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Canon 7D - Canon vs. Nikon Lenses


James Malamatinas

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Hi guys,

 

I am about to purchase a 7D that will be used mainly for short films that I will be shooting to learn various aspects of film making, before hopefully moving towards a feature. I do not however have much experience with different lenses either for stills or video and need some advice on picking lenses for the new camera (my last video camera had a fixed lens.

 

My main question is - are there different 'prosumer' lenses for video opposed to stills i.e. not motion picture lenses, or can stills lenses be used perfectly with video?

 

I initially started looking at the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS however I am a follower of Philip Bloom and I saw this article which made me consider Nikon/Zeiss lenses - http://philipbloom.net/2010/05/11/why-i-recommend-the-zf-2-lenses-for-canon-dslrs-over-the-ze-2/. I don't however understand completely what he is talking about and how it affects the final video image (if at all).

 

I should point out that as well as advice on specific lens I appreciate any links to understanding the qualities and aspect of lenses in more detail - currently using http://www.photozone.de as a guide for reviews.

 

I have about $2000 max to spend on lenses - all advice is welcome.

 

Many thanks in advance,

James

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As for picking the right starting out lens... the plot thickens!! So much to learn about lenses, might put off the buying until I have a better understanding.

 

Hi James,

 

another piece of advice: try and find someone who rents the lenses you're interested in. Rent them. Test them. See if you like their look, then buy them if you must. Prepare to spend some $$ though, Nikkor prices have gone way up in the wake of the red and the HDSLRs.

 

Cheers, Dave

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  • 2 weeks later...

I initially started looking at the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS however I am a follower of Philip Bloom and I saw this article which made me consider Nikon/Zeiss lenses

 

Hey James, lenses are what make your image so aside from quality it's also a matter of taste. Some cinematographers are loyal to specific brands or lenses because they consider it part of their own personal style.

 

My suggestion is to start with a good range first (in millimeters) so you can actually go out and shoot. The 25-105 is a great range - extremely versatile. You could probably shoot your entire career with that one lens. I personally got the 28-70 because it's faster at f2.8 vs the f4 on the 25-105. All Canon "L" glass is top-of-the-line. After you have that, you can go in all kinds of directions. For me, I prefer wide shots so I got the Canon 10-22. You could start getting primes at that point - try some Zeiss primes, get a longer telephoto, get faster lenses, etc.

 

You'll start to figure out what you personally like and pretty soon you'll be broke like the rest of us! Good luck, though, I love my 7D. You're going to love shooting with it!

Edited by Jason Hinkle
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I am about to purchase a 7D that will be used mainly for short films that I will be shooting ................My main question is - are there different 'prosumer' lenses for video opposed to stills i.e. not motion picture lenses, or can stills lenses be used perfectly with video?

James

 

I bought the EF-S 17-55mm F2.8 IS USM for my 7D and love it. It's not an "L" series lens but has close to "L" optical quality. It's really great for shooting from moving vehicles, the IS is bulletproof. I've shot from cars, trucks, and even a Eurocopter and got phenomenal footage. I shot video driving down the Las Vegas strip after this year's NAB that my movie fan stepson volunteered looked like something in a Hollywood movie.

 

I plan on buying the 70-200mm F2.8 "L" lens eventually to complement the 17-55. I've got the prosumer EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS and it's a piece of junk compared to the EF-S 17-55mm.

 

Lensrental.com rents just about all the Canon lenses which would give you a good way to thoroughly check out lenses before purchasing them.

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IMO here are the fundamentals that should drive your choice.

 

Canon has a short flange to sensor distance - you can never convert a canon lens to nikon (or sony?)

 

So if the next 'great DSLR' is not from canon then all the canon lenses may be 'redundant'

 

remeber the 7d and 5d are amazing cameras but they only scratch the surface of what may come over the next couple of years

 

BUT

 

If a future canon camera has for example a method to control the lens electronically that may only work with canon lenses

 

SO

 

It doesnt matter too much now but could be a difference in the future - either way could be the wrong way

 

--

 

Right now manual lenses are more suitable for motion picture use than canon AFs due to the long smooth focus throw

 

Ziess or nikkor, nikkor however focusses the 'wrong way' but are cheaper than zeiss, there are other options from the old school, Olympus, Contax etc

 

---

 

My lenses I use..

5d 24-105 IS - a bit barrelly at the wide end and a little slow - great for RnG

7d Tokina 16-50 2.8 good general lens

For both

Nikkor 50 1.4 - cheap and wonderful

nikkor 14 2.8 expensive but amazing on the 5d

Canon 70-200F4, very cheap used but not as fast as the 2.8

NIkkor 28 3.5 PC , nice old lens

NIkkor 55 2.8 macro - legendary look

 

You see my bigger money is in nikkor but I have a couple of canon lenses suitable for RnG use

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