Lenses For A Feature Movie...

If you were to use three prime manual lenses to shoot a feature film with a 7D, what would be the best recommendation with a budget of let's say 1,800 for the three lenses?
BTW, I already have a Nikon 50mm 1.4
 
24, 35, 50, 85, 135mm, if possible with f2. For narrative, you'll find that the wides are not used as much, unless you want a specific style. Try to get lenses that have 8 (or rounded) if not more aperture blades and with a long focus throw on the barrel (180 degrees or more).

One of my favourites is a the Russian Jupiter-9, 85mm f2, 14 aperture blades.... great close up lens!
 
Hey guys, I'm trying to sort this whole lens issues as well as I'm trying to figure out how much it would cost to get a Canon 7D plus all the appropriate lenses and other equipment. The original poster posted a 28mm, 50mm, and 85mm EF lenses.

To confirm, On the 7D will these EF-lens focal lengths become 45mm, 80mm, and 136mm in terms of field of view?
 
edsonkwushu said:
Hey guys, I'm trying to sort this whole lens issues as well as I'm trying to figure out how much it would cost to get a Canon 7D plus all the appropriate lenses and other equipment. The original poster posted a 28mm, 50mm, and 85mm EF lenses.

To confirm, On the 7D will these EF-lens focal lengths become 45mm, 80mm, and 136mm in terms of field of view?
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They remain 28, 50 and 85. It doesn't change.
 
Kholi said:
They remain 28, 50 and 85. It doesn't change.
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I thought there was a crop 1.6 crop factor since these EF lenses were designed for 35 mm sensor so that if you use the EF lenses on the Canon 7D with the APS-C sensor they would essentially produce images that look like they came from a lens 1.6x focal length equivalent.

So, for example, if I wanted to get the same 50mm 'normal' FOV that I would get on a 35mm on the Canon 7D, I would have to use something like a 28mm EF lens on the Canon 7D to achieve what would be a 50mm 'normal' on 35mm sensor, no?
 
edsonkwushu said:
I thought there was a crop 1.6 crop factor since these EF lenses were designed for 35 mm sensor so that if you use the EF lenses on the Canon 7D with the APS-C sensor they would essentially produce images that look like they came from a lens 1.6x focal length equivalent.

So, for example, if I wanted to get the same 50mm 'normal' FOV that I would get on a 35mm on the Canon 7D, I would have to use something like a 28mm EF lens on the Canon 7D to achieve what would be a 50mm 'normal' on 35mm sensor, no?
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I think this is gonna be one of my FIRST blog posts when it goes live. Haha.

Which 35mm are you talking about? Full Frame Still Photography or Full Frame Cinematography?

If you're talking about Full Frame still photography, the roundabout is FF35 = 50mm Normal, APS-C 1.6x = 35mm Normal.

If you're talking about cinematography then a 35mm is a 35mm is your common normal.

But the lenses do not change. A 35mm is a 35mm on the 7D and the 5D. How to defeat confusion? Ignore Full Frame if you aren't shooting Full Frame. If you're trying to mimic the aesthetic of most motion pictures, your close enough with a 7D to use what you normally would on a film camera.

I.E if you load a 35mm lens on a Film camera, you're loading the same focal length on the 7D.
 
The "crop factor" is only relevant if you're using full-frame still photography as your point of reference.

If you're comparing against a 35mm movie camera, the 7D has a "1.0" crop factor. It's the same. So whatever lens looks normal on a movie camera, will look normal on a 7D. Whatever lens looks wide on a movie camera, will look wide on a 7D.
 
Ah, okay, that clears what you said Kholi. Thanks Barry and Kholi! I should've said coming from a 35mm still photography reference, which I also mistakenly assumed was "cinematography" normal. Going through the different forum posts gets confusing when people coming from different backgrounds.

So I guess that confirms what I was thinking. I'm essentially trying to put together a budget range to accommodate the needs of shooting an action film using the 7D and I wanted to be sure that I got lenses that would cover my wide, medium, and close up shots. I used a 35mm DIY adapter on the DVX so I got used to Minolta MD photography lenses and so my reference was from that experience and I felt pretty covered with a 28mm, 50mm, and a 100mm. And so I was trying to find lenses that would produce that look/FOV (maybe the wrong term) on the Canon 7D.

It seems that if I'm looking at 35mm still lenses, like the Canon EF series, I would be needing lenses like the Canon EF 20mm f/2.8, Canon EF 28mm 1.8, and the Canon EF 50mm 1.4 (not the 50mm L-series, haha; out of range). Or I could a Canon EF-S 17-55mm 2.8 and cover all my bases in one shot but without the ability to use on a full-frame photography camera.
 
Kholi said:
What? Do you mean Ultra or Super-Wide?
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Most of the kits that are hired with the movie cameras have lenses between 25 to 75mm. The classic zooms 25-250, 20-120 are sort staple offers. Of course one can get a 18 or 16mm lens, but the producer will ask why, first.

I am not saying that there are not films shot mainly with wides. Just two that come to mind, 'Citizen Kane', 'Paper Moon' used these lenses with great results. Kubrik loved them to death.

Also, we shoot mostly on location, in tight spaces, more often handheld and this also can dictate a preference for the wide end.

In the end, it's all about the story and how you want tell it.

I look at a lens like an 'emotional lever' in the tool box available, ultimately - to tell a story.
 
edsonkwushu said:
I used a 35mm DIY adapter on the DVX so I got used to Minolta MD photography lenses and so my reference was from that experience
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But that doesn't necessarily translate over. Adapters can have a wide variety of frame sizes. The mini35 is about the only one that had a dedicated 35mm cine frame size; the others could be bigger or smaller, with some being as big as (or even bigger than!) the 35mm still frame size.

It seems that if I'm looking at 35mm still lenses, like the Canon EF series, I would be needing lenses like the Canon EF 20mm f/2.8, Canon EF 28mm 1.8, and the Canon EF 50mm 1.4 (not the 50mm L-series, haha; out of range). Or I could a Canon EF-S 17-55mm 2.8 and cover all my bases in one shot but without the ability to use on a full-frame photography camera.
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A typical prime set for a cinema camera is 25/35/50/85. An extended set would add an 18mm on the wide and a 100mm on the tele. Again, if you are used to 35mm "full frame", you can refer back to that (cursed) crop factor to see what the equivalent field of view will be like on a 35mm cine frame. The 7D's frame size is basically identical to a 35mm cine frame, or at least close enough to not even bother worrying about any tiny difference.
 
Barry_Green said:
But that doesn't necessarily translate over. Adapters can have a wide variety of frame sizes. The mini35 is about the only one that had a dedicated 35mm cine frame size; the others could be bigger or smaller, with some being as big as (or even bigger than!) the 35mm still frame size.
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The 35mm DIY adapter I built used a Canon Focusing screen to focus the lens image upon which I'm assuming was roughly equivalent to a 35mm still photography frame size.

Barry_Green said:
A typical prime set for a cinema camera is 25/35/50/85. An extended set would add an 18mm on the wide and a 100mm on the tele. Again, if you are used to 35mm "full frame", you can refer back to that (cursed) crop factor to see what the equivalent field of view will be like on a 35mm cine frame. The 7D's frame size is basically identical to a 35mm cine frame, or at least close enough to not even bother worrying about any tiny difference.
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Thanks for the prime set numbers, Barry! It seems that the "wide" views aren't that wide, but that does make sense since I've noticed on the 28mm those parallel lines start to look a little curvy!
 
edsonkwushu said:
Thanks for the prime set numbers, Barry! It seems that the "wide" views aren't that wide, but that does make sense since I've noticed on the 28mm those parallel lines start to look a little curvy!
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Depends on the lens. Cinema Glass costs a lot for very good reasons. But, as well, advancements in lens tech and design has eliminated a lot of that, so there are lenses all the way down to 18mm that don't exhibit what you're seeing.

25mm's still wide, though. 21 and below are considered super and ultra wide.

Most of the time I'll use a 28mm.
 
edsonkwushu said:
Sorry Kohli, that's cinema 28mm reference, right?

And yeah, the 28mm I was thinking of is whatever I'm used to seeing when I plop on the Minolta MD 28mm.
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Haha. Remember, if someone says a focal length it's pretty much that. The only TGIF that changes is the camera.

So if I'm shooting RED or 7D I'm mostly on a 28 or 24ish.

If I were in a 5D I would be on a 35mm mostly.
 
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