Hey everyone,

I am thinking about picking up a 7D camera for VIDEO not photos....


LENS QUESTIONS:
Is the Canon EOS 7D SLR Digital Camera with 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens a good choice?
($1899 from BH, body and lens) It looks like its a very cheap lens, not sure if that is good or bad.


The only other lens that is really in my price range right now is the
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, the 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens, and the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

Also, what does USM mean? I know IS means image stabalizer,


ND QUESTIONS:
Also, if I am shooting in broad daylight outside, and assuming I would like great shallow depth of field as much as possible, will I need ND filters, and if so where do I get them?


Again this is for VIDEO RECORDING, so any suggestions for lens choice and ND options would be great, with the whole purpose of the camera being that I can get shallow depth of field for a short film I am creating this fall. I will also be using the Sony EX1r camera along with it. Any other suggestions for starting out with cameras would be great....batteries, handheld rigs, memory cards, etc

For ND options a good choice is a Fader ND from Lightcraftworkshop. Pretty much any kit lens you get is going to be pretty bottom of the barrel, but they do work and people have turned out some amazing stuff with them. My first choice of lens for my 7D was the Tamron 17 -50 f2.8 VC. It's a fantastic lens and stays on the camera most of the time.

I use B+W ND filters. A .9 takes you down 3 stops. That and a .3 are usually about all you need outside, although a .6 is a good thing to have as well. You can get stronger than a .9, ie., a 1.2, but I prefer to have a .9 and .3. You can stack them, or just use the .3 when needed.

That 28-135 lens is sharp and fairly decent considering you get it for only $200. It's not really wide enough to be your only lens. And it's a pretty slow lens, as well as variable--ie., it stops down when you zoom in. It's a decent outdoor lens. I got one with my camera but I really haven't used it much at all.

That 17-55 seems to be a very popular one. It costs about $1,000, but it's a good range for the 7D. I have a Tokina 16-50 f2.8, and lots of people have the Tamron 17-50 which is probably sharper. Both the Tamron and Tokina have very short focus throws, ie., you don't have to turn the ring very far to go from close to infinity, and that's annoying, although a follow focus system will help in that regard.

If you shoot lots of outdoor things, that 28-135 might be good to have, but you probably will want additional lenses, depending on what you do.

Props to the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 VC lens too. I've used it most of the time and picture quality is top notch. I've had lots of compliments from people. The only downside, is that the focus ring doesn't rotate as smooth but I can still live with that.

Otherwise 24-105mm f4L IS seems good as well although it won't work at low light.

"Also, what does USM mean?"

Canon brand name for Ultra Sonic Motor lens drive system

It seems you're looking for something with zoom, but if you're interested in considering a prime lens, the 50mm F1.4 is a damn fine lens, with some sharp DOP. I think I got mine for $340. Something to consider, since I saw at 18-55. If you're willing to deal with a prime, it's a solid choice.

Silas,

Keep in mind all the lenses you are considering are very slow at f/4. I second that the 50/1.4 is a great lense at that price, but if you'll be shooting w/ a zoom in any kind of low-light, save up for the 24-70/2.8 or the new 70-200. The f/4s and above are very limiting in the long run.

Yeah, any sort of evening or darker locations you shoot in will have to be adjusted with a higher ISO. Which means grain. If you've got the cash, the 50mm is a great lens. I've been very pleased with it. If a zoom is a must, I agree: the 24-70/2.8 is the way to go.

as much as i love my 24-70mm f/2.8 L I would really advise against zoom lenses. My lens is a throwback from my photography days and, though it is a nice lens, I am now replacing it with primes.

If you are wanting something affordable that you can replace once you get some real cash, go with a sigma or tamron zoom. Most of the time you are going to want to be shooting between 20mm and 50mm.

a 35mm, 50mm and 70mm are probably your best bet for most applications. If you think you will need to use a telephoto, go ahead and get something longer, but it just really depends on what you are shooting. You cant effectively zoom while filming, these lenses just aren't built to do that. Zoom lenses are made so you don't have to change lenses while you are taking photos, but if you have to stop recording and zoom and focus between shots anyway, it is better to go with a lens that has less glass and is honed to it's particular focal length that a zoom lens that has to compromise.

Silas, I have a wedding on the 26th at the www.vizcayapavilion.com in Sacramento if your not busy.

I highly recommend the 70-200 with IS by Canon. I really like my 17-55 IS by Canon as it stays on my camera the longest. The IS is very important. The 3rd lens that I'm hoping to get by this next wedding is the Tokina 11- 16mm for my wider shots. I hear a lot of people use the 50mm fixed lens and I tried it but found that I didn't like the fix focal length.

I only have one filter and it's the Tiffen Haze-1 filter which is great for cutting down on harsh outdoor lighting and helps things washed out to come into focus and color.

For you zoom lens I wouldn't pass up the Canon model. The lens is amazing and with the 200mm and crop factor on the 7D it's plenty good for being in the back of church for ceremonies and hiding in the corners and getting close up of people eating and talking at the tables durning the reception.

Don't get the Tamaron 70-200. It sucks.

Anyone know who might have the Tokina 11-16 in stock?

Silas,
I'm shooting and am happy with the following lenses:
Canon 17-55 is f2.8
Canon 70-200 is f2.8
Canon 50mm f1.4 ( great lens)
tokina 11-16 f2.8

I bought my 7D with the 18-135 kit lens, which is ok for a walk around "tourist" lens, or for specific conditions only. You can't maintain the same f stop throughout the zoom range (unless you set it at f5.6). Also, It's not as sharp and clear as the 17-55 or 70-200.

We shot a music video last Sunday in bright Florida sunligfht with 2 7d's, and I made the mistake of using the kit lens on a couple of the earlier shots. In reviewing the footage, there was no comparison.

You definately need an nd filter. I have one that I got from Singh-Ray, and it's top qualitry ( though very epensive). Another thing that I realized Sunday is that you NEED one for each camera when you're shooting in sunlight. I ended up stopping down the camera without the nd filter, and the image is milkier and not as filmic looking as the nd filter camera ( the kit lens with no nd filter, stoppe way down looks terrible).

Anotrher option is older manual Nikons primes with a Nikon to Canon adapter. I have a whole set of Nikon primes that i use(d) ith my Letus Extreme. For speed of use, you need an adapter for each lens.

Kelly,
Could you send me a link to that haze -1 filter?
Thanks
Bruce yarok

Thanks everyone for the replys!

Still debating between the 5D and 7D and considering selling a few of old cameras.

Silas-
For primes, don't forget to look at Zeiss......considered to probably be the best glass out there.

Jim Martin
FilmTools.com

Here it is. I love it.

tiffen haze-1 77mm (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=tiffen+haze-1+77mm&N=0&InitialSearch=yes)

For primes, don't forget to look at Zeiss......considered to probably be the best glass out there.

I'm not sure if the glass is the best, but it's a contender. I would say that the metal around the glass and the focus rings are probably the best. Especially if you rent a CP.2 kit. :)

I'd get the Canon EF-S 17-55mm IS. I got my 7D with the kit lens and sold the kit lens. I also got the Tamron zoom, and image wise it was fine but for me the manual focusing was tricky because of the very short throw of the ring so I returned it and purchased the $400 more expensive Canon. The Canon is easier to focus and in my opinion has slightly better glass.

I've also gotten a Tamron superzoom lens, the 18-270mm IS for the 7D. It's got an amazing range, but seems noticeably softer and when zooming, even if you have it set to a high F-stop, the exposure still clicks on the zoom - annoying. But 270mm for such a compact lens is pretty amazing. But the faster zooms like the Canon 17-55 and the 70-200 2.8 are very nice, quality (and expensive) lenses.

I also have a few Sigma primes, and I like them a lot, the 50mm and the 30mm 1.4. They have a nice solid feel to the focus rings. I don't hear a lot of people talking about them but they look good to me. A sleeper for a 85mm is the Rokinon, and it is actually a very inexpensive lens but good glass.

I also have the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8mm and that one is nice because you can actually use it at 16mm on a 5D as well.

I used to use protective filters over my lenses but I stopped. I found they were actually degrading the image and adding another variable to the process. I make sure I have a hard hood on to protect the lens from crashing into something. I do use the Fader ND, especially outdoors.

So many lenses, so little time... Good luck!

edited edited

+1 on Canon EF-S 17-55mm IS. Awesome images, the lens stays on my 7D most of the time.

Also I think no-one mentioned this fantastic wide lens: Sigma EX 10-20mm


I own it, and it is a great lens with low distortion. Pleasure for architectural or otherwise wide shots. Wide enough for most situations even on 7D's APS-C sensor.

I recently bought a 7D and I've been using it to shoot TV commercials. I had the luxury of renting 5Ds and 7Ds with various lens packages before I decided on my purchase. I went with the 7 over the 5 mainly because the way I operate, mostly hand held, no shoulder rig, I was getting more more noticeable rolling shutter issues with the 5. The other, less important reason, is that I Iike to do my own focus and it's just enough harder with the 5 to make a difference for me. (I know, you can stop down and up the ISO, but it's always been my preference to shoot at between F 2 and 2.8, when possible). To my eye, I get better results with prime lenses over zooms. I love the Canon L series, but they are costly and I also really like the look I get with Nikon manual focus lenses. They are cheap enough, even with adapters, so you can build up a decent collection for just a little more than the cost of one L lens. In spite of my prejudice against zooms, I just ordered the 17-55 2.8 Canon to use for day exteriors. I have not tried it yet, so I can't comment, but lens changes were slowing me down and I was worrying that opening the camera so much out in the field was risking getting dirt on the sensor. As for NDs I use Tiffen (cheap and I've been using them for years on big budget commercials with few issues) ND .09s which drop the exposure down 3 stops. I'd probably use .06s too, if I had them, but so far the 9s have been sufficient.

Here's a major advantage of 7D vs 5D for video: 7D outputs HD signal out HDMI for monitoring during recording.

5D however drops the output resolution to SD, making it impossible to use external monitors (I have a 7" one) for focusing.