EVA1: EVA1 and the Canon EF-S 17-55/2,8 IS

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Erik Wittbusch

Well-known member
Hi,

I purchased the EVA1 yesterday and while I already have batteries (2x IDX SL-VBD96) and storage (2x Sandisk SDXC Extreme Pro 128GB, 300 MB/s), I'm still evaluating lens choice.

I have used the Canon EF-s 17-55/2,8 IS for several years for my documentaries as my goto lens and like it more on a S35 sensor than any other lens.
Has anybody tested if this guy does work on the EVA1?
Unfortunately, it's not on the list of supported lenses yet.

Same for my first gen. all black Canon 80-200/2,8L.

I'm also thinking of the Sigma Art Zooms 18-35/1,8 and the 50-150/1,8, which will give an extra stop and better focus control.
But you'll lose the image stabilization which is a great addition when you do lots of handheld stuff.

THX!
 
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Erik, yes, I asked the same question in another thread. It (the 17-55) does work. One Push AF and AE. It's a great lens on this camera... I can't tell you about the other lenses though...
 
Erik:

The 17-55 2.8 IS has been my go to on all my Canon Cinema cameras over the past two years. Just beware of it's limitations. If you've been shooting with one for a while, you know these but others reading this may not.

1. Prone to dust ingestion from poor rubber gasket sealing when zooming
2. Zoom is unusable for manual zooms, it stacks, a lot
3. Major vigentting in the corners bugs a lot of people
4. Build quality is meh
5. I just used mine on my 80D for a stills photo shoot out in the desert. In one of the stills, the amount of chromatic aberration/purple fringing on a back lit rock face was breathtakingly bad. I usually don't worry about CA too much but man, this still was almost unusable. I've not encountered any visible CA in indoor and lit situations but if you shoot outdoors a lot, something to look out for.
6. IS is gen 1 and pretty mediocre compared to the newer IS lenses.

For me, I would GLADLY pay $2,500.00 for an L quality version of the 17-55 2.8 IS comparable in build and performance to my favorite lens, the 70-200 2.8 IS II. The 17-55 2.8 is barely adequate IMHO. Not a terrible lens but really not that great either. We all use it because it is the only mid-range zoom to go to 17mm that is 2.8 with IS. the 24-70 and 24-105 are not wide enough for most of us so the 17-55 2.8 IS is chose by default. CNE 18-80 T4.4 is vastly superior in every aspect except speed and that it costs significantly more.
 
Thanks for the information.

I know the limitation of this lens.
Bu tI have to say I never Realized CA in HD productions. And I shot hindreds of hours with it.
It also has no dust spots inside. But I have seen it on other lenses.

I'm in the same boat.
Give me the 17-55 in L quality and I'll pay gladly more for it.
But I'm hoping sice quite some years no.

Unfortunately, Fuji did such a lens in E-Mount only. :(
 
Erik Wittbusch said:
Unfortunately, Fuji did such a lens in E-Mount only. :(
Click to expand...

Exactly. A huge disappointment that the first viable, affordable lens in this category can't be adapted to this lens mount.

As a half century film guy, I want a good manual lens with an EF mount - but given all the expressed concerns, and contemporary preferences, for AF, AE and OIS, it's not likely to happen..
 
Sad story, but that it is.

I would rather have an alternative mount with a shorter flange distance on the EVA1 sotht ou can choose your mount yourself.
That was the thing that hold me back from actualy buying it.

I have nice set of cinemodded Canon FD lenses. I love the look of those guys but they won't fit anymore.
There I loved the E-Mount on my FS7.
 
I have the Duclos modified FD lenses too (from when I had an AF100). Luckily I also have a nice set of modified Leica R lenses which can be adapted to EF.
 
There's still hope for an alternative mount.
I'll have OPtitek involved, but this might be to early to get enough owners of a EVA1 involved in a group buy yet.

Plus you can modify the FD-lenses wih a permanent EF-mount.
I'd do so, but want to test them in a 4k productions first before I do such a costly thing with old lenses.
 
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