Cheap lenses.. Why not? at DVinfo.net

Marcello Mazzilli · October 9th, 2010, 08:01 PM

Around on the net, ebay etc, there are many cheap Canon EF lenses compatibile with 5d. They range from 10$ macros to 200$ for a 1600mm zoom, etc... My question.... Being the camera a 21mpixel camera, and needing for video only 2mpixel.... A slightly blurred or not perfect lens not so good for photography ... Could still work quite well for video.... Or not?
Obviously... You get what you pay for... But...?

Kin Lau · October 9th, 2010, 09:12 PM

The biggest problem is often the horrible colour fringing and chromatic aberations you get with the cheap glass you've mentioned. This is very noticeable on the cheap telephotos.

OTOH, legacy manual focus lenses from the 70's and 80's are often very good, just orphaned by technology (no AF or auto-iris control).

But after spending a few $$$$ on a 5Dm2, you can afford to spend $10- on a few pieces of cheap glass and try it yourself.

Jim Newberry · October 10th, 2010, 02:11 PM

Depends what you're shooting, and what kind of image you want. A lot of people are using plastic toy cameras and antique lenses these days to get interesting, degraded images. A really crap lens, like that on a Holga, can look really cool; on the other hand, a slightly crap lens might just look bad.

Reasons to get good (usually expensive lenses):

- speed (wider f stops, mean shooting in lower light and controlling depth of field)
- sharpness (not always essential, but for most conventional photography this is something you want)
- contrast/image quality (the "look" of the lens)
- lack of distortion (chromatic aberration, vignetting, optical distortion, etc)
- build quality

Poor quality lenses can be cheap and look cool, but you need to try them out first, or see samples of them in use.

Justin Benn · October 11th, 2010, 01:10 AM

Another reason to get good glass is to minimise 'breathing' while changing focus. Mind you, this is only really truly minimised with cinema glass. Also, having a large range of movement for focus control assists in modulating focus over small distances - and decent build quality will allow you to do that smoothly too.

That said, I'm surprised more folk don't take advantage of M42 adapters and the vintage worlds they open up...

Vishal Jadhav · October 11th, 2010, 05:59 AM

Hi Folks,

I did have a look at the possibiliy to use the older lenses,

Was more interested in the Nikon AIS lens series and hence last month bought the Nikkor 800 f/5.6 , got it imported from Japan and still trying it out.

Any one has guidence on using the long Nikkor telephotos on the 5D M II , i find it to heavy to use but i do like the focusing and since i use it on a tripod its a bit easier. Still need to put in a lot of practice to get better at this.

Kindly let me know any tips on using such AIS lenses on the 5D M II

best regards
Vishal

Jacques E. Bouchard · October 11th, 2010, 11:01 AM

I bought cheap filters when I first got my XH-A1, and they're fine in most cases but the flaws become apparent when zoomed in (soft image on the ND filters) or when sunlight shines on them (imperfections in the glass of the UV filter).

Like cheap lenses, they might be a great way to get started but they'll show their limitations.

Man Yip · October 12th, 2010, 02:26 PM

Marcello: Yes, why not, buy it, and show us the differences!! :]

October 9th, 2010, 08:01 PM	#1
Marcello Mazzilli Major Player Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ITALIA Posts: 416	Cheap lenses.. Why not? Around on the net, ebay etc, there are many cheap Canon EF lenses compatibile with 5d. They range from 10$ macros to 200$ for a 1600mm zoom, etc... My question.... Being the camera a 21mpixel camera, and needing for video only 2mpixel.... A slightly blurred or not perfect lens not so good for photography ... Could still work quite well for video.... Or not? Obviously... You get what you pay for... But...?

October 9th, 2010, 09:12 PM	#2
Kin Lau Major Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ottawa, ON Posts: 385	The biggest problem is often the horrible colour fringing and chromatic aberations you get with the cheap glass you've mentioned. This is very noticeable on the cheap telephotos. OTOH, legacy manual focus lenses from the 70's and 80's are often very good, just orphaned by technology (no AF or auto-iris control). But after spending a few $$$$ on a 5Dm2, you can afford to spend $10- on a few pieces of cheap glass and try it yourself.

October 10th, 2010, 02:11 PM	#3
Jim Newberry Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 170	Depends what you're shooting, and what kind of image you want. A lot of people are using plastic toy cameras and antique lenses these days to get interesting, degraded images. A really crap lens, like that on a Holga, can look really cool; on the other hand, a slightly crap lens might just look bad. Reasons to get good (usually expensive lenses): - speed (wider f stops, mean shooting in lower light and controlling depth of field) - sharpness (not always essential, but for most conventional photography this is something you want) - contrast/image quality (the "look" of the lens) - lack of distortion (chromatic aberration, vignetting, optical distortion, etc) - build quality Poor quality lenses can be cheap and look cool, but you need to try them out first, or see samples of them in use.

October 11th, 2010, 01:10 AM	#4
Justin Benn Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: York, UK. Posts: 224	Another reason to get good glass is to minimise 'breathing' while changing focus. Mind you, this is only really truly minimised with cinema glass. Also, having a large range of movement for focus control assists in modulating focus over small distances - and decent build quality will allow you to do that smoothly too. That said, I'm surprised more folk don't take advantage of M42 adapters and the vintage worlds they open up...

October 11th, 2010, 05:59 AM	#5
Vishal Jadhav Major Player Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Pune, Mah , India Posts: 445	Hi Folks, I did have a look at the possibiliy to use the older lenses, Was more interested in the Nikon AIS lens series and hence last month bought the Nikkor 800 f/5.6 , got it imported from Japan and still trying it out. Any one has guidence on using the long Nikkor telephotos on the 5D M II , i find it to heavy to use but i do like the focusing and since i use it on a tripod its a bit easier. Still need to put in a lot of practice to get better at this. Kindly let me know any tips on using such AIS lenses on the 5D M II best regards Vishal

October 11th, 2010, 11:01 AM	#6
Jacques E. Bouchard Major Player Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 442	I bought cheap filters when I first got my XH-A1, and they're fine in most cases but the flaws become apparent when zoomed in (soft image on the ND filters) or when sunlight shines on them (imperfections in the glass of the UV filter). Like cheap lenses, they might be a great way to get started but they'll show their limitations.

October 12th, 2010, 02:26 PM	#7
Man Yip Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 53	Marcello: Yes, why not, buy it, and show us the differences!! :]