Shooting pro MMA fights on 5D MKIII, have lens questions and need ideas.

K

Krunko

Well-known member
So finally something interesting came up that I can shoot with my new MKIII.

I have all prime lenses so I need to see what lens would best fit the event.

I haven't shot anything on a full frame camera so I was wondering if my master
lens should be my Canon 24mm L 1.4 or Canon 50mm 1.4?

I also have the Tokina 11-16 (can be used at 16mm without vignette)
and the Canon 100mm L Macro lens.

I've also got someone running sound with a Sennheiser shotgun connected to a zoom h4n.

If you guys have any creative ideas for how to shoot the event please let me know. I also
might have a 2nd camera going (canon 60d).

I'll post the results when it's done.
 
Krunko said:
So finally something interesting came up that I can shoot with my new MKIII.

I have all prime lenses so I need to see what lens would best fit the event.

I haven't shot anything on a full frame camera so I was wondering if my master
lens should be my Canon 24mm L 1.4 or Canon 50mm 1.4?

I also have the Tokina 11-16 (can be used at 16mm without vignette)
and the Canon 100mm L Macro lens.

I've also got someone running sound with a Sennheiser shotgun connected to a zoom h4n.

If you guys have any creative ideas for how to shoot the event please let me know. I also
might have a 2nd camera going (canon 60d).

I'll post the results when it's done.
Click to expand...

I would imagine a zoom lens would help a lot with this since it's a live event and you're not going to have time to change lenses on the fly.

24mm f1.4 would be a great choice to capture the entire arena if you can get really reall really close. The Rokinon 24mm f1.4 is a more price friendly alternative with a better focus ring.
 
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+1

Having shot a few MMA fights myself, I wouldn't choose primes.

Of course I wouldn't choose a DSLR either but that is your choice.
 
Do yourself a favor and get the 100mm is lens, also you need a zoom (Canon 70-200mm) lens those lenses are too wide.
 
Yeah a 24mm f1.4 will only be good if you have an amazing press pass that lets you stand literally right outside the skirts of the arena. But if you can get that close... would be a sick view.
 
Well the purpose of me shooting this is to test out my 5D MK3, not because they're paying em to do it. I know a non-dslr would be more hassle free, but I think you can get a unique look shooting on a DSLR for MMA since everything else is usually higher f-stop like f/8 and higher.

mcgeedigital said:
+1

Having shot a few MMA fights myself, I wouldn't choose primes.

Of course I wouldn't choose a DSLR either but that is your choice.
Click to expand...
 
rent the 24-70mm f2.8canon L and the 70 -200mm f4 or f2.8 canon L and your good to go (70-200 shooting from sticks). Mount one to each cam...one cam focusing on close ups and mediums, the other on wides and mediums (medium overlapping)
 
Krunko said:
So finally something interesting came up that I can shoot with my new MKIII.

I have all prime lenses so I need to see what lens would best fit the event.

I haven't shot anything on a full frame camera so I was wondering if my master
lens should be my Canon 24mm L 1.4 or Canon 50mm 1.4?

I also have the Tokina 11-16 (can be used at 16mm without vignette)
and the Canon 100mm L Macro lens.

I've also got someone running sound with a Sennheiser shotgun connected to a zoom h4n.

If you guys have any creative ideas for how to shoot the event please let me know. I also
might have a 2nd camera going (canon 60d).

I'll post the results when it's done.
Click to expand...

Totally depends on what your trying to say in the video. Are you providing broadcast coverage (i.e. full documentation of the event) or is it an artistic rendition of what is happening?

In other words is this Cinema or Documentary style?

And how many shooters will you have? The main principles I follow regardless of shooting style is that a wide prime has the ability to pull the subject out of the screen and into your living room while a normal lens immerses the audience in the way they would see things with their own eyes and a telescopic lens adds compression to the shot and gives a third-person perspective.

Also a 14mm on a FF sensor gives a unique storytelling perspective by separating the background from the subject by pushing the background farther back and offering a unique selectable DOF that most wide FOV can't offer.

Again, assuming you've defined what you are trying to say in your video, the type of chosen stabilizers matters too and the amount of access you have matters as well (i.e. Will you be able to dolly right into the subject? In that case a wide prime with a close focusing distance can be suitable).

Personally for a Cinema feel, I would avoid zooms as you can be indecisive about the FOV by zooming in and out too much. And this can confuse the viewer as to what you are trying to say through the chosen FOV.

For broadcast coverage style I'd go with a zoom, but then again why not choose a true video camera with excellent AF for video?
 
Hummmm.... full frame. Well, I love to shoot wide. But you have to shoot through a cage and focus on the fly, not to mention be moving around with the action and keep it all stable.
If you look at some of the UFC events, they sometimes cut to a DSLR cam... there is an amazing cinematic quality. Usually its only 5sec clips and slowed down tons. Also its really zoomed in, I suspect an 85... maybe longer even. During an entire show, they cut to the DSLR footage maybe 3-4 times MAX... so its expected your not going to get very much usable footage.
Seeing their setup, they got a shoulder rig with a large ext. monitor and an assistant (not sure if he is pulling focus or the main cam is doing it.)
They are running around on the outside of the ring about 3-4 meters away, so the only real shots they get are mostly standing shots. The ground you'd have to be standing up on the cage podium.
You could setup another cam (60D) but unless its above the cage, your not gonna get very much from it. Also you need someone sitting there following the action as well. Usually they have several high end mics hanging over the cage, maybe you can tap into those for better audio.
Another idea is: You could strap a few GoPros to the camera hood of a few of the TV camera guys sitting up on the soap boxes, beside the cage. :thumbsup:
My new GoPro2 has a F.O.V. selector, and you can get a pretty nice zoom at 720p/60p or 1080p/30p.
 
I think the angle your shooting at also makes a difference. If you're shooting up at your subjects (like if the ring is elevated or whatever) I think a wide lens would be more of a hindrance than a help because you'd constantly be getting the ring in the frame. I would bet your 100 IS L would be a pretty good choice to cut through to the fighters face. If you're just shooting Mark III test footage or whatever, I think you could bring the 24, 50, and 100 and just pick the kind of shots you want. You're not really going to be getting decisive moment stuff without a zoom, but if you make a shot list and correlate it with the action I think you could make a pretty sick beauty shot reel.

I would not try to convey the action of the fight like someone at home was watching, I would do more of an atmosphere/scene piece without access to some kind of autofocusing master shot.
 
So I finished shooting. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get up on the corners of the octagon to shoot down on the subjects. I had to shoot through the cage which made focusing even more hard. I shot at f/2.8. Looking back I probably should have shot at f/4 or higher because it was very hard to focus.

I'll post the edit once it is done.
 
Krunko said:
So I finished shooting. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get up on the corners of the octagon to shoot down on the subjects. I had to shoot through the cage which made focusing even more hard. I shot at f/2.8. Looking back I probably should have shot at f/4 or higher because it was very hard to focus.

I'll post the edit once it is done.
Click to expand...

Where you right next to the cage? Also, what was the name of the promotion / event?
 
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