35mm lenses

[Mooli]

Hi guys,

Planning on getting some new kit this week, and amongst the long wish list , is a new 35mm lens for Eos cameras. Seen that samyang has a very reasonably priced new 1.4 lens just out, and of course canon has a 1.4 for much more, as well as an f2 lens etc. Anyway just wanted to know your thoughts on the samyang, if you've tried it, or if you've tried any 35mm that you'd like to recommend.

A friend of ours who is a very successful pro photographer is quite snobby about gear, and won't use anything other than canon or Zeiss glass, but we're keeping an open mind, mainly cos we can't afford thousands of pounds on each lens we buy, lol.

Primarily interested in filming music videos, such as this one which was recently completed, but want to step things up to the next level. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3f2bnehtTI

Thanks in advance for your help x

 

[Ernest Worthing]

What's your budget for lenses and which ones do you already own?

If you tell us that then we can tell you what you'll probably need to cover yourself for filming music videos.

 

[Mooli]

What's your budget for lenses and which ones do you already own?

If you tell us that then we can tell you what you'll probably need to cover yourself for filming music videos.

Right now just the kit lens, and the 50mm 1.8 which is great. I;m guessing an 85 and a 35 would go nicely? Thinking more of prime lenses at the moment, unless you have a great zoom solution. Budget wise, looking at around the £500 mark as a maximum. Would love to get an L lens, but think this can wait for the while.

 

[Ernest Worthing]

Im guessing you have a crop sensor, correct? t2i, 60d?

Which kit lens do you have? 18-135, 28-135 or the 15-85?

Ofcourse the focal lengths vary according to your specific needs but generally and if it was me, having the 50mm already, i would next go for an 85 and a 24 or 28. And i would use the kit lens to fill in the gaps.

 

[Mooli]

Im guessing you have a crop sensor, correct? t2i, 60d?

Which kit lens do you have? 18-135, 28-135 or the 15-85?

Ofcourse the focal lengths vary according to your specific needs but generally and if it was me, having the 50mm already, i would next go for an 85 and a 24 or 28. And i would use the kit lens to fill in the gaps.

Hi Ernest, thanks for your reply. Have the 18-55 kit lens, which I don't think is as bad as some people suggest. Think its a decent lens.

Gonna look into the prices of the 85, 24 and 28. Would you stick to canon, or are there some equally good or better alternatives out there?

 

[Ernest Worthing]

The kit lens can produce good results with proper lighting. The best lens with bad lighting with bad lighting can not help you in getting a good image.

If you can afford it, stick with the same brand as your body. That's how lenses produce optimal results. If not, you can look into cheaper alternatives like Sigma.

 

[SinEater]

If you can afford it, stick with the same brand as your body. That's how lenses produce optimal results. If not, you can look into cheaper alternatives like Sigma.

I'd say stick with the same brand/era of lenses for a different reason. Different brands use some different coatings which can cause slight variations. These have also changed as the technology and methods have evolved. I have some newer Panasonic glass and some vintage Nikon glass for my GH2, and I try to never mix them on my projects. It becomes too much of a hassle trying to get the image to match in post production.

 

[Mooli]

That's a very interesting observation Sin Eater. Would never have crossed my mind.

Looks like the decision is swaying towards one of the canons then, though cost may be higher. I've not tried out Sigmas.

Looks like no one is defending the Samyangs?

How are you finding the GH2 by the way? Looks very sharp from video examples seen on Youtube

 

[SinEater]

I'm very happy with it. It beats out the 60D in my opinion, though not by much. My only real complaint is about how Panasonic sabotaged the HDMI out to make it incompatible with external recorders. Hopefully a firmware hack will fix that in the near future.

 

[Gonzo_Entertainment]

I'm very happy with it. It beats out the 60D in my opinion, though not by much. My only real complaint is about how Panasonic sabotaged the HDMI out to make it incompatible with external recorders. Hopefully a firmware hack will fix that in the near future.

Maybe so. They most likely did it because they want to still sell their much more expensive dedicated video cameras.

 

[David.rhsc]

I'd say stick with the same brand/era of lenses for a different reason. Different brands use some different coatings which can cause slight variations. These have also changed as the technology and methods have evolved. I have some newer Panasonic glass and some vintage Nikon glass for my GH2, and I try to never mix them on my projects. It becomes too much of a hassle trying to get the image to match in post production.

This. Match lenses for their look and it will make your life easier in the edit. I have two 50mm primes at the moment; a canon 1.8 in FD and a Rikonon 1.7 in Pentax K. They are both approximately the same age and fundamentally the same speed. Both have a slight warm cast to them, although the canon is quite sharper and contains less of a color cast. I also get less sensor reflection from practical light sources in scene on the Canon lens than I do on the Rikonon. I could see cases where either lens could be a better aesthetic fit for a given project.

I'm very happy with it. It beats out the 60D in my opinion, though not by much. My only real complaint is about how Panasonic sabotaged the HDMI out to make it incompatible with external recorders. Hopefully a firmware hack will fix that in the near future.

Apparently there are very long and complicated work-arounds using AviSynth on material recorded into Atomos or KiPro. Don't have either of those boxes, so have not explored it much.

Maybe so. They most likely did it because they want to still sell their much more expensive dedicated video cameras.

That's the general consensus.