Hi y'all,

We need to add to our inventory of budget reception friendly lenses and also for Glidecam purposes...currently carrying vintage Nikon 50mm 1.4 and Canon 85 1.8mm for reception but don't want to use the Tamron 17-50 2.8 on a Glidecam. Your thoughts/feedback are appreciated.


Thanks!

Kren

Hi Kren, I would hunt for a takumar 28mm, they sell for less than a $100 on craigslist. I shot an 18th birthday last Saturday my colleague used that 28mm on a glidecam and hooked-up a fisheye adaptor. The shot looks amazing.

Tokina 11-16 2.8? Samyang 35mm f/1.4?

Sigma Super W/A 20mm f/1.8 EX Aspherical DG DF RF AF 411101 B&H

Works well - focus ring is a little stiff but not terrible. The 30mm is usually my "close-up" steadicam merlin lens - right on the edge of my flying abilities but it usually turns out pretty good. Gotten lots of great use out of it so far with 7Ds. A little heavier than other EOS primes, but it's built really nice. F1.4 is PLENTY :)

I realize it's not the 30mm 1.4, but I own the Sigma 24mm 1.8, and while it's a little heavy, it seems to fly ok - sometimes even fairly well - on the Merlin. I really like the focal length on the 5Dmkii for flying, too. There is some noise with the focus ring, but if you're not using on-camera audio, you should be fine.

How important is IS (image stabilization) on these lenses? would also use it for Glidecam purposes..

Thanks for the feedbacks!

Kren

30mm F/1.4 is a very good lens, for the money. At the same time it is the oddest of focal lengths. On my GH2 it was 60mm, and while not bad, it just was weird to me. I sold it, and haven't missed it much. Again, for the money it is a very good value, and if you can make it work for you, the F/1.4 is nice.

Can't speak to the OIS, sorry.

The 24 or 20mm F/1.8 would be super nice for flying, the 30mm would be a tad long, IMO. Think you would want wider rather than longer.

I LOVE the Tokina 11-16, 2.8 lens. I also have the Sigma 20 1.8 lens. I'm not a big fan of it. The focus is pretty soft and I don't like the look as much. The Tokina is way sharper. It doesn't have image stabilizer, but I've never had a problem.