Lens/Follow focus compatibility question

J

JustinBrown

Well-known member
I am looking to do a lens upgrade and get a follow focus, but I have some trepidation when it comes to the selection...here is what I am looking at:

EF 100 F/2
EF 85 F/1.8
EF 50 F/1.4
EF 28 F/1.8
EF 20 F/2.8
EF 17-40 F/4L

I would like to get something shorter than 50, but don't know if a follow focus would work with it considering it's length. I am looking at the longer ones because the reviews for them have been pretty good, and they seem like they might accommodate a follow focus more easily. What have your experiences been with any of these? Which lens would you reccomend?

Thanks in advance!
 
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I use a dfocus v3 with a leitz elmatit-R 35mm f/2.8 and a with a carl zeiss jena pancolar 50mm f/1.8; both of them are tiny lenses, not pancake but comparable to a 50mm f/1.4, I think; the followfocus works with no problems, but that may be because I use the dmount instead of rods, and so can place my followfocus further back (if that wasn't an option, you might need a reversible followfocus, or just mount it on the right instead of the left)

the 17-40 f/4L is not stellar, and the 20mm f/2.8 is pretty bad, you'd be better off with a much cheaper tamron 17-50 f/2.8 (non-vc) if you're on APS-C, or a tokina 16-28 f/2.8 if you're building for full frame (on the surface it looks great, but I still don't know about the downsides)
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...LensComp=246&CameraComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...meraComp=474&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=3
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?240572-info-about-tokina-16-28mm-f-2.8
 
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For a start you can get a 100/50/20mm the others are just "in-betweeners", you can actually cover most of your bases with this three, then later on "fine tune" your arsenal.

You may want to try a genus follow focus, its gears are like zip ties that can accommodate all kinds of diameters. Its cheap and well built.

I wont get that 17-40.

If your doing landscapes or cityscapes and interiors, then the 11-16 tokina f2.8 is the best value for money.
 
teddybear said:
For a start you can get a 100/50/20mm the others are just "in-betweeners", you can actually cover most of your bases with this three, then later on "fine tune" your arsenal.

You may want to try a genus follow focus, its gears are like zip ties that can accommodate all kinds of diameters. Its cheap and well built.

I wont get that 17-40.

If your doing landscapes or cityscapes and interiors, then the 11-16 tokina f2.8 is the best value for money.
Click to expand...

I keep hearing of this 11-16 and I can never seem to find one that is for sale anywhere. I am definitely keeping my eyes peeled though. Where I am at right now is pretty meager...I have the 28-135 kit lens and a 50 f1.8. The kit lens is good for what it is, but I haven't even used it since getting the 1.8...the problem I am having with the 1.8 is that the focus ring is not exactly in a great spot when it comes pulling focus for video.

Anywho, I am thinking of getting the 50 1.4 which is in a price range that will allow me to get a z-finder, follow focus, and a better tripod...three things I desperately need if I am going to do anything more in depth. The other lenses you mentioned will have to be added later.

One thing I am curious about...do you think if by stopping up the 1.4 I will be able to get some decent deeper mid range focus or will that lens only produce the shallow look?

Sorry for all the newbie questions...just trying to get myself into something decent on a budget. Again, thanks for your help!
 
NormanBates said:
I use a dfocus v3 with a leitz elmatit-R 35mm f/2.8 and a with a carl zeiss jena pancolar 50mm f/1.8; both of them are tiny lenses, not pancake but comparable to a 50mm f/1.4, I think; the followfocus works with no problems, but that may be because I use the dmount instead of rods, and so can place my followfocus further back (if that wasn't an option, you might need a reversible followfocus, or just mount it on the right instead of the left)

the 17-40 f/4L is not stellar, and the 20mm f/2.8 is pretty bad, you'd be better off with a much cheaper tamron 17-50 f/2.8 (non-vc) if you're on APS-C, or a tokina 16-28 f/2.8 if you're building for full frame (on the surface it looks great, but I still don't know about the downsides)
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...LensComp=246&CameraComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...meraComp=474&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=3
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?240572-info-about-tokina-16-28mm-f-2.8
Click to expand...

That DMount looks pretty swell, thanks for the links.
 
JustinBrown said:
I keep hearing of this 11-16 and I can never seem to find one that is for sale anywhere. I am definitely keeping my eyes peeled though. Where I am at right now is pretty meager...I have the 28-135 kit lens and a 50 f1.8. The kit lens is good for what it is, but I haven't even used it since getting the 1.8...the problem I am having with the 1.8 is that the focus ring is not exactly in a great spot when it comes pulling focus for video.

Anywho, I am thinking of getting the 50 1.4 which is in a price range that will allow me to get a z-finder, follow focus, and a better tripod...three things I desperately need if I am going to do anything more in depth. The other lenses you mentioned will have to be added later.

One thing I am curious about...do you think if by stopping up the 1.4 I will be able to get some decent deeper mid range focus or will that lens only produce the shallow look?

Sorry for all the newbie questions...just trying to get myself into something decent on a budget. Again, thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

You might want to check out the MARKETPLACE section as i saw someone selling his 11-16 tokina.
 
JustinBrown said:
That DMount looks pretty swell, thanks for the links.
Click to expand...

it's good enough, but it's not perfect; for a start, I don't know if it's supposed to lead the ff to the left or the right side of the camera, it has minor problems on both sides (like moving the tripod hole further to the back of the camera, or having to be mounted on an angled setup to allow me to use small or big lenses), plus I had to modify it for use with a grip (so the followfocus would stay higher), and now I have to take it off to change batteries

I'm planning to throw it away and stick my camera on top of a big 3mm-thick metal plate where I can mount anything I need, including the FF
 
JustinBrown said:
One thing I am curious about...do you think if by stopping up the 1.4 I will be able to get some decent deeper mid range focus or will that lens only produce the shallow look?
Click to expand...

depth of field only depends on what the aperture setting on your lens is at the time of shooting; if it can go for a wider aperture, but you stop it down, it's just stopped down, and it doesn't matter if it's a 50/1.4 or a 50/1.8 (ie don't worry about this, you're thinking too hard)

plus: 24-135 kit lens? are you on a 5D? because the tokina 11-16 is designed for APS-C...
 
Norman,

The 11-16 tokina can work on the 5D as well, Though only from 14.7 -16mm. In fact even at 16mm on the 5D, its still way way wider than at 11mm on the 7D.
 
NormanBates said:
depth of field only depends on what the aperture setting on your lens is at the time of shooting; if it can go for a wider aperture, but you stop it down, it's just stopped down, and it doesn't matter if it's a 50/1.4 or a 50/1.8 (ie don't worry about this, you're thinking too hard)

plus: 24-135 kit lens? are you on a 5D? because the tokina 11-16 is designed for APS-C...
Click to expand...

I am shooting with a 7D so no worries there. And yes, I am thinking too hard;) I just don't have a huge amount of resources and I feel like I need to be sort of strategic with my purchases.
 
NormanBates said:
it's good enough, but it's not perfect; for a start, I don't know if it's supposed to lead the ff to the left or the right side of the camera, it has minor problems on both sides (like moving the tripod hole further to the back of the camera, or having to be mounted on an angled setup to allow me to use small or big lenses), plus I had to modify it for use with a grip (so the followfocus would stay higher), and now I have to take it off to change batteries

I'm planning to throw it away and stick my camera on top of a big 3mm-thick metal plate where I can mount anything I need, including the FF
Click to expand...

Hmmm....Perhaps I will be looking at a different system then or at least the Dfocus with the rails.
 
teddybear said:
Norman,

The 11-16 tokina can work on the 5D as well, Though only from 14.7 -16mm. In fact even at 16mm on the 5D, its still way way wider than at 11mm on the 7D.
Click to expand...

true, but if you're on full frame the tokina 16-28 might be a better option, and it's just a tad more expensive

in any case, for a 7D, the 11-16 is perfect

on the rails vs dmount thing, I'd say go for the rails only if you need them for something else, like a mattebox; otherwise, the dmount is much cheaper and, though not perfect, it is, as I said, good enough
 
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