biting the bullet 60d

[Corine]

After reading on the forum I have decided to get the Canon 60d. I have seen kits packages but I don't thnk any of thoses lenses are that great??? 18-135mm, 55-250mm, 70-300mm and 18-200mm unless you guys think one of those lenes are worth getting?

SO to make a very long boring story short my best bet is to just buy the body and what two or three lenses would be good to get by? I'm shooting low light, interior and exteior scenes. I know I will more then likely get the 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 not sure which? so now the thought is what other two lenses would be good to have on location. Thanks in advance

 

[deltoidjohn]

A Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 is a great, versitile first lens. I'd go for the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 instead of the Canon 50mm f/1.4, though if price is the main factor then the 50mm f/1.8 is a good option, though a little tight for general use on APS-C. The third lens will depend mainly on your needs - I think a 70-200 f/2.8 is a great option and everyone should have one in their kit, though it might not be as useful for the type of work you are doing.

What type of videos are you shooting?

 

[Rayden]

60d is a great choice. I shoot mainly wedding videos, and I'm usually getting many different angles. The 60D provides me with the ability to shoot in many different environments, and still have the ability to enjoy LCDVF's and the ISO range I need. I quickly sold my kit lens and hit ebay for some old Nikkor manual lens. 50mm 1.4 non ai-s and 135mm 2.8 non-ais. Both purchased with money that I sold kit lens for. (under $200) These are great to start with. I still rent L glass, but depending on what you are shooting the old Nikkor glass works great.

 

[Clark]

The right lens really depends on the type of work you do most. If you're a wedding photographer/videographer, and you only have one camera body, then primes might work against you. Lens choice is also a bit personal to your style. While I would love to shoot 90% of everything on a 35mm fixed lens and the rest on an 85mm, the reality (at a live event where there are no do-overs) is that a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L will allow for more spontaneous moments. That way, I can shoot as much as I want at 35mm and instantly go very wide when something unexpected happens close toe me. In my mind, when it comes to event videography, there are two must have lenses to cover everything quickly and beautifully (in that order), the 16-35 and the EF 24-70 f/2.8L (ideally, each lens living on two separate bodies for maximum up-time). I also agree that the 70-200 is a beautiful lens to have in the kit though, as deltoidjohn said, not as often useful.

On a side note — and I may be shot for saying so — these new cameras have such wonderful low-light capabilities. Unless you want absolutely nothing to be in focus — admittedly a trending look with DSLR users — it simply isn't necessary to spend extra money on f/1.4 primes for everything you shoot. Again, for event videography especially, I much prefer the L-series zoom lenses usually shooting at around f/4 (so that SOMETHING will be in focus).

 

[Corine]

Thanks everyone - I'm doing a short vampire film so there will be lots of night shots, dark hallway shots et... I think the vampire run is coming to a end so I'm trying to jump on the bandwagon before it becomes the past. It is about a 30 minute film. My budget isn't very high and I want to put as much food in from of my crew/cast to keep everyone happy. I guess I should realy ask what would the best TWO lenses for me? My hvx200a is agreat camera but I want to shoot on something different giving me a new way of shooting a film.

 

[jnmx]

check out some old vintage lenes. you can get them in primes and you won't have to spend much more than 150$ a lens. Check out the super takumar 50mm 1.8, NOT the SMC version. you can also get an old wide angle, some fast 28mm's for under 100$. vivatar is a good brand, thats what I have. Make sure you get them in M42 mount and just get the 15$ M42 to eos adapter off of amazon. you screw the adapter on and just snap the lens into the camera like any old EOS lens.

 

[DavidBeier]

I LOVE my set of Nikkor primes but I wouldn't use them for videography. If you're trying to make money as a videographer, I'd go for a zoom or two that has a consistent aperture (2.8 is probably the best you'll find). Primes are wonderful but they really are for controlled shooting as you don't want to be switching lenses while you're trying to capture an event. It's even more of a challenge with vintage primes as you lose auto-focus.

 

[jnmx]

I LOVE my set of Nikkor primes but I wouldn't use them for videography. If you're trying to make money as a videographer, I'd go for a zoom or two that has a consistent aperture (2.8 is probably the best you'll find). Primes are wonderful but they really are for controlled shooting as you don't want to be switching lenses while you're trying to capture an event. It's even more of a challenge with vintage primes as you lose auto-focus.

What he says is true, trying to do live events with primes and manual focus lenses is pretty hard. But for a narrative film I prefer vintage primes over new primes as the manual focus is much easier to rack and follow focus with as the focus has a really long drag on it instead of the one or two inch drag you'll get from newer lenses. As far as actual work and getting paid goes? It just depends on what you like. this is a safety video I did with a 60d and three vintage prime lenses. Just a note, the bulk of the intro footage was shot using a HPX300, you can tell what footage that is by how different it looks form the 60d.

http://vimeo.com/31684776

The only one that cost over 150 bucks was the 85mm and that was 200. They deliver great quality for what they do.

 

[ROCKMORE]

Thanks everyone - I'm doing a short vampire film so there will be lots of night shots, dark hallway shots et... I think the vampire run is coming to a end so I'm trying to jump on the bandwagon before it becomes the past. It is about a 30 minute film. My budget isn't very high and I want to put as much food in from of my crew/cast to keep everyone happy. I guess I should realy ask what would the best TWO lenses for me? My hvx200a is agreat camera but I want to shoot on something different giving me a new way of shooting a film.

With a controlled film set environment as apposed to a run & gun setup you should opt for a good wide zoom and a few fast primes. The Tamron 17-50 2.8 non vc is a good low cost choice since there are few fast primes wider than 20 or 24mm. Then you can add a vintage Nikon 50mm 1.4.
The Canon 85mm 1.8 is also a sharp lens and a great value.

BTW don't forget a good shotgun mic and an audio mixer if you plan to shoot any kind of dialogue. A used Rode mic and used mixer will get you started

 

[prashk]

After reading on the forum I have decided to get the Canon 60d. I have seen kits packages but I don't thnk any of thoses lenses are that great??? 18-135mm, 55-250mm, 70-300mm and 18-200mm unless you guys think one of those lenes are worth getting? SO to make a very long boring story short my best bet is to just buy the body and what two or three lenses would be good to get by? I'm shooting low light, interior and exteior scenes. I know I will more then likely get the 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 not sure which? so now the thought is what other two lenses would be good to have on location. Thanks in advance

Thanks everyone - I'm doing a short vampire film so there will be lots of night shots, dark hallway shots et... I think the vampire run is coming to a end so I'm trying to jump on the bandwagon before it becomes the past. It is about a 30 minute film. My budget isn't very high and I want to put as much food in from of my crew/cast to keep everyone happy. I guess I should realy ask what would the best TWO lenses for me? My hvx200a is agreat camera but I want to shoot on something different giving me a new way of shooting a film.

check out some old vintage lenes. you can get them in primes and you won't have to spend much more than 150$ a lens. Check out the super takumar 50mm 1.8, NOT the SMC version. you can also get an old wide angle, some fast 28mm's for under 100$. vivatar is a good brand, thats what I have. Make sure you get them in M42 mount and just get the 15$ M42 to eos adapter off of amazon. you screw the adapter on and just snap the lens into the camera like any old EOS lens.

1. As few others have said - Tamron 17-50 f2.8 non VC would be a great choice. Constant aperture so that you can use some zoom while filming (use wisely though), f2.8 for some decent light and 17-50 range which covers a good deal from semi-wide angle to close up. I think you can get a used one for cheap.
2. Maybe couple of manual lenses (get the ones which are M42 mounts - also called screw mounts): Vivitar 28mm f1.9 or f2.0 or even f2.5 if you can get it really cheap (I just recommended the same lens minutes ago!). If you really want to try a 50mm lens (which isn't very suitable for indoor on a crop body, too less coverage), get a SMC / Super Takumar f1.4 50mm - great cheap lens. PS: I hope you do know that at f1.4 things become hazy because of extremely shallow dof, so use with caution.