FS5: What's a good/fast 35mm lens for FS5?

Ivor C

Active member
I've got a job booked where the client has a reasonable budget for hiring in lenses. I'll be shooting the project on both a FS5 and a A7Sii. The filming scenarios involve quite a few tight shots (MCU's CU's of faces) with shallow DOF. So for example one of the lens I'll be swapping between the two cameras is a Sigma 50mm F1.4 Art lens on a standard EF (not Speedboster) to E-mount adaptor. But I'll also need some wider establishing shots with as shallow DOF as possible.

So the one lens option I feel we're short on right now is a 35mm fast lens for the FS5 (thus Super 35/APS-C).Can anyone recommend a good fast lens (with great bokeh) that will give me 35mm on the FS5 and double up as 24mm (I assume) on the A7Sii?

Another option I've considered, but may have unknown pitfalls, is hiring a EF - E-mount Speedboster for the Sigma 50mm Art lens.

Incidentally AF is not needed and we should have plenty of light in the scenes. So it's all about the 30-35mm range (for the FS5) and quality of the glass/DOF/bokeh.
 
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FOCAL LENGTH NEVER CHANGES

If you want a 24mm FF then you need a 24mm lens. There is no lens that can be both 24 & 35 unless it is a zoom!!! Zeiss Batis is a nice 25mm Sony mount.

Agree.

As for lens. Since the OP already has a Sigma ART in another focal length, why not just get the Sigma ART 24mm?
 
I've got the option to hire a Rokinon Xeen 24mm T1.5 Cinema Lens instead of the Zeiss Batis 25mm, but it's about twice the cost. Having never used either what are the benefits of the Rokinon?
 
I don't think you really want a wide establishing shot with super shallow depth of field, do you? To me this always looks very unnatural and very wrong. I don't know how many wide shots/wide two-shots I've seen in interviews where someone had a fast lens they wanted to show off and only one thing in the frame was in focus and the rest out. That's not anywhere close to how we naturally see or how it would be in a movie if someone is claiming they want it to be "cinematic". The purpose of a wide establishing shot is to see the environment where something is taking place and set the scene.
 
I don't think you really want a wide establishing shot with super shallow depth of field, do you? To me this always looks very unnatural and very wrong. I don't know how many wide shots/wide two-shots I've seen in interviews where someone had a fast lens they wanted to show off and only one thing in the frame was in focus and the rest out. That's not anywhere close to how we naturally see or how it would be in a movie if someone is claiming they want it to be "cinematic". The purpose of a wide establishing shot is to see the environment where something is taking place and set the scene.

I often use shallow DoF on wides. Particularly if the camera is close to the ground where it can lead the eye into the frame. Of course, I use deep DoF too, but options are a good thing...
 
I have the Sigma ART 20, 24, 35 and 50mm lenses with Metabones MK IV, MK11 and Speedbooster adapters. Many options from just three lenses that are hard to beat for sharpness/quality for that price bracket. Possibly unbeatable actually.
 
I used the Sigma 50mm Art lens a lot on this job. What a great lens on the FS5. The DOF down at f1.4 is just stunning and keeping it there on the FS5 with the variable ND was brilliant. Without a hood it gives really artistic lens flare also.

I liked this 50 so much I think it will be one of my next lens purchases for the FS5.
 
It's true, I often use my Canon 24mm f/1.4L on my Metabones Speedbooster to have a 24mm and then if I want a 35mm (maybe more 38mm) I put it on my normal (non-speedbooster) Metabones.
 
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