Hi All,

I rented the Zeiss 50mm 1.4 on my first DSLR wedding and was very happy with the results, however I did feel that at 50mm on my t3i did not give me much of a field of view and left me constantly taking steps backwards. I would love to own both but I can't so I am now looking to purchase a used 35mm 1.4 under £400, am I being realistic with that price? I film in super low light and I don't want to keep renting as I have to leave a £1000 deposit and it eats into any profit I make.

You might find the EF 28mm f1.8 USM more flexible. I have one and find perspective (just about "normal") and low light performance to be very manageable.

The Samyang 35mm 1.4 is supposed to be really good.

I have changed my mind and gone with the Sigma 30mm 1.4. Paying the extra for auto focus will help me for any photography which I use the camera for and its a third of the price of the Canon 35mm.

How about the Canon L 24mm?

Good choice Tariq, I bought the same lens and used it for the first time about a week ago at an outdoor evening event. I was looking forward to trying it in low light. I used the "focus peaking" feature of Magic Lantern to help me focus manually. Thought I better get some experience before I relied on it for payed work. Used it on a 60D and internal microphone with no additional lighting other than what was on the street.

You can have a look at my results here if you're interested.
Downtown Vernon Light-Up Event on Vimeo

35 is more versatile, but it depends on what you like. I like candid portraits so I like 50 more.

Good choice Tariq, I bought the same lens and used it for the first time about a week ago at an outdoor evening event. I was looking forward to trying it in low light. I used the "focus peaking" feature of Magic Lantern to help me focus manually. Thought I better get some experience before I relied on it for payed work. Used it on a 60D and internal microphone with no additional lighting other than what was on the street.

You can have a look at my results here if you're interested.
Downtown Vernon Light-Up Event on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/33005128)

great quality

The Samyang 35mm 1.4 is supposed to be really good.

And it is - sharpest glass I've ever used. Amazing value really for the sharpness. And the build quality is quite good as well, although not the all-steel construction of a Zeiss.

Ken Rockwell gave it 5 out of 5 for optics:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/samyang/35mm-f14.htm

I would love to see a comparison between the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L and the Samyang 35mm f/1.4

The Samyang fits your price range - even a used Canon 35mm L will go for 3 times what the Samy goes for. Remember that you're paying for a lot of things most narrative video shooters don't need in Canon glass - namely quiet, fast, auto-focus - none of which are likely to be used.

One other big factor is manual aperture - if you think you'll ever shoot with a non-Canon camera, then using fully manual glass (like the Samyang or Zeiss) is a big positive, not a negative.

My main use is for video and I can rent the Canon 1.4 each time I go out on a shoot, however what I am trying to discover is in terms of video quality.Would you be able to tell the difference in video footage between the two?

Well, the common saying is that any good lens out resolves the camera. So, that being the case, whatever minor difference there might be (say in tonality) would be so small that they're not worth mentioning.

The Samyang is super sharp at all F stops, and has a nice, clean color rendition. Phil Bloom recently shot a promo for the FS100, and despite having several lens costing much more, used the Samyang:

"Gear wise, obviously the FS100 and Zeiss ZF macro lenses 50mm and 100mm. The Zeiss ZF 50mm and 85mm F1.4 too. I widest lens I used was the Samyang 35mm F1.4. So no wide angles in this piece! "

“Sugared Art”, a new short film on the Sony FS100 | Philip Bloom (http://philipbloom.net/2011/12/17/sugaredart/)