....with a 24-70mm lens as advised by most of users here...

I happen to have a nice old (end of the 60s) pre-AI Nikon 50mm 1.4f which I know can be used as it's full manual...
can you please point me to a good adaptor that I can buy? I see quite a few around on eBay but not sure if they all work OK

also: which decent 77mm filter do you advise me to protect the lens? b+w and hoyas are pretty expensive, yet maybe all worth it on a £1000 lens.

thanks everyone and looking forward to receiving my camera tomorrow!!!!

Fed

I was introduced to DSLR by the 60D. I was very impressed with the images it produces, so I went out looking for a place where I could hold a 5D in my hand and compare. It wasm't easy to do that, all the places I looked but one were out of stock, and the place I found only had one. But when I saw how much wider my 24mm 1:2.8 was on the 5D over the 60D, I was hooked and it went home with me.

I've been shooting a documentary with it, using the 60D as a backup/b-roll camera. I've got sharp focusing in the sunlight tweaked, and I've got the audio tweaked on both cameras.

They're a lot more work than camcorders are. No question about it. But I'm totally enamored by the look they produce, and I for one am never going back to camcorders.... sold my EX1 & EX3 and all that goes with them (but kept my beloved Sachtler FSB8 and the slider Olof made for me).

camera1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/39123560@N03/5884866768/in/photostream)

Federico.... Hah! I just flew home from London after 16 days filming in E Europe and Africa. It was quite soggy trying to get out of Heathrow yesterday!

I used my 5DM2 with the 24-70mm f2.8 a lot but just for stills. For me, it's a b-cam to the EX1r and a stills camera.

I think I have the same old Nikon 50mm you do. When I looked into it, mine required a mechanical re-fit.
Nikon Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f/1.4 (http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/50f14nai.htm)

Some info about the refit:
AI Conversions for Nikon Lenses: Effective, Fast and Affordable! (http://www.aiconversions.com/)

I abandoned it and went with the Sigma 50mm f1.4 as it's got the best bokeh of the currently made bunch Attachment 1 is a still while attachment 2 is a screen shot from video. But what I like equally is that the Sigma uses a 77mm filter too so the investment in polarizer and UV filters goes a long way. My EX1r is also 77mm so.... YMMV

Multicoating of filters is key to getting the best image. I like B+W and get them when I can afford it.

F
I think I have the same old Nikon 50mm you do. When I looked into it, mine required a mechanical re-fit.
Nikon Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f/1.4 (http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/50f14nai.htm)

Some info about the refit:
AI Conversions for Nikon Lenses: Effective, Fast and Affordable! (http://www.aiconversions.com/)



thanks..... it does really look like the 50mm I have...need to double check but I am pretty sure.
strange...I found somewhere on the web that old lenses like these shouldn't need more than an adaptor...

I sold the EX1r without realising I would have then bought a 5D only 6 months after....had in known I would have kept that B+W filter goddamit!

I abandoned it and went with the Sigma 50mm f1.4 as it's got the best bokeh of the currently made bunch Attachment 1 is a still while attachment 2 is a screen shot from video. .

but isn't it better to use a lens that has manual aperture for shooting videos on the 5D mk2? that's why I was keen to try to use my nikon

I've got sharp focusing in the sunlight tweaked, and I've got the audio tweaked on both cameras.




interesting...how exactly have they been tweaked?

Regarding adapters, look into the fotodiox pro. They have metal surfaces and good quality.

Look closely for the small release tab. Otherwise, you will put the adapter on your lens and get a rush of adrenaline as you think it's stuck there forever. :)

There are cheaper adapters, and I'm sure that some are equally as good - but some aren't.

The only Nikon lenses to avoid are the "G" lenses that don't have aperture rings. You can buy "G" adapters, but they are expensive. The only lens that would be worth a G adapter to me is the 12-24mm. That's a unique lens that would be truly worthy.

Regarding coatings, Zeiss lenses rock, if you can afford them. Canon glass is great, but the AF focus rings are less than ideal for video.

but isn't it better to use a lens that has manual aperture for shooting videos on the 5D mk2? that's why I was keen to try to use my nikon

I am unaware of that line of thinking. I set the aperture using the body controls just like I do for stills.

BTW, you attributed a quote about tweaking focus and audio to me when it was Charles who said that.

I am unaware of that line of thinking. I set the aperture using the body controls just like I do for stills.

BTW, you attributed a quote about tweaking focus and audio to me when it was Charles who said that.


sorry that was unintentional. - rectified now - ..what I meant is that either you use Canon lenses and control aperture with the camera, or old lenses and you do it "on the lens", but with recent Nikon lenses that do not have the aperture ring, how do you do that?

For the newer "G" lenses with no aperture ring, you need a special, expensive adapter.

Regarding the aperture ring on the lens vs. control on the camera, there are a few advantages to the rings:

1) You can "de-click" some rings by removing a ball bearing. That let's you smoothly adjust the aperture under changing conditions. Personally, I prefer to set the aperture to a specific reading.

2) Some lenses hunt the aperture when you focus them. That's true of the Canon 100/2.8 Macro on the 5D2 with 2.0.4 firmware. I believe that 2.0.8 fixes it. You can hold the DOF preview button and "untwist" the lens to remedy this. Most lenses don't have this problem, but some 3rd party lenses still do.

3) When shooting stopped down timelapses, the aperture opens wide for framing, AF, and exposure measurements, then stops back down for the photo. This leads to inconsistent apertures between photos. It doesn't happen with lenses with aperture rings. With Canon-style lenses, hold the DOF preview button and untwist the lens to set a fixed aperture.

Personally, I like controlling aperture in camera. It gets noted in the EXIF data. You can see the setting from the screen. All the AF settings work properly. Those are benefits that one can enjoy every day. I don't want a constant variable aperture personally, and I can easily untwist the lens for timelapses.

That's why I bought ZE lenses rather than ZFs.

sorry that was unintentional. - rectified now - ..what I meant is that either you use Canon lenses and control aperture with the camera, or old lenses and you do it "on the lens", but with recent Nikon lenses that do not have the aperture ring, how do you do that?

The Sigma 50mm f1.4 lens comes in a Canon compatible model and so you get all the functions of Canon glass but without the edgy bokeh of the Canon 50mm f1.4 and f1.8 as reported in reviews such as photozone.de.

interesting...how exactly have they been tweaked?

The audio gain is cranked down to a notch above off. When I bring in audio from my Rode VideoMic Pro or from my Sony wireless, it's crisp and clean.

To focus, I make frequent use of the on-camera zoom to dial it in, then bak to normal of course. I also use a Hoodman Hoodloup with the diopter and CineCrane attachment. Focus, then flip it up out of the way. Works great.

Regarding coatings, Zeiss lenses rock, if you can afford them.

Yes indeed -- my good'ol Carl Zeiss' truly rock. Here's a raw snippet from a portrait series that I'm currently working on -- and yes, even if I have a few L glass as well, I somehow end up using mostly my Zeiss lenses. Notice the DOF (shallow depth of field):

Test footage from portrait series -- Carl Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 on Vimeo

-- peer