Jump to content

5D Mark II. But what lenses?


Ben Brahem Ziryab

Recommended Posts

Hello there...

 

I'm doing a short film next month using a Canon 5D mark II. Most of it will be shot using Carl Zeiss (for Hasselblad) lenses, but I will rent a wide angle lenses as well.

As I don't have any experience with Canon glass what so ever, I'm interested in hearing which one these lenses you would recommend for the shoot.

 

Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 (For Canon)

Canon 17-40 f/4 L

Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM

Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM

Canon EF-S 10-22mm USM

 

My concern is not only in sharpness and optical resolution, but also in their characteristics with contrast and color rendition.

 

Thanks,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I would only add that you might want to consider a 70-200mm as well or even longer. I know that a lot of people think only wide angle for DSLR video, but one of the major advantages of this format is that longer lens are very easy to rent for them and very few productions use them. In my view this only adds to their usefulness in helping your piece to be more distinguished from its peers. Why not a macro lens also? I could easily do a very interesting opening montage with just a nice macro lens. Has anyone tried focus stacking for video with a macro lens? A lensbaby?

 

The lens that you use is dependent on the type of shot that you want. You could actually get rid of a few of those lenses that you listed depending on what you want to film. You need to plan out your shots and your locations first and then you will know what lens that you want to use for your video. How do you want your video to look? What style did you have in mind? How do you want to present your information, up close and emotional or something else?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

It all depends on what general focal lengths you're planning on using but I'd also recommend the 24-70mm f/2.8L (I actually just invested in one that I picked up yesterday for a shoot I'm getting ready for). It's fairly fast (one reason I wouldn't recommend the 17-40 f/4L you listed when shooting video), is amazingly sharp, and has a great general focal range. You might want a couple lenses that are wider and longer than what this lens can do but it covers a great range as far as what's considered the usual narrative filmmaking focal range. Also, it doesn't breathe! Such a great lens.

 

Also, make sure you don't pick up any EF-S lenses if you're planning on shooting with the 5D mk. 2; they're specifically made for crop-sensor cameras and don't work on full-frame cameras.

 

The EF 24-70 f/2.8L finished off my desired lens kit for now, which also includes: a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 EF-mount (a specifically crop-sensor lens but can be used as a high-quality 16mm f/2.8 prime on full-sensor cameras, which is actually recommended given the price and great quality), an EF 50mm f/1.4, and the EF 28-135 f/3.5-5 kit lens. This is all for a 7D, so keep that in mind. Serves my needs just fine, but I'm still contemplating getting the EF 85 f/1.8 in the future, which I hear is wonderful and would be nice to have so that I have a lens that's longer than 70mm that can open wider than a f/3.5 :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...