Which affordable decent lenses for filmmaking?

[skital]

I am considering the 7D for a horror/mixed genre film/possible series, but can't spend thousands on lenses, unfortunately. I would like two or three good lenses though that will give me the average non wide shot, a wide shot, etc.

What lenses can I get that will be great in low light for the 7D, which one to get that will be a wider angle and one with a deeper depth of field, so it won't be too shallow? I'd love shallow depth, but I if I'm shooting a wider shot of some characters in a forest I would like a bit deeper depth of field. Doesn't mean the entire forest needs to be in focus, but I'd like to have some scenes with more in focus. Thanks!

 

[jordini99]

Canon 50mm f/1.8 - super cheap at about 100 bucks with great low-light capabilities and a shallow DoF. Best bang for the buck.

 

[skital]

Canon 50mm f/1.8 - super cheap at about 100 bucks with great low-light capabilities and a shallow DoF. Best bang for the buck.

Thanks. Any particular kind or just Canon 50mm and that's all I need to know? I hear about EFs, primes and all that stuff, but I'm not very familiar with the names.

What about for a wider angle lens, especially with deeper focus than the 50mm? What kind of lens is it that comes with it? Is it wide, super shallow or no?

Also, should I get the 7D with the lens kit or just buy them all separately?

Thanks

 

[Justin Bissett]

This is the Canon 50mm 1.8 he's talking about
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-1-...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1260916558&sr=1-1

The big problem with that lens is that it's a ***** to pull focus because the focus ring is on the front of the lens and is really small. I bought this lens but had to send it back because it didn't work with my follow focus due to the focus ring size.

If you're planning on shooting low light, the stock lens is not an option. You need a lot of light to get a good image with that lens. Every time I use it I have to shoot at a really high iso and then the picture looks like crap.

As for a wide lens, when I use the stock lens pulled back to 28mm it seems to have a pretty deep focus, so something like a 30mm should be good for that. Lots of people seem to use this one, which i'm thinking of getting.
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-1-...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1260916558&sr=1-1

 

[Michael Olsen]

Keep in mind for cine applications that breathing becomes a factor to.

My stock lens is terrible.

 

[ROCKMORE]

I am considering the 7D for a horror/mixed genre film/possible series, but can't spend thousands on lenses, unfortunately. I would like two or three good lenses though that will give me the average non wide shot, a wide shot, etc.

What lenses can I get that will be great in low light for the 7D, which one to get that will be a wider angle and one with a deeper depth of field, so it won't be too shallow? I'd love shallow depth, but I if I'm shooting a wider shot of some characters in a forest I would like a bit deeper depth of field. Doesn't mean the entire forest needs to be in focus, but I'd like to have some scenes with more in focus. Thanks!

Look at Olympus OM lenses. Very sharp, dirt cheap on ebay. 15 bucks for the adapter. You can get a 1.4 Om 50mm for the same (similar) price as the 50mm 1.8 Canon. If your not happy, put em on ebay for your money back.

 

[skital]

Look at Olympus OM lenses. Very sharp, dirt cheap on ebay. 15 bucks for the adapter. You can get a 1.4 Om 50mm for the same (similar) price as the 50mm 1.8 Canon. If your not happy, put em on ebay for your money back.

Thank you! I'm gonna have a look at that.

I've heard the 7D has a 1.6x crop factor, so I don't know what kind of lenses are incompatible. What kind of wide angle lenses will work with the 7D? I'm hoping for at least 1.8 capable lenses if possible.

BTW, do I really need a zoom lens or should I just get like a 50mm lens, a 28mm lens and maybe another lens. Or should at least one be a zoom lens?

 

[edsonkwushu]

Hey Rockmore, those Olympus OM lenses, they are built for 35mm frame sensor and will have the 1.6 crop factor when used with the adapter on the Canon 7D, right?

 

[ROCKMORE]

Thank you! I'm gonna have a look at that.

I've heard the 7D has a 1.6x crop factor, so I don't know what kind of lenses are incompatible. What kind of wide angle lenses will work with the 7D? I'm hoping for at least 1.8 capable lenses if possible.

Here is a chart showing what lenses you can adapt to the 7D / 5D EOS mount. The crop factor is only going to effect your wide view. Anything longer is just a matter of converting numbers. I'm getting a 7D with one wide lens and use all my Olympus lenses for anything 24mm 2.8 or longer. The primes are the way to go, much faster than zooms. Even a slow prime is f2.8 where your zooms are f3.5 to f5.6.
If you can afford one, a 15mm to 85mm Canon will give you a wide view that covers the same as 24mm in full frame. If your budget is limited than start with an 18mm to 55mm for $100, or an 18mm to 135mm for a bit more.

Canon EOS

44.0 mm​

Adapters​

Contarex

46.0 mm​

Mechanical adapters with no optics and which maintain infinity focus may be possible​

Contax RTS

45.5 mm​

Leica R

47.0 mm​

Nikon

46.5 mm​

OlympusOM

46.0 mm​

Pentax K

45.5 mm​

Pentax Screw (M42)

45.5 mm​

Petri Bayonet

45.5 mm​

Ricoh Bayonet

45.5 mm​

T2 mount

55.0 mm​

Yashica FR, FX

45.5 mm​

Canon (FD and earlier)

42.0 mm​

Adapters would need optics for infinity focus and act as weak multipliers​

Fujica X Mount (bayonet)

43.5 mm​

Konica F

40.5 mm​

Minolta MD

43.5 mm​

Miranda

41.5 mm​

 

[ROCKMORE]

Hey Rockmore, those Olympus OM lenses, they are built for 35mm frame sensor and will have the 1.6 crop factor when used with the adapter on the Canon 7D, right?

Right. Here is a chart that shows the field sizes of various film and video formats.
Old Nikon and Zuiko lenses are sharp fast and cheap. A good place to start experimenting. I shot with 35mm still lenses on 16mm film cameras for broadcast projects and had great results. If you look at the chart you will see there is a huge crop factor between 16mm and 35mm full frame. It's all relative, just try and enjoy.
Sorry I just realized I made this chart a year ago before the 7D came out. I will revise it soon.

 

[skital]

Right. Here is a chart that shows the field sizes of various film and video formats.
Old Nikon and Zuiko lenses are sharp fast and cheap. A good place to start experimenting. I shot with 35mm still lenses on 16mm film cameras for broadcast projects and had great results. If you look at the chart you will see there is a huge crop factor between 16mm and 35mm full frame. It's all relative, just try and enjoy.
Sorry I just realized I made this chart a year ago before the 7D came out. I will revise it soon.

The 5D Mark II has 24p now, correct? Should I consider that you think? Would all of these lenses mentioned here work with it, but without the cropping? It would be nice to shoot wider without it being cropped and the lower light capability would mean I could get about equal results at a higher F-Stop than the 7D, correct?

One more thing. What is the record limit of both?

 

[Barry_Green]

The 5D Mark II has 24p now, correct?

No. it only does 30p. They've announced that there'll be a firmware update that will provide 24p someday, sometime in "the first half of 2010". So it could be here in a couple of weeks, or six months. But if you're talking about today, it's only 30p.

Would all of these lenses mentioned here work with it, but without the cropping?

If they're designed for full frame, then yes. If they're designed for APS-C, then no, they'd be seriously vignetting on a full-frame camera.

It would be nice to shoot wider without it being cropped and the lower light capability would mean I could get about equal results at a higher F-Stop than the 7D, correct?

Yes, if using full-frame lenses.

One more thing. What is the record limit of both?

4 gigabytes at a time, which means about 12 minutes.

 

[skital]

No. it only does 30p. They've announced that there'll be a firmware update that will provide 24p someday, sometime in "the first half of 2010". So it could be here in a couple of weeks, or six months. But if you're talking about today, it's only 30p.


If they're designed for full frame, then yes. If they're designed for APS-C, then no, they'd be seriously vignetting on a full-frame camera.


Yes, if using full-frame lenses.


4 gigabytes at a time, which means about 12 minutes.

Thanks Barry! Are full frame lenses more expensive? I haven't even been paying attention to the APS-C and full frame lens thing when looking for lenses. I'm glad you said something. Although, I did at least try to search for ones compatible with the 7D. lol.

 

[ROCKMORE]

I am considering the 7D for a horror/mixed genre film/possible series, but can't spend thousands on lenses, unfortunately. I would like two or three good lenses though that will give me the average non wide shot, a wide shot, etc.

What lenses can I get that will be great in low light for the 7D, which one to get that will be a wider angle and one with a deeper depth of field, so it won't be too shallow? I'd love shallow depth, but I if I'm shooting a wider shot of some characters in a forest I would like a bit deeper depth of field. Doesn't mean the entire forest needs to be in focus, but I'd like to have some scenes with more in focus. Thanks!

For me I'm starting out with a 7D because it has variable frame rates and is also cheaper than the 5D, but the 5D is producing some fantastic images in less light and is able to achieve a considerably wider view than the smaller sensor. (Some will disagree with lenses like the 10mm to 22mm)
When the 5D gets it's new frame rates it would be nice to have both cameras. This is my reasoning for getting one good wide lens to start with the 7D and anything else (24mm or longer) will be a FF coverage lens to also work with the 5D.
Glass doesn't become obsolete the way camera bodies do. It happens now in months not years. I have Zeiss, Nikon, Schneider, and Zuiko lenses from the 60s and 70s and 80s and they still kick ass today. What did video look like then?
The FF camera will be the one to beat when the flaws are smoothed out, and that will happen sooner than later. Having lenses that work with both formats will be efficient and save in the long run. invest in a collection of versatile lenses and you can't go wrong.