Quick Newbie Question :: 1.2 or 1.4 Lens

[Paul Reichelt]

Hey guys,

Its amazing how much of about Lenses & Basics of Cinematography have leaked out of my head whilst on vacation (and working in a different field), so I was hoping you guys could help me out with a quick question.

I purchased the M2 35mm Adapter earlier today with Nikon mount.

I'll be shooting a film in a few weeks that takes place outdoors with lots to moderate amounts of light (sunlight, we're shooting day for night and editing it down in post).

Looking for a 50mm lens for the vast majority of the film that will provide a "relaxed" DOF (not looking for inches here, in-fact something up to 10ft would be great).

My instinces and the topics I've read have me leaning towards the,
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Nikon Normal AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D Autofocus Lens (Or do I need to get Manual Focus?)[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]However should I consider a f/1.2d? Would that still have a relaxed DoF but perhaps be a bit more lenient on how much light I need for shots? There will be some cloud cover & shadows that will play havoc on the light in certain areas.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thanks for any and all help.[/FONT][/FONT]

 

[Matty_g]

Honestly i wouldn't go for the 1.2
It's a good deal more expensive and not THAT much faster.
You want manual focus for the longer focal throw on the lens.

 

[funkbomb]

I have the opportunity of owning both a 55mm 1.2 and 50mm 1.4 Canon FD lens. This was just one quick test I did at my desk. Hopefully this will help people decide if they really want to spend the big bucks on the faster lens (or if you already bought it, if you spent your money wisely).

Nothing was done to the footage, the camcorder was left on REC and I simply switched the lens out and focused on the speaker grill (I get a nice Moire pattern when I'm in focus on it).

50mm 1.4 at wide open
55mm 1.2 at wide open

Ultimately, I think the inflated price for a 1.2 over a 1.4 is a ridiculous and unnecessary investment.

 

[Nicolas]

If you use 1.2-1.8 it's gonna look like crap, at least you'll lose a lot of resolution there. A good point between good resolution & grain compromise is around 2.8-4, never below that.