find the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens on B&H for $100 and eBay for even less. I got one there for $65. You can also try Fred Miranda.
 
jshbckr said:
Sigma 30mm 1.4 for Canon mount. No need for adapters or anything like that. It's a really fast lens with a great, versatile focal length. 50mm on a cropped sensor is far too telephoto for most practical uses. Trust me.

The Sigma 30mm is about $430 on B&H.
Click to expand...

True. To my disappointment after purchasing the 50mm 1.8 a year ago, while it's really cool for some nice artistic things, and maybe interviews, it's just not a lens that's always on. Just as jshbckr said, it's too telephoto.
 
Which is great if you are shooting a narrative project. Back in the 35mm adapter days, I've shot entire projects with just that 50mm.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top