Relative beginner: Next lens?

JoeBloom

JoeBloom

Hi all. Hope you are all well.

So I currently use a 600D with the kit lens and a canon 50mm 1.8 mk II.
I'm in the process of acquiring new and better equipment, such as I'll be swapping my H4N for a DR100, and grabbing an NTG2. And if not soon, around June time picking up the full frame 5D Mark III.

Whilst I am enjoying my equipment, I feel restricted and can't wait to go full frame. I do realise that crop has its place, and I will try to keep my 600D without selling it to fund towards the 5D.

Anyway to the main body of this question: Bearing in mind I will be moving into the 5D in short time, what is the next lens I should get?
You'll probably ask what are you trying to do. Well I'm pretty sure I am not looking for a zoom lens, and I would love something with a low prime mm that works well in low light, something for intimate shots of people and anything else it can handle beneficial/versatility.
Budget? As cheap as possible but that is a step up from the 50mm 1.8 MK II. That lens can be really handy but a step up for my next lens.

I've heard a good idea is old Nikon lenses off ebay as long as I buy adapters for them?

I realise that the 50mm will be so much wider when it comes to full frame, and will make that lens even more usable. On the 600d crop sensor its great, but its so very very tight.

What would YOU buy?
 
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On a full frame sensor, I find it's much more of a struggle to get tighter. Suddenly my 50mm looks like a 35mm and my 85 looks like a 50. I'd be looking for a 100mm+ to get something tighter.

Are you sure you need a 5D though? It provides a negligible benefit in the lowest of low light shoots, but other than that the video quality is not really all that different to the 600D. The sensor size makes a difference mostly to the Depth of Field - your 100mm lens will look like an 85mm S35 lens but still have the DOF that a 100mm lens would have - again a negligible difference, and not something I would pay that much for. I would rather spend the cost of the body on better lenses - they'll last a lot longer.
 
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I think you may be laboring under the false belief propagated by OMG a ton of people online.

While in still photography terms your camera is a "crop sensor" in motion picture terms it's a lot more inline with "full frame" than a so-called "full frame" sensor is.

Your money would probably be better spent on lenses than a new camera.. especially if that 50mm is the widest lens you have.
 
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jax_rox said:
On a full frame sensor, I find it's much more of a struggle to get tighter. Suddenly my 50mm looks like a 35mm and my 85 looks like a 50. I'd be looking for a 100mm+ to get something tighter.

Are you sure you need a 5D though? It provides a negligible benefit in the lowest of low light shoots, but other than that the video quality is not really all that different to the 600D. The sensor size makes a difference mostly to the Depth of Field - your 100mm lens will look like an 85mm S35 lens but still have the DOF that a 100mm lens would have - again a negligible difference, and not something I would pay that much for. I would rather spend the cost of the body on better lenses - they'll last a lot longer.
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Thanks. Any recommendations for a next lens?

Will Vincent said:
I think you may be laboring under the false belief propagated by OMG a ton of people online.

While in still photography terms your camera is a "crop sensor" in motion picture terms it's a lot more inline with "full frame" than a so-called "full frame" sensor is.

Your money would probably be better spent on lenses than a new camera.. especially if that 50mm is the widest lens you have.
Click to expand...

You are probably right, once you see the latest equipment I like to just have the latest so I can't blame my work on it, and just concentrate on producing good stuff. Any ideas on a new lens? The 50mm is the widest I have, I'm looking for something wider that offers the same kinds of benefits (low light etc), the 50mm is great but only at 1.8 im not going to pay for the 1.4 when the crop is there so I definitely need something wider.

SlaughterhouseFilms said:
SAMYANG/ROKINON. Look no further
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Yes often hear Samyang cropping up, any thoughts on a particular one?

baoliun said:
Do you really need a wider lens than 20ish on the crop ?
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Not sure.

My interest is in prime lenses, with the crop sensor I don't need any more zoom than the kit lens already offers, I much prefer working a way of repositioning myself and the camera rather than trying to zoom in on stuff.

Is a good option perhaps something like the Samyang 14mm?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SAMYANG-2-8...=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1394797630&sr=1-1

At 2.8 should be versatile enough for some dark environments?
Having a lens like this would just open up a lot more for me, giving me a basic zoom kit lens when I need it, an intimate lens in my 50mm, and a wide lens <- this is what I'm currently lacking.
 
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A set of Master Primes.

Depends on what type of filming you do. Do you prefer primes or zooms? How essential is low light performance? Do you want to get top quality or the best bargain? Do you want to go really wide or telephoto?
 
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photon said:
A set of Master Primes.

Depends on what type of filming you do. Do you prefer primes or zooms? How essential is low light performance? Do you want to get top quality or the best bargain? Do you want to go really wide or telephoto?
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Definitely primes. As stated in previous post, I'm more akin to repositioning myself and the camera, rather than opting for zooms. I rarely need to zoom.

Low light performance is desired, at least to some degree, I'm most interested in filming people and intimate environments and not have to worry too much about creating my own light. "Real" environments and a lens that can cope.
A decent wide lens that is enough for a landscape shot, bear in mind the crop sensor on the 600D, so I need something that has low enough mm to still give me a good wide shot.

So I think I want something low mm, with a low aperture, prime lens.
 
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brunerww said:
Joe - after reading the thread, I think you're looking for a Samyang 24mm T1.5 prime. Here's one for £399 on eBay UK.

If that's too dear, this £299 35mm T1.5 may be wide enough.

Good luck!

Bill
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Thank you very much for the suggestions Bill. The 35mm seems like a really good next option for me, just hoping it's not too cropped. I've been looking at some footage on YouTube with a 600D, it seems relatively cropped in intimate places but low light it looks amazing, I'm not sure how versatile it will be for landscape/wide shots too?

Will Vincent said:
If you're blaming your equipment on substandard work, you're probably doing it wrong.
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I'm not I was merely suggesting I don't want to come to that stage and have a crapload of moire or something frustrating the hell out of me when a Mark III has made huge improvements in that area, as an example.
 
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JoeBloom said:
Thank you very much for the suggestions Bill. The 35mm seems like a really good next option for me, just hoping it's not too cropped. I've been looking at some footage on YouTube with a 600D, it seems relatively cropped in intimate places but low light it looks amazing, I'm not sure how versatile it will be for landscape/wide shots too?
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Here it is on a T3i/600D outdoors - looks pretty good for a £299 lens :)


http://youtu.be/Lqm_Kszcxsg


Cheers,

Bill
 
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I'm not clear on whether you want us to think more about how this new lens will work with your 600D or with your future 5D.

You said you want this new lens to work well for shooting intimate shots of people. I think you've also said that you want a wide angle lens to give you a wider angle with your 600D. Or are you thinking more of having a wide angle for your 5D?

We might want to separate out the two; that is, we might want to consider the benefits to you with your 600D versus with your 5D.

The video Bill posted with the 35mm on a T3i looks good. The people shots look good.

My concern is that if you put a wide angle lens on a full-frame sensor body and try to shoot intimate (I'm guessing that means close-up) shots of people, you might get that bulbous look to your actors or interviewees that wide angle lens are known for producing, at least in still photography. And again, that is of course with full-frame or 35mm film cameras.

Ain't so? (appealing to the experts to verify or discount that)

Maybe that look is what you want, what pleases you. I don't think I'd want it. Although, I might want that look for dramatic purposes or if it fit the scene and the storyline for some reason. And maybe it'd be negligible with a 35mm.

In accordance with Jax's suggestion, I think, flattering, close-up, intimate shots of people might generally be better served by longer focal lengths like a 100mm or an 85mm or even longer (which a 100mm will give you on your 600D when you add the crop factor). Unless that's not the look you're going for.

At the same time, you sound like you also want, naturally, a nice wide angle lens. Unfortunately, depending on what you're going for, that might be incompatible with a nice close-up lens (see above for my concern). If you want both, you might have to think about getting both a wide and a tele lens.

A compromise might be a zoom. But, cheap zooms... And you don't like zooms. Well, it might serve your purpsoses well enough, and give you a good lens for both wide shots and close-ups. I don't know, though, if a cheap zoom that is also fast for low light circumstances exists. Does one?

And some here would recommend that you forget about the 5D and go with one of the new kids on the block: a Black Magic or a GH camera. ;)
 
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http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_24_70mm_f_2_8l_ii_usm Too much for you? Tamron makes a version for a fair bit less.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._2_8_DI.html?gclid=CMOC2Im7lr0CFS9p7Aod2xgAZQ

I know that you said that you don't want zooms but consider this, you don't HAVE to zoom the lens while shooting. You can set your focal length anywhere between 24 and 70 mm and just use that length for the shot. Need a different length for the next shot? Turn the barrel. You say that you have the kit lens for a 600D (T3i), is that the EF-S 18-55 f3.5-5.6? If so, and you are happy with the performance, forget my previous recommendation and go with an 85mm f1.8.

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_85mm_f_1_8_usm
 
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richy said:
I'm not clear on whether you want us to think more about how this new lens will work with your 600D or with your future 5D.

You said you want this new lens to work well for shooting intimate shots of people. I think you've also said that you want a wide angle lens to give you a wider angle with your 600D. Or are you thinking more of having a wide angle for your 5D?

We might want to separate out the two; that is, we might want to consider the benefits to you with your 600D versus with your 5D.

The video Bill posted with the 35mm on a T3i looks good. The people shots look good.

My concern is that if you put a wide angle lens on a full-frame sensor body and try to shoot intimate (I'm guessing that means close-up) shots of people, you might get that bulbous look to your actors or interviewees that wide angle lens are known for producing, at least in still photography. And again, that is of course with full-frame or 35mm film cameras.

Ain't so? (appealing to the experts to verify or discount that)

Maybe that look is what you want, what pleases you. I don't think I'd want it. Although, I might want that look for dramatic purposes or if it fit the scene and the storyline for some reason. And maybe it'd be negligible with a 35mm.

In accordance with Jax's suggestion, I think, flattering, close-up, intimate shots of people might generally be better served by longer focal lengths like a 100mm or an 85mm or even longer (which a 100mm will give you on your 600D when you add the crop factor). Unless that's not the look you're going for.

At the same time, you sound like you also want, naturally, a nice wide angle lens. Unfortunately, depending on what you're going for, that might be incompatible with a nice close-up lens (see above for my concern). If you want both, you might have to think about getting both a wide and a tele lens.

A compromise might be a zoom. But, cheap zooms... And you don't like zooms. Well, it might serve your purpsoses well enough, and give you a good lens for both wide shots and close-ups. I don't know, though, if a cheap zoom that is also fast for low light circumstances exists. Does one?

And some here would recommend that you forget about the 5D and go with one of the new kids on the block: a Black Magic or a GH camera. ;)
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Thank you for the detailed response. It would be beneficial to pick a lens that when/if I upgrade to a 5D; the lens doesn't become at all fish-eye or mega wide when on the full frame.

I wonder what the max is for that? There's got to be a chart out there somewhere..

I definitely just want a prime lens fixed focal length, and wide, my main priority is something much wider to use with the 600D and works well in low light. That's probably as much as I can hope for with a limited budget, rather than a lens that can do everything.

Lucky Hardwood said:
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_24_70mm_f_2_8l_ii_usm Too much for you? Tamron makes a version for a fair bit less.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._2_8_DI.html?gclid=CMOC2Im7lr0CFS9p7Aod2xgAZQ

I know that you said that you don't want zooms but consider this, you don't HAVE to zoom the lens while shooting. You can set your focal length anywhere between 24 and 70 mm and just use that length for the shot. Need a different length for the next shot? Turn the barrel. You say that you have the kit lens for a 600D (T3i), is that the EF-S 18-55 f3.5-5.6? If so, and you are happy with the performance, forget my previous recommendation and go with an 85mm f1.8.

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_85mm_f_1_8_usm
Click to expand...

Yes that is the kit lens I have. I'm happy with it for when I need any kind of zoom, or some versatility within one lens.
Those first two links are way above my budget, I'm thinking in the region of £300 maximum really.
I'm not looking for anything above 50mm I want something wide, please disregard my desire for "intimate/closeups", I can accomplish this very well with my 50mm I have.

I need a wider lens that will be good for low light, something I can do a lot with.
 
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