SIGMA 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG MACRO HSM ON A 5D MKII FOR VIDEO?
 

Hi, looking to buy a SIGMA 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG MACRO HSM for video on my 5D MKII

my questin is:

worth buying the Nikon fit (with adpater) first version not "II" to have manual control of the aperture ?

or just symply buy the Canon version and don't have control of aperture but auto focus.

Thanks

I've had this lens for a while and I'm quite happy with it for photos.

Maybe get the Nikon version I for aperture control. It's quite a heavy lens to be attempting the EOS lens twist method. You get a tripod collar with it, so obviously the lens twist method isn't going to work with the collar mounted to a tripod (it would then be the camera twist method - giving a horizontally skewed image on the sensor!)

If you want to save money and get extra reach, what about the Nikon 70-300 4.5-5.6 ED. I don't know for sure if it's fully compatible but it is cheap (older non VR version). At these long focal lengths depth of field is very small anwyay, but you would be losing a few stops of light.

I've got a few cheap Nikon lenses second hand and they work great for video. I got the cheap plastic primes for small DOF work, and some slower zooms.

Using it
 

I'm using this lens (Nikon Mount) with a Haoda lens adapter (with focus confirmation) to great effect. It's an awesome lens and works great with the 5d Mark II, and the focus confirmation is a big plus.

It's pretty heavy, but the zoom is internal so it stays pretty balanced. I've used it hand held and on a tripod, if you have the time go ahead and mount it on the pod. At 200mm good luck holding it still enough!

What else to say, hmmm...

Go for it.

Actually, feel free to message me if you haven't gotten the lens yet and are interested in picking one up.

EDIT: Just noticed you mentioned auto focus: IMO, autofocus for video on the 5d is not useful enough to matter. You lose your shot and can't confirm the focus in LiveView. Just use your optical powers!

A good budget choice for long lenses is the Canon 70-300mm 4-5.6 IS. I got one in LN condition from KEF for $415.

The good:
* low price
* IS for photos
* Reasonable size
* More than enough DOF for video
* Sharp enough for video

The not so good:
* Some breathing when moving focus
* Not as much light as a 1/2.8 lens
* More importantly, some vignetting at f/5.6
* Must untwist, but it's not too big to be viable. (Hopefully a firmware update will fix this. :)

No one should resort to twisting. The plastic shim method I documented in another thread is easy, safe, and doesn't unlock the mount.

If you are buying it new then I think there are some other options both in EOS and Nikon mount. For video the lens of choice is the Nikon 80-200 f2.8D which can be found very reasonably new and secondhand Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D

Cheaper alternatives would be a nice selection of older primes, a 85mm f2, 135mm f2.8 and 180mm f2.8 set would cost around the same as a Sigma.

For stills I would go for either of the Canon 70-200f4L zooms (IS or older non-IS), they have excellent optical performance, much lighter to carry and the one stop light loss will be negligable considering the 5dmkII's high ISO performance. The non IS version is only about $600 new on Amazon. FM Reviews - EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
When I shot Canon EOS before changing to Nikon I had a string of 70-200 f2.8L lenses before giving up on them and settling for the 70-200f4L IS instead, many pro photographers I know have done the same. The only reason I would want to use a f2.8 lens on stills is for sports.

Dan