New lens for NightLife Video

Jon Fairhurst · December 19th, 2011, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Friedman

I have the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and the first thing I loved about my Sigma was the substantial size and focusing ring...

Compared to the EF 50/1.8, most every lens feels like it has a substantial focus ring. :)

Tariq Peter · January 4th, 2012, 05:27 PM

Hi Guys,

If I am shooting in low light and want to keep everything in focus what aperture setting should I use?
I am currently testing with my Tamron 17-50 at ISO 400/F8 and can't see a thing. I am looking to do something like this when I shoot outdoors. I am guessing my new Samyang 35mm 1.4 will do the trick at f8?

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Bob Drummond · January 6th, 2012, 08:35 AM

Tariq, it's very difficult to shoot in low light and have everything in focus, because as you lower your f number (open the aperture) your depth of field will get shallower and shallower. F8 is going to let the same amount of light in on any lens.

We pay thousands of dollars sometimes to get a really low aperture (like f1.2), but shooting at 1.2 will only leave a small part of the image in focus.

You can compensate various ways, but each has their own drawback. Boosting the ISO will allow you to close down the aperture some and keep more in focus, but your image will get noisier and noisier the higher your ISO. You can lower your shutter speed, but the motion in your image will get more blurry and less filmic. And of course, you can add lights to your scene, but then you're not really shooting in low-light anymore are you!

Tariq Peter · January 6th, 2012, 01:08 PM

But in the clip above he sets his camera to f8 and yet all seems to be in focus with such low light.

Colin Rowe · January 6th, 2012, 02:22 PM

Its not low light. They are using off camera lighting

Eelco Romeijn · January 6th, 2012, 03:20 PM

The one lens that also needs to be mentioned in this thread is the Canon Ef 35 2.0

SLR Lenses

I think it's very versatile and a good deal.

Jon Fairhurst · January 6th, 2012, 07:40 PM

The Canon EF 35/2 has very nice glass for the price. The body is the weak point. It's an older pre-USM design. It's more like the 50/1.8 than the 50/1.4 in that regard. If you don't mind the poor feeling focus ring, it's a worthy lens.

Personally, I owned the 35/2 for a few months and found that I always grabbed the 28/1.8 or the 50/1.4 simply due to the better feel. Looking back, I should have given it more attention. I'm learning that I really like the 35mm view on a full frame camera.

John Friedman · January 14th, 2012, 09:15 PM

I just used my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 in a nightclub last weekend. Here's a link:

I collected a lot of footage and was able to get some really good clean shots with fairly low noise. The majority of the evening I left the lens wide open at 1.4 used my 160LED light only in the darkest areas. Shot mostly at ISO 800 as well.

January 4th, 2012, 05:27 PM	#17
Tariq Peter Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Manchester England Posts: 435	Re: New lens for NightLife Video Hi Guys, If I am shooting in low light and want to keep everything in focus what aperture setting should I use? I am currently testing with my Tamron 17-50 at ISO 400/F8 and can't see a thing. I am looking to do something like this when I shoot outdoors. I am guessing my new Samyang 35mm 1.4 will do the trick at f8? FREE TUTORIAL :: WedFilm Academy :: Rapid Shooting (wedding video training) - YouTube

January 6th, 2012, 08:35 AM	#18
Bob Drummond Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 161	Re: New lens for NightLife Video Tariq, it's very difficult to shoot in low light and have everything in focus, because as you lower your f number (open the aperture) your depth of field will get shallower and shallower. F8 is going to let the same amount of light in on any lens. We pay thousands of dollars sometimes to get a really low aperture (like f1.2), but shooting at 1.2 will only leave a small part of the image in focus. You can compensate various ways, but each has their own drawback. Boosting the ISO will allow you to close down the aperture some and keep more in focus, but your image will get noisier and noisier the higher your ISO. You can lower your shutter speed, but the motion in your image will get more blurry and less filmic. And of course, you can add lights to your scene, but then you're not really shooting in low-light anymore are you!

January 6th, 2012, 01:08 PM	#19
Tariq Peter Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Manchester England Posts: 435	Re: New lens for NightLife Video But in the clip above he sets his camera to f8 and yet all seems to be in focus with such low light.

January 6th, 2012, 02:22 PM	#20
Colin Rowe Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cornwall UK Posts: 793	Re: New lens for NightLife Video Its not low light. They are using off camera lighting __________________ Colin Last edited by Colin Rowe; January 6th, 2012 at 04:21 PM.

January 6th, 2012, 03:20 PM	#21
Eelco Romeijn Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Rotterdam (Netherlands) Posts: 60	Re: New lens for NightLife Video The one lens that also needs to be mentioned in this thread is the Canon Ef 35 2.0 SLR Lenses I think it's very versatile and a good deal. __________________ XDcamHD F330, 2" VF, Fujinon 13x3,3. 550D, MagicLantern, CS5.5 www.picturethis.tv

January 6th, 2012, 07:40 PM	#22
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Re: New lens for NightLife Video The Canon EF 35/2 has very nice glass for the price. The body is the weak point. It's an older pre-USM design. It's more like the 50/1.8 than the 50/1.4 in that regard. If you don't mind the poor feeling focus ring, it's a worthy lens. Personally, I owned the 35/2 for a few months and found that I always grabbed the 28/1.8 or the 50/1.4 simply due to the better feel. Looking back, I should have given it more attention. I'm learning that I really like the 35mm view on a full frame camera. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

January 14th, 2012, 09:15 PM	#23
John Friedman Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Snellville, Ga Posts: 34	Re: New lens for NightLife Video I just used my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 in a nightclub last weekend. Here's a link: My Sisters Room Atlanta, GA on Vimeo I collected a lot of footage and was able to get some really good clean shots with fairly low noise. The majority of the evening I left the lens wide open at 1.4 used my 160LED light only in the darkest areas. Shot mostly at ISO 800 as well.