Good Lens or Good Light? What’s more important?

R

Real_Rudi

Member
Hi guys,
I’ve been thinking what’s more important for YouTube Video good (uber-expensive) lens or good light and other gear (stabilizer, field monitor and etc)? Sure, having fast photo-lenses is always better, but can you tell a difference if you just shot video and post it on YouTube? Comparison between BlackMagic and Mark III with good lenses exposed virtually no difference when uploaded.
I was thinking if it is not lenses and sensor size, what is it?..Light, camera, movements some slick dolly moves!

So, I have made a test. I dumped all my savings not into expensive glass but into gear which makes DSLR more like actual cine-camera.

I shoot video using crappy lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS and Canon 50mm II f1.8.

And I used the following gear: Omni-Light 500 Watt Focus, Lowel ID-Light 100W Focus Flood Light, NEEWER® 160 LED CN-160 Dimmable Light, Lilliput 5dii-ho 1080p 7" TFT LED Field Monitor, Polaroid Video Chest Stabilizer, PROAIM KIT-10 Shoulder Mount Rig with Follow focus, Flashpoint LCD Foldaway Viewfinder 3X magnification, Cobra-Crane dolly, Canon 60D

What do you think? Can you tell I used crappy lens?


Slick or Cheesy?
 
Good lighting will translate on a crappy lens, bad lighting may even be forgiven a touch. A good lens will reveal every detail of good or bad lighting. And crappy lenses are not necessarily crappy. A lens that imparts character could be considered technically a bad lens but that character may be desirable. A good lens will often be fitted with filters to give it a character that another lens may already possess. No lens is going to cost you as much quality as a youtube encode. Nothing I saw in your video drew my attention to your lenses.
 
Egg Born Son said:
No lens is going to cost you as much quality as a youtube encode. Nothing I saw in your video drew my attention to your lenses.
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So, basically you're saying the quality of lens only matters if shooting for a big screen. Correct?
BTW, any ideas how much difference f1.4 lens will make as compare to f1.8 on a big screen?

Thanks
 
Real_Rudi said:
... if it is not lenses and sensor size, what is it?
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On of the most difficult things to understand about film/video is the importance of good lighting. If it's not lit well, it pretty much won't matter what lens you are using. A lens, no matter how amazing, can't make up for poor lighting.
 
Real_Rudi said:

What do you think? Can you tell I used crappy lens?
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Well, yes I can, but the average viewer wouldn't notice at all. I think you made the right choice putting you money into accessories that allow the camera to move rather than spending on expensive glass that the audience wouldn't necessarily notice.

Real_Rudi said:
Slick or Cheesy?
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Cheesy. Very cheesy. I guess you know that.

Two things would have improved this video enormously. A better edit and a better grade. Neither of which would have cost you any more money...
 
Real_Rudi said:
So, basically you're saying the quality of lens only matters if shooting for a big screen. Correct?
BTW, any ideas how much difference f1.4 lens will make as compare to f1.8 on a big screen?
Click to expand...

No, the quality of the lens matters. But so does the quality of everything else. I'm saying that if your target is youtube there is a limit to the quality that can be achieved. If you can't afford the best of everything you've got to make compromises. Focus on making a good image with the gear you've got. And when you are in a position to upgrade you'll appreciate the difference.

Most lenses will not perform well fully open. Only the best lenses are going to produce a great image at f1.4 or f1.8. Most lenses perform best between f4 and f11 and are soft and subject to other distortions such as chromatic abberation outside of this range. A reasonably good lens might produce a sharp image at f2 or f2.8 but only with the best lenses will you get your money's worth at f1.4. Primes are better than zooms but less convenient. That said the extra effort spent framing your shots with a prime can be a strong motivator to think more about planning camera placement, lens selection and depth of focus. There are more factors than throwing the lens wide open to get bokeh. Also having motivated reasons for these choices will elevate your work.
 
Liam Hall said:
Cheesy. Very cheesy. I guess you know that. Two things would have improved this video enormously. A better edit and a better grade. Neither of which would have cost you any more money...
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Thanks for being honest. I did suspect it was cheesy, but I had a slight hope.
What about picture quality and lighting? Are they cheesy too? Or I just suck in editing and color grading.
If you don't mind, what better edit would be for a music video?
 
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I thought you're framing was good, nice camera movements but I felt the grading was a tad bit too much. I agree with focusing on creating with what you currently own but also focus on telling a story even if there isn't any dialogue because that's what is going to hook people.
 
For the footage you took I wouldn't worry too much about cheese. It is experimenting. The more time you spend pushing at the fringes and extremes, dabbling in bad taste, the better feel you will get for your equipment and processes. If the video was an interview it would have been simply awful. Inappropriate use of technique. Even a fashion shoot at some point has to back off the tricks and show you the subject. 'Cool' shots should be used in moderation on a serious project but all over the place while experimenting.

I'm a drummer. When I practice alone I overplay to the max. I'll have my snare buzzing away filling in for vocals, kick going crazy, odd time patterns floating through my hihat and my cowbell ('more cowbell') gets a serious working over. When I play in a band I just play time. Boom-tish, boom-boom-tish. It lets the others settle and not get lost. But once or twice a song when I'm given the opportunity to drop a crazy fill in an appropriate place, all that practice let's me make the most of it. I can change the grid momentarily to triplets, drop beats, bring in the toms, and because I've already established a solid groove the others are still with me on the one when the fill is over.

Think like this with your editing and tricks. Establish a groove for your audience and dazzle them but don't let you best tricks get old, leave them wanting more. Significant transitions (where there is a change in theme as well as shot) is a good place for a 'fill'. Think of sentences and paragraphs. Commas and full stops (periods) are a transition (an accent), the end of a paragraph is a significant transition (a fill). Encapsulate your ideas into 'paragraphs' and even something like a fashion shoot can start to feel like it has a narrative element.

Good luck. You sound like you're someone willing to put the effort in. Go too far, then pull back. Sooner or later you'll strike the balance of wow factor and good taste.
 
I say neither. Story first. Without a good storytelling technique and purpose your gear will be worthless. Starting from the gear out is backwards. Story-out is the way to go.

Genre-out works too if you don't want to get too specific in terms of the actual story, which is more practical business-wise.
 
ectobuilder said:
I say neither. Story first.
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Interesting point. My take on it, that you should learn how to write first to write a book which tells a story. If you want to make it good, you have to master your skills.
So, I was trying to explore my skills here to understand what type of story can I tell using gear I have. For example, you can be great in writing poetry, but if you need to write a book about Synthesis of Trans-Uranium Elements, it will require whole other set of skills and training. It might happen that you'll not be able to tell a story about Uranium despite, your poetry training. Again, I am trying to see what I can do, and asking you guys to judge.
 
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