Looking for a long, PARFOCAL canon mount zoom

F

FatBird19

Well-known member
Hey everyone,

I've been looking around between Canon, Tamron, and Sigma brands to find what I'm looking for.

I want to get a PARFOCAL zoom lens with the longest zoom range possible.


Obviously, f/2.8 would be nice, but the camera's ISO gain is so clean, I could deal with an f/4 or 5.6 lens.


My biggest priority is getting 1) a parfocal lens (so that I don't have to refocus in critical moments when I'm going for closeups) and with 2) a good zoom range that can go from wide to at hopefully 100mm or more.

Any lens suggestions?

Thanks,
-Justin
 
i'm not sure which ef lenses are parfocal--i know the 17-55 f2.8 isn't. i know my 28-135 isn't. i don't think you'll get a 2.8 with a big zoom range. it'll either be wide to mid zoom, or mid to telephoto, otherwise it'll probably be f3.5-5.6. i'd also assume that most of the wider-range zooms aren't parfocal, since they typically aren't built to the same high quality standards--but i could be completely wrong.
 
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What you have here is a classic case of "you need a video camera". DSLRs are not good for the style of shooting you are talking about. Even if you find a superzoom that is parafocal, it will probably have variable aperture which will force you to shoot at the smallest aperture of the range ie if you have a f.4-5.6 zoom you will have to shoot at 5.6 to avoid iris ramping.

Why not either

A. Change shooting styles and slow things down to allow for focus and lens changes etc.

Or

B. Get a video camera like the HPX 170?
 
FatBird19 said:
Hey everyone,

I've been looking around between Canon, Tamron, and Sigma brands to find what I'm looking for.

I want to get a PARFOCAL zoom lens with the longest zoom range possible.


Obviously, f/2.8 would be nice, but the camera's ISO gain is so clean, I could deal with an f/4 or 5.6 lens.


My biggest priority is getting 1) a parfocal lens (so that I don't have to refocus in critical moments when I'm going for closeups) and with 2) a good zoom range that can go from wide to at hopefully 100mm or more
1x1.jpg


Any lens suggestions?

Thanks,
-Justin
Click to expand...

any lens you looking at right now bro?
 
Well according to a bunch of pro photographers, you are wrong and most photography zoom lenses are in fact parfocal. Look at this thread for info/explanations:

http://secure.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=579877

Basically they say that ALL canon L glass is parfocal and that uhh most other lenses are too but that something like L glass would be more perfect than cheaper lenses. I am wondering about the tamron 17-50mm 1.8 though. So no, you don't need a "video camera". And you can avoid the shifting apertures by... getting a constant aperture zoom. 2.8. Don't get a "superzoom" either. They don't make many constant aperture superzooms and you shouldn't get one anyways because it will have more imperfections in IQ and in the perfection of the parfocal design. But you can get a 17-50 tamron or a 18-55 canon or a 24-70mm canon or a 28-75mm tamron. The canons are both expensive and those tamrons are the cheaper versions. For more distance you could get the 28-105L or whatever it is but that is F4. Just go with one of the others and THEN adjust your shooting style. So it's a bit of a compromise. You will have a decent range. But shooting with DSLR's is just different than quicker video cameras. But it's not impossible to use a zoom.
 
Jackson Miller said:
Well according to a bunch of pro photographers, you are wrong and most photography zoom lenses are in fact parfocal. Look at this thread for info/explanations:

http://secure.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=579877

Basically they say that ALL canon L glass is parfocal and that uhh most other lenses are too but that something like L glass would be more perfect than cheaper lenses. I am wondering about the tamron 17-50mm 1.8 though. So no, you don't need a "video camera". And you can avoid the shifting apertures by... getting a constant aperture zoom. 2.8. Don't get a "superzoom" either. They don't make many constant aperture superzooms and you shouldn't get one anyways because it will have more imperfections in IQ and in the perfection of the parfocal design. But you can get a 17-50 tamron or a 18-55 canon or a 24-70mm canon or a 28-75mm tamron. The canons are both expensive and those tamrons are the cheaper versions. For more distance you could get the 28-105L or whatever it is but that is F4. Just go with one of the others and THEN adjust your shooting style. So it's a bit of a compromise. You will have a decent range. But shooting with DSLR's is just different than quicker video cameras. But it's not impossible to use a zoom.
Click to expand...

Thanks, man!
I'm looking into the EF 24-105mm f/4 zoom. Looks like it might be what I need.
 
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