60D lens for live performance

[Sam Kanter]

I need a lens with the following requirements for documenting dance performances with 60D and ML:

1. constant aperture
2. good zoom range (like 18-70 or better)
3. smooth focus ring
4. fast if possible (2.8 or better)

Is there a manual lens (cheap) like this? If not, any Canon lenses?

Thanks in advance...

[Edward Mendoza]

How close will you be to the action? I assume you're gonna want something capable of both WIDE and MEDIUM/CLOSE-UP? Lenses with 2.8 aperture or faster will cost you, especially if they cover a wide array of focal lengths; you might want to look at some non-Canon brands (Sigma, Tamron, Tokina). Any faster, and you'll likely be looking at prime lenses, which won't do you any good unless you have multiple cameras.

Canon (and non-Canon brands) have inexpensive lenses that cover an array of focal lengths (18-135mm comes to mind), however you sacrifice f-stops (f3.5 max, a lot of the time). If you're shooting indoors in low-light conditions or outside at night, you might have issues.

Sorry, not being much help. Do a search online for the non-Canon brands and see what you can find. You're likely looking at a $400-$600 range.

[Buba Kastorski]

it's either Canon 17-55mm f2.8, 24-70mm f 2,8 or Tamron 28-105mm f 2,8, zooms faster than f:2.8 cost a bit more :)

[John Wiley]

Maybe a 24-70 f/2.8 is what you are looking for? There is a Canon L version as well as a Sigma version. The Canon version is one of the most popular lenses and one which pretty much every working photographer owns (along with the 70-200), but the Sigma version is available for half the price.

When engineering lenses for DSLR's there are a few general limitations:

1. f/2.8 is the fastest aperture you'll find in a zoom lens
2. An f/2.8 lens is generally limited to about a 3x zoom range (eg 17-50, 24-70, 70-200, 50-150, etc).

There are exceptions to these rules amongst cinema lenses, but in the DSLR world this is pretty much the limit without compromising either quality, size, or price.

[Sam Kanter]

Thanks for the replies. Do all the lenses mentioned have smooth focus and zoom rings? I will need to zoom in and out while recording.

What about vintage manual lenses from Nikon or others - much cheaper - (with adopter) that are of good quality and have qualities I'm looking for. Any suggestions?

[John Wiley]

I don't think any still photography lens has a sufficiently smooth ring to be able to rely upon it for consistantly smooth zooms. Part of the problem lies in the fact that the lenses do not zoom at a constant speed, even when the ring is turned at a constant speed. There are sudden parts where the zoom might speed up or slow down, so maintaining a steady hand and perfectly controlled rotation, it still won't zoom smoothly.

If I zoom mid-shot on my DSLR's I always edit out the zoom in post. If this is not possible for you, then I think DSLR's are probably not the right tool for the job.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by John Wiley

1. f/2.8 is the fastest aperture you'll find in a zoom lens

for any DSLR. There are a couple of Olympus F/2 zooms for Micro Four Thirds cameras e.g. GH2. The 35-100mm (70-200mm full frame equivalent) & the 14-35mm (28-70mm full frame equivalent).