Looking to buy the Canon EOS 7d but...

Antonio Allen · November 8, 2011

Hello,

I posted in the wrong section before so my apology. Anyways, I'm a newbie filmmaker looking to purchase the Canon EOS 60D within the next month but not sure of the correct lens to buy with the body. I want to shoot short film to gain experience in the filmmaking field. Particularly, I want to utilize a lens with good/excellent shallow depth of field without putting a dent in my wallet (no more then $500). I here Tameron lens are pretty good quality and aren't to expensive? In retrospect, what len's are good for shooting short film/ feature length? Im completely new to cinematography so any insight would be helpful

Antonio Allen · November 8, 2011

what focal lengths and apertures are good to obtain depth of field, as seen in the movies

M Joel W · November 8, 2011

This is like asking a painter what brushes to buy. Really depends on taste and subject matter.

The most useful focal lengths for most productions are 18mm to 100mm, imo. Some directors go wide in general (Terry Gilliam), some do everything but stick toward medium wide (Spielberg), some stick around 50mm (Ozu, Hitchcock), Chris Cunningham once wanted to shoot a feature at 300mm exclusively...

I like 18mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 105mm. Or any kit that fills out that range nicely. You can get a Tamron 17-55mm VC f2.8 lens for $500 and that's pretty useful, a good lens with ugly bokeh. Or a set of f2.8 nikon primes and an adapter but you lose image stabilization and interface with the camera.

I like to shoot day exteriors between f4 and f8. Interiors around f2.8 or f4. Wider when needer. This varies tremendously based on budget and style.

Then you need ND filters, a follow focus (ideally), a tripod, a mic, etc.

Are you really planning to direct and shoot a feature with a $1000 camera rig you own? It will not be easy. A dSLR and fast normal zoom is a nice kit to get started with and you can get "cinematic" results, but it's just a start.

Hal Smith · November 8, 2011

If you can go another $500 for your lens, look at the Canon EF-S 17-55mm F2.8 IS USM lens. It's got close to Canon "L" series optical quality and takes great pictures. I've got one and it's the lens that lives on my camera.

Antonio Allen · November 8, 2011

Wauhkonen- Thanks for the insight. I'll probably stick in the 18mm to 100mm as well since I have no need to go higher,at least not right now. I agree with your opinion about the tamron lens. Tamrom does make pretty cheap lens compared to canon but, like you said, its kind of ugly in appearance. Although, it would be my first kit so for starters I think would suffice my filming needs. What are ND filters and follow focus? You know where i could purchase it? Forgive me for being so uninformed, I'm just new to all of this so bare with me

Smith-Thanks man. I'll definitely consider this lens if I decide to increase my budget (which I may).

Thanks for the advice gentlemen

Pavel Shpak · November 25, 2011

I like the 7D its a great camera, but for video I am sure the 60D and t3i and t2i do just about the same. Since I also take pics I needed the AF.

I use the 24-70mm 2.8 and 35mm f1.4 for video and they are amazing.

When I am only shooting Video and dont need to take pics I take along nikon lenses, such as f/2 ranging from 24/2 35/2 50/2 (nikkorH the sharpest ever) 85mm f/4

you could get all these for about $500 total if your not looking for them to be glamourous.

Check out this video I did with the 24-70, Get the 28-70mm from canon 2.8. I have seen them go for $700

Phil Rhodes · November 25, 2011

I've shot quite a lot of stuff on a really nasty Tamron 28-300 zoom, which is technically feeble. It doesn't seem to worry anyone when you put it on Vimeo...

Luke Lenoir · November 28, 2011

I STRONGLY recommend the Sigma 30mm 1.4 for the 7D. Extremely fast and sturdy. It'll be a 50mm because of the crop but still an excellent lens.

I would generally recommend primes for filmmaking and maybe buying some zooms later.

Adam Brown · December 20, 2011

Since you're starting out, I'd say stick with f1.8 (ish) primes.

You can get a Canon 35mm f2.0, 50mm f1.8, 85mm f1.8 and not spend more than around $800. If you buy Used, you can definitely get that for much less (and possibly within your targeted budget). You'll be a little limited on the wide angle end, but you'll be covered for your most popular focal lengths and be able to shoot in a wide variety of lighting conditions.

Unfortunately, there's just not really a "cheap" zoom option that also lets in a lot of light. That 17-55 f2.8 recommendation is the only real option, but you'll be spending around 2-2.5 times your budget on one lens that will be limited to just the wide angle and standard focal lengths, excluding a really nice 85mm portrait range.

Evan Kimball · January 13, 2012

"Tamron 17-55mm VC f2.8 lens for $500 and that's pretty useful, a good lens with ugly bokeh"

So true. If you're one of those shallow depth of field obsessed people, go for the nifty fifty and suffer trying to rack focus. I personally prefer old manual focus lenses with accurate #'s on the focus ring.