with or w/o lens... that is the question
- Thread starter Shimobe
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dustylense
Veteran
Why not? It's a $900 lens that in the kit comes in for less than that. It's not a bad lens either. Slow yes, but hey..Isn't the fs100 a nice low light cam? The birger is hung up on the af100, so don't expect it for the fs100 any sooner.
NeedCreative
Well-known member
Feelings on this lens are mixed (I don't think people should get it for video for many reasons) but I want to note that a slow lens not only loses light... you also loose some shallowness in your DOF. In other words a lens at F6 is going to have a significantly deeper DOF than a lens at say F2. That's another huge reason to get fast glass (and this camera) - bokeh. It's not just about light level. If that was the case Sony could have come out with another camera that had typical ENG deep DOF and high light sensitivity and call it a day. This is a cinema-style camera, and a major part of that is shallow DOF.
Stephen Mick
Totally Usable
I understand why you're saying that this is primarily a cinema-style camera, but let's face it…it's a camera. And people are going to use it for just about anything that comes up, from narrative to docs and weddings and more. (Is it the best choice? Maybe not, but that hasn't stopped anyone before.
)Fast glass is great, and if you're a bokeh-whore, you're going to want f2.8 or faster lenses. But the 18-200 kit lens can give you reasonably shallow DOF, as I found when shooting my weekend test footage with it. And the range of this lens, combined with full electronic communication and function, makes the lens an asset for many. And I was more than pleased with how the images looked, given how little time I had to actually set up the camera.
I say, if you think you're going to to ANY events or run-and-gun doc stuff, get the kit lens. If not, put that money towards other glass for your narrative needs.
alaskacameradude
Veteran
Every time I have asked about the kit lens, people have told me it 'sucks'.
From my point of view it's the beauty of this camera. See, its an interchangable
lens camera. So, I would think that the kit lens, could make a reasonable
compromise to helping it perform like a 'normal' video camera (say an
EX-1). Now it won't have a servo zoom, but it WILL have a decent zoom reach
and you will be able to quickly frame up different types of shots when
shooting B-roll type stuff (most people don't use the actual zoom during
the shot, but it IS nice to be able to reframe a shot without picking up
the sticks and physically moving everything.) The depth of field won't
be great, but I doubt it will be any deeper than an EX-1. So for
outdoors or well lit stuff where you need to 'run and gun' I'd think
the kit lens would work ok (now granted, I do NOT know this as I do
not have an FS 100, but it seems to make logical sense to me). And
the video actually LOOKS pretty decent, judging by what I see from
people who have used it.
Now, you can CERTAINLY get a lens that has shallower depth of field, better
in low light, looks better, and all that. But that is the point! You
can put a different lens (not the kit lens) on this camera and have it
perform totally differently!!! It seems to me, like if you have a good
variable ND filter, this camera could be 'similar' to having an
EX-1 and a T3i in one camera. Obviously there are workarounds for
some things (ND being a big one) but just because you get the kit lens,
doesn't mean you'd shoot EVERYTHING with it! Get a decent 'bright'
zoom, a couple primes, the kit lens....you know, turn into a total
'lens whore'! To me that's one of the cool things about this camera!
It seems to be able to be more than one type of camera if you know what
I mean. So each lens would fill a different 'niche' and I could
definitely see a 'niche' for the kit lens. Again, just my opinion, and
it isn't from having used the FS 100, just from having seen footage
from those who have.
Rick Burnett
Section Moderator
I personally chose not to get it myself after reading reviews about it from others, so I am using all manual lenses or full open EOS lenses until the Birger ships. I can live with that for now. The problem is, as stated, people have different needs, different tastes. On my 7D, I rarely used the kit lens. Never liked it. I am more of a prime guy, so that is where my feelings come from. Maybe best thing to do is try this lens on even a Sony still camera and see if you like it first if you can find them locally. That's what I would do if I was more interested in it.