Lens advice
 

Hi all,

I currently have:
-the kit lens
-55-250mm
-50mm 1.8

And am looking for one or two good overall lenses for video. I shoot at night, would like to do weddings and portraits and like to do closer shots, too. I feel the kit and 55-250 aren't that great for video. The 1.8 is serving me well but I imagine the 1.4 would be better.

I'm not a fan of changing the lens much so hope to pair the three down to 2 good lenses for overall situations.

Advice?

Re: Lens advice
 

Lots of info and related posts in this forum. The first thing you need to figure out is your budget. But all in all, many people will suggest the Canon 17-55 f2.8 for a wide-mid zoom, and the 70-200 f2.8 for mid-long zoom.

Check out Sigma and Tamron's equivalents if you're on a tighter budget.

Other fast primes are pretty pricey but if you have the cash, get the 50 1.4 (I hate the focus ring on the 50 1.8) or 85 1.8 or Sigma 30 1.4. If you can't have it all, find out which focal length you need most after a few shoots.

Re: Lens advice
 

Older manual focus prime lenses are also worth a look. Nikon, Pentax M42 mount and Olympus OM mount lenses are cracking quality and can be had for pretty good prices. Much better focus and aperture controls as well and the lack of AF isn't much of an issue in the video world.

Re: Lens advice
 

Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. Do it.

For weddings a 70-200mm f/2.8 is my favorite lens. I have the Tamron version and it cost me less than $600 in as-new condition.

Re: Lens advice
 

You have a good start.

As stated above, these lenses will give you some quality results for the money!


Tamron 28-75 2.8 ($350 used, $310 on a good day!)

Tamron (or Sigma) 70-200 2.8 (Tamron is about $720 used, Sigma can be found for $600-$650 used)

Sigma also makes a nice 2x tele adaptor that works well ($60 used)

Re: Lens advice
 

Is there anything from Sigma or Tameron that goes lower then 28?

The plan would be to sell off the kit lens and the 55-250mm for the better lenses and I like, at the moment, that the kit lens can at least get in there nice for macro'ish shots.

Also, does using lenses that are NOT Canon effect the camera abilities (ie: IS?)

Re: Lens advice
 

Hang onto the 18-55mm "kit" lens, you won't get much for it. I just bought one literally brand new off another forum (to have something on my 60D for "grab 'n go") and I only had to pay $70 which included shipping.

As a lens that goes from usable wide angle to portrait perspective tele in on lightweight convenient package it's worth that and more.

The 55-250 can come in pretty handy in outdoor daylight.

You'll pay for them but my favorite lenses for video are the EF 24mm f2.8 (slightly wide normal perspective) and the EF 28mm f1.8 (normal perspective). The 24 is fair in low light, the 28 gives outstanding low light performance.

But you've had some other good suggestions here, also.

Re: Lens advice
 

In the Canon world, the mechanics of IS are purely in the lens. Many other manufacturers have an IS feature in the body (notable exception: Nikon).

f/2.8 is the fastest fixed aperture zoom you're going to find for your camera. Your only hope if you really need faster lenses is to get a set of fast primes. It is possible to fairly cheaply assemble a set of say, four vintage primes all at f/1.9 or below covering the range between 28mm and 135mm.

But shooting faster than f/2.8 means that the depth of field will be very shallow and hard to manage , and a set of primes that will compete with fixed f/2.8 zooms for price tend to need to be stopped down a notch or too to achieve an acceptable degree of sharpness.

I prefer primes, but it depends on the work you need to do.

Re: Lens advice
 

So, I have been looking at both Tameron 28-75mm
and the 70-200mm (although a bit worried about some of the reviews on this one stating slow focus)

Here's a question:
For video, wouldn't prime lenses be what you want to go for in most instances? I seem to be shooting a lot of my stuff with the 50mm 1.8
(I guess it depends on what you are shooting, though, of course)

I could snag both 28-75mm and the 70-200mm or about $1000 where as ONE of those in the Canon brand would cost me $2500 CDN.

I would like something that does somewhat nice macro shots, though. Mainly, I was trying to avoid having to always change lenses on the fly and looking for that one, overall, good lens to keep on the camera the bulk of the time. Does it exist or am I just entering into the norm for photography...massive lens collecting? :p

Re: Lens advice
 

I just think that its hard to find an all around lens. I think it just all depends on your situation. The reason I say is because I do weddings, music videos, promotional videos, etc. I need different lens for different situations.

Take for instance a wedding. If I am doing preceremony I may be in a hotel room, or a room in the church. In this case I need not only a fast lense of at least 2.8, I also need a wide angle because some of these spaces are small and congested. I try my best never to go over 1600 iso (i will if it means getting the shot altogether).

Ok now its time for the ceremony, depending on the ceremony and lighting i may can get away with the 18-135mm 3.5-5.6(In most cases not, because if i zoom, I'm sitting at 4.5 or higher f-stop), but if not I need the 70-200mm which I don't own, I would have to go and rent it. Also, I need mid zooms of at least 2.8 to get closeups on their faces because every venue is different and i don't know exactly how close I can get.

Now is the reception, which you never know what your going to get. Lately, most of my receptions have been intimate with subtle but colorful lighting. So now i need nothing but fast primes, because I can move as much as I need to but I need the open aperature for the lighting. Sometimes in these receptions, a 2.8 won't get it done at 1600 iso.

So as you can see, just for weddings I need at least 3 different lens and multiples of each. As of now I only own 2 kit lens and the cheap 50mm 1.8 and everything else I have to rent.

I havent even mentioned music vids or promos where having something like the tokina 11-16 f2.8 would be nice. Especially if your utilizing flycams, glidecams, or steadicams!

Trust me I will eventually buy the lens that I use the most but even deciding which one to buy first is a touch decision. So I understand what your going through. But as far as an all around lens, that maybe something you never actually find, because I think your situation dictates your lens and not the other way around!

Re: Lens advice
 

I have the Tamron 70-200 and I love it. For video you are not going to be using the AF anyway so the AF speed is not really an issue.

Prime lenses are great for pre-planned shots like interviews or narrative work, but zooms are much more efficient for live events such as weddings. You might never zoom during a shot, but it's much better being able to change your framing without also switching lenses. It all depends on what you are shooting.

The 28-75 on a crop sensor camera will give you a fairly tight perspective. You'd be much better off with a lens designed for APS-C camera's such as the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. From everything I've seen and read, this is one of the most popular lenses among HDSLR users, giving excellent value for money.

Re: Lens advice
 

Okay, some more lens questions. Thanks for the advice, all, thus far.

1) Is there really a huge different between the Canon 1.8 and 1.4. The book I have been reading on the camera promites the 1.4 a lot.

2) It seems like good coverage for me would be:

17-70mm Sigma 2.8
70-200 Tamera 2.8

Here is the question: on B&H the 17-50 2.8 is MORE expensive. Not knowing anything about lenses, it seems to me that it would be cheaper because it doesn't zoom as far.

* * * *

So, yeah, I think what I am seeking is three good lenses to start off with that:
a) would be good for weddings
b) portraits
c) nature shots
d) video

A good range for me would be 17-200mm (although 20 would also be doable for me if there is better starting there) which would factor as two lenses, I deduce. I would either keep the 1.8 OR upgrade it to a 1.4 if need be to have one prime in the mid-range.

Thoughts and tips?

Re: Lens advice
 

I think that the best choice for weddings would be, based on price to:

Tamron 70-200mm f2.8
Tamron 17-50mm f2.8
Sigma 30mm f1.4

This will cover your focal lenths that you wanted. They are also not expensive as the canon options.
The 70-200mm will give you coverage for long shots, the 17-50mm will give you wide and mid range zoom. And the 30mm 1.4 will be really fast and give you open aperature for low light situations. There is also a cheaper 50mm 1.8 from canon for $99, but with the crop factor it makes for a really tight shot. However, it is a cheap fast lens and I use it all the time!

If this were me and I had to get 3 lens, these would be my options. However, I would rather get the t3i for the digital zoom, then grab the 28-75mm. Then I could get the tokina 11-16.. 2,8. but thats just what I'm working on right now!

Re: Lens advice
 

Robert, the difference in the 50 1.8, 1.4, and 1.2 is mainly build quality and function. I'm sure there are minor differences in image quality, but I think it's mainly form and function. I have the 50 1.4 and don't use it much. I don't really like the focal length and 1.4-2.0 is too shallow a dof to really use it unless you're trying to get trick shots. Fwiw... I have stayed away from third party lenses in lew of used L series lenses from 1 release back. I have the 17-35L 2.8, the 28-70L 2.8 and the 70-200L IS. I also have the AMAZING 24-105L IS and the 50 1.4 Use the 24-105 most of the day until it get's too dark. But these L lenses costed me about half of brand new and are in immaculate condition. If you can find them, they're certainly worth a look.
Bill

Re: Lens advice
 

So, just when I thought Tameron was the way to go for my budget I read that they generally have focusing issues. I've heard of Sigma more then Tameron. Are they better, do you find?