Which lens is better for video the T2i, 18-55mm or 18-135mm?

drameddie

drameddie

Well-known member
I'm looking to get a T2i, but don't know which lens to get. The new kits come with the 18-135mm. I'm looking to use it to shoot short films. I'm wondering which of the lens will be best for that purpose. Thanks.
 
I just read the photozone reviews. It seems the 18-135 is a little better, but still not great. The 18-55 is a very tough lens to manual focus with. I messed with it at Best Buy and the focus ring is crazy feeling, at least to me.
 
drameddie said:
I'm looking to get a T2i, but don't know which lens to get. The new kits come with the 18-135mm. I'm looking to use it to shoot short films. I'm wondering which of the lens will be best for that purpose. Thanks.
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The kit lens is good for a hundred bucks and appears quite sharp but... The variable aperture will cause problems for video. The 18-135 is worse and very distorted on the wide end.
If you are on a budget go for the 18-55 kit lens to start then upgrade to a constant aperture lens. The 50mm 1.8 is also a good deal and very sharp below f4.
 
Thanks for all your responses. I guess I'll get the T2i body and buy a lens separately. I read on the forums where people recommend the Sigma, Tokina, Tamron, & etc. Which do you recommend? I'm willing to spend $400 -$500 for a lens or two lenses. I'm looking to create shallow DOF for video.
 
Also keep in mind that the front thread of the 18-55 kit lens rotates while focusing making it difficult to be used with polarisers. But overall for the money it appears to be a good buy. Now if you are prepared to spend then I think the Tamron or the sigma (the newer macro version not the old one) are the way to go with a 2.8 maximum aperture.
 
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