What's a good prime lens for the Canon T3i?

I

ironpony

Carbonite Member
I was thinking of getting a good EF 50mm prime lens so I can open to 1.4. It will be worth the money for me instead having to rely on someone else to show up with camera gear all the time for a shoot, when it's not always possible. I tried a Sigma 50mm and a Canon 50mm but I am not seeing a quality difference compared to the kit 18-55 lens. I was told primes are better quality, but I am not seeing a quality difference in the image, with the camera and aperture at the same settings.

What is a good prime lens for it? I also think that 50mm is the best focal length for movie shooting, if I were to have just one for now. But if anyone has any other opinions?
 
If you can not tell the difference between the 50mm primes and your kit lens, then would it not be foolish to spend money on a lens you see no difference in?
 
The simple answer is that all of the lenses you mention have no problem resolving the 2MP image that is 1080p.

It's a different situation for photos.

Other things to consider are: vignetting, color, contrast, build quality, operation and so on...
 
Okay thanks. I don't think I want a lens that can vignette the actors, as I think that's a cheesy look for the movie projects I am looking to make. Unless I understand vignette wrong?

Well I need a lens that can open a lot wider for street light shooting, which the kit lens cannot do. Other than that, shooting on a cloudy day at f11 say for example, I see no difference between that and the kit lens at f11.
 
Just up your ISO. If you can't tell the difference between a prime and a cheap zoom then you wont notice the difference between ISO200 and ISO1600.
 
The kit lens can be surprisingly sharp, even in the corners. If you get a good copy, the problem will not be detail, but maximum aperture, and build quality.
http://www.similaar.com/foto/lenstests/lenstestsw.html

Keep in mind, though: it seems I received an exceptionally good copy of the kit lens. I sold it when I switched to Sony, and the two copies that I've tested since are a lot worse. And the one the-digital-picture got is also a lot worse than what I had.
If you got a good copy too... keep it!!
 
Okay thanks. I still need the 50mm prime though for night shooting of city streets and such. Does it matter which one I buy, which company?

Also on the kit lens, the aperture sweet spot where things are the sharpest is f8. Is it f8 on all EF lenses for the Canon T3i, or I am guessing the sweet spot is different on each lens, right?
 
Just to throw a monkey wrench in the works, I'll suggest a much wider prime. I have found a 50mm to be no man's land on a crop cam like the T3i. It's equivalent to an 80mm and just too telephoto for almost any kind of street work.

If you are on the same side you can only get closeups and head shots. If filming across the road its not telephoto enough. If
you factor in the 3x crop zoom of the 50, its equivalent to a 240mm and needs sticks.

I recently picked up a 24mm f/2.8 IS to run on a stabilizer and have been blown away. It's as sharp as the top of the line 24mm L f/1.4 II with a buttery smooth bokeh, but unbelievable for steady video not achievable in any other wide at f/2.8 or faster.

It's equivalent to 38.4mm, but a 115mm f/2.8 IS with the 3x zoom function.

The only issue is that it's twice as expensive as the 50mm f/1.4 and over 5 times the 50mm f/1.8 II.

Ok I know it's way out there in price, but truly a much higher quality piece of kit for anyone vs the 50's.

Cheers,
Pete
 
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Okay thanks. I have had that close up problem before with 50mm and I figure I would just shoot in bigger locations for scenes with close ups. But bigger locations might not be easy to come by since most real locations are smaller. So how about a 35mm or a 24 then? I will look for the 24 but might not be able to find one before shooting time, since less stores carry them, and would have to be ordered in.

Wouldn't a 24 be much more sensitive to barrel distortion though? I know some people like barrel distortion but frankly I hate it and want to make a whole movie with none of it in. On the 18-55 zoom lens, barrel distortion is quite sensitive when it comes to getting closer to an actor, with the lens zoomed back.
 
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